Whole-class Discussions Research Articles

A Tool for Visualizing and Inquiring into Whole-Class Sensemaking Discussions

In science classrooms, the epistemic practices of explanation building and argumentation often extend over multiple episodes of talk during a single lesson or across several lessons. Analyzing this kind of discourse requires a way to identify patterns that emerge over time to better understand student participation and how teachers support students’ disciplinary work. In this paper, we share the development of a unique graphic representation of classroom talk which we call barcodes. These barcodes assisted our analysis of when and how, over multiple points in a school year, three elementary science teachers facilitated students’ science sensemaking during whole-class discussions in ways that ended up promoting, sustaining, or constraining students’ collective development of ideas. Barcodes allowed us to see that each teacher regularly engaged students in rigorous whole-class talk over a school year, yet each classroom had distinct patterns of teacher involvement and activity sequences that preceded or co-occurred with these conversations. Paired with transcripts, barcodes illuminated a relationship between teacher responsiveness to specific student ideas and higher discursive rigor. Finally, iterative cross-referencing between barcodes and transcripts sparked further inquiries into supportive conditions for talk that were not as apparent using transcripts alone. In this way, the barcode functioned both as an analytical tool and a final visualization of discourse events in a series of lessons from grades 5 and 6 science classrooms.

Representing Student Voice in an Approximation of Practice: Using Planted Errors in Coached Rehearsals to Support Teacher Candidate Learning

Approximations of practice provide opportunities for teacher candidates (TCs) to engage in the work of teaching in situations of reduced complexity. A problem of practice for teacher educators relates to how to represent student voice in approximations to engage TCs with interactive practices in meaningful ways. In this article, we share an analysis of our use of “planted errors” in coached rehearsals with secondary mathematics TCs focused on the practice of responding to errors in whole-class discussion. We highlight how different iterations of the planted errors affect the authenticity of how student voice was represented in the rehearsals and the resulting opportunities for TC learning. We offer design considerations for coached rehearsals and other approximations of practice.

Using students’ epistemic uncertainty as a pedagogical resource to develop knowledge in argumentation

ABSTRACT This longitudinal case study explores how students’ epistemic uncertainty in argumentation can be adapted as a resource to develop knowledge in a fifth-grade classroom. Major data sources include 12 videotaped whole-class discussions focused on group presentation of arguments to obtain peers’ critiques across two course units, the ecosystem and the human body systems, over a 16-week period. Grounded in a qualitative, interpretative approach, the results show that when students' epistemic uncertainty was leveraged as a resource, students were able to construct a more coherent and consistent knowledge system by integrating their prior and target scientific knowledge. We argue that to effectively use students’ epistemic uncertainty as a pedagogical resource in managing uncertainty, teachers need to consider the status of students’ knowledge of the target concept, if they are aware of uncertainty, and how uncertainty is resolved through critique that leads to knowledge construction. As students had opportunities to practice managing uncertainty, they developed skills necessary to attend to each other’s utterances and use them as collaborative epistemic resources to develop, with their peers, acceptable knowledge. Conceptualising argumentation as an enterprise to manage uncertainty can help instructors to design a productive and authentic environment to facilitate the learning of science.

Investigating the combined effects of group size and group composition in online discussion

Discussion has been widely used in courses, both online and otherwise, as it provides opportunities for students to construct knowledge through interaction with peers and instructors. Grouping students is a prominent strategy in the use of discussion. However, simply dividing students cannot guarantee active participation and high learning performance. There is therefore a need to pay attention to the structure and/or features of grouping, especially group size and group composition. The study described in this article focuses on the combined effects of group size and group composition in online discussion. It investigates whether students in small groups have different participation behaviors and learning performance compared to students in whole-class discussion. In addition, the influence of group composition is examined by comparing students’ participation and learning performance from high, medium, and low social-connected groups. Furthermore, this study also investigates how students’ perceived learning experience differs among these three differently-connected group compositions. The results indicate significantly different participation behaviors and learning performance between small-group and whole-class discussion. The effects of group composition are also shown in students’ learning behaviors, performance, and perceived experience. The results also reveal both advantages and disadvantages of different group types. The findings are expected to inform the design and implementation of grouping methods and extend our understanding of online discussion.

Students’ Possibilities to Learn From Group Discussions Integrated in Whole-class Teaching in Mathematics

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to investigate how small-group and whole-class discussions during whole-class teaching contribute to students’ learning. The study includes 33 video-recorded small-group discussions in four mathematics lessons on enlarging and reducing two-dimensional geometric figures in Grade 8. The results show that different objects of learning were enacted in the different small-groups’ discussions, and that in the majority of the small-group discussions the students did not have the possibility to learn what was intended, since critical aspects were not explored. The combination of group and whole-class discussions contributed to that critical aspects of the specific subject matter came to the fore and thereby were possible to discern. The results indicate that small-group discussions without subsequent whole-class discussions may have less effect on student learning.

Analysis of the final comments provided by a knowledgeable other in lesson study

Lesson study has been implemented in schools around the world as a method of professional development for teachers. Lesson study consists of five steps, among which the “Research Lesson” and “Post-lesson Discussion” are central. During the Post-lesson Discussion, after the teacher has commented on the lesson, all of the observers discuss the lesson, and the “knowledgeable other” (koshi), a specially invited expert, provides final comments. The quality of these final comments is critical to the learning of the lesson-study participants, and, consequently, the koshi plays an extremely important role. However, few studies have examined the nature and structure of the final comments that koshis provide. This study analyzed the final comments made in three elementary-school research lessons in Japan by a highly distinguished university mathematics educator with considerable teaching experience and an outstanding reputation as a koshi. We found that his final comments clustered into seven categories, which we named: (1) considering the didactical value of mathematical content; (2) use of representations; (3) fostering positive attitudes to learning; (4) incorporating students’ ideas into whole-class discussions; (5) giving attention to what students write down; (6) giving attention to the content of the board-work; and (7) teacher growth through reflection. These categories provide insight into the nature of final comments that are regarded as being particularly useful and may form the basis for less-experienced koshis to structure their final comments in lesson study.

When discussions sputter or take flight: Comparing productive disciplinary engagement in two history classes

ABSTRACT Background Despite its numerous benefits, dialogic discussion seldom occurs in secondary history classrooms. To examine ways to promote it, this study compared two ninth-grade classes’ productive disciplinary engagement (PDE) in a whole-class discussion on the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Methods The two class sections were comparable academically but had experienced slightly different implementations of the curriculum. Analytic codes tracked discursive moves within each discussion (e.g., authentic questioning), as well as shifts in discursive style (e.g., from monologic to dialogic). Findings Analysis suggests that both classes employed sound historical reasoning throughout, but that the third-period class grew more productively engaged. The disparity traces back to the days spent preparing students for discussion, which in third period served to construct a more compelling problem to explore, and to position students as more knowledgeable authorities. Yet even in that class, student dialogue emerged late in the discussion, after segments devoted to establishing textual evidence and answering student questions. Contribution Based on these findings, a model is presented for promoting PDE in historical discussions that emphasizes the distribution of intellectual authority and the provision of sufficient time and resources.

Student Response - Based Learning: A Strategy for Improving Student Participation in Learning

In the context of 21st century learning, to achieve meaningful learning processes, one of the important elements is interaction. Student response - based learning can be used to actively involve students in the learning process. The study focused on stages of the learning process based on student responses and student responses to the learning. Formulation of the research problem is following: (1) how are the stages of the learning process based on student responses to increasing student participation in learning ?; (2) how is the student response to student response based learning? The research objectives are: (1) increasing the active participation of students in learning through conditioning the learning environment; and (2) describing the steps of the student response-based learning process. The research conducted is a research development. Conclusion of the results of the study: first, the stages of the student response-based learning process (learning model syntax) are (a) uploading teaching materials; (b) Question Individual Vote; (c) Peer Discussion; (d) Second Vote; (e) Whole-class Discussion. These learning steps can increase student participation in learning. Second, students generally give positive responses to student response based learning. A positive response is given to the factor of the variable (a) explanation; (b) facilitation; (c) value; (d) positivity; (e) distraction; and (f) participation.

An inquiry-based design research for teaching geometric transformations by developing mathematical practices in dynamic geometry environment

This study reports the classroom mathematical practices proposed in an instructional sequence grounding on the principles of inquiry-based learning (IBL) through the use of the dynamic geometry software (DGS) in learning to teach geometric transformations. A 5-week instructional sequence consisting of IBL activities that were guided by the hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) was designed. The participant 23 preservice middle-school mathematics teachers (PMSMTs) used the geometer’s sketchpad in the sequence. The qualitative data obtained from whole-class discussions, classroom artifacts, and teacher candidates’ products were analyzed by the three-phase methodology of Rasmussen and Stephan based on the Toulmin argumentation model. The findings revealed that three mathematical practices emerged at the end of the 5-week instructional sequence: (1) an in-depth understanding of geometric transformations, (2) operational definitions of geometric transformations and the identification of the relationship among them, and (3) the properties and attributes of geometric transformations. The development of the PMSMTs’ understanding of geometric transformations in the instructional sequence was explained by the systematic nature of classroom mathematical practices. Hence, it was concluded that the PMSMTs’ knowledge and understanding of transformation geometry were enhanced through the instructional sequence based on the specific HLT.

Conversation in the classroom

Linguists have found that certain dynamics of conversation are consistent across languages worldwide, and these dynamics can affect the classroom discussions that teachers use to assess student understanding and make instructional decisions. Carrie Holmberg and Jamaal Muwwakkil discuss how conversational pauses, for example, might lead questioners to infer meaning that isn’t overtly expressed. Yes/no questions tend to elicit quick yes responses, while no answers and expressions of uncertainty come more slowly. This means that in whole-class discussions, students who are fast processors or are inclined to answer yes to teacher questions tend to dominate conversations, leaving teachers with less information about students who respond more slowly. The authors urge teachers to think about how these dynamics affect conversations in their classrooms and to use tools and policies that create more equitable discussions.

Forms and functions of on-the-fly formative assessment conversations in physics inquiry lessons

ABSTRACT This case study examined teachers’ on-the-fly formative assessment conversations, that is, how teachers collect information from students’ thinking and use that information to support their learning during teacher-student interactions. Previous studies have typically analysed whole-class discussions on the level of speaking turns, and have identified means of collecting information (eliciting) and using information (feedback). This study used episode-based analysis to identify both forms and functions of on-the-fly formative assessment conversations during all phases of the inquiry lessons. We video-recorded two teachers' physics lessons for 7th graders (13–14 years). When analysing the forms of on-the-fly formative assessment conversations, we found five types of collecting information, including questioning and other means, and four ways of using the information. We also studied the functions of on-the-fly formative assessment and found four main functions and their sub-functions. The main functions differed according to the purpose of guiding in relation to the flow of student inquiry. Teachers (1) checked or examined students’ thinking, (2) corrected or developed students’ present thinking, (3) redirected students’ thinking and (4) reviewed students’ thinking. The analysis of forms and functions enabled us to recognise differences in two physics inquiry lessons on the same topic.

Gesture, gaze and laughter

This article analyses teacher conduct around episodes of subsequent student contributions during whole-class discussions. We scrutinised the teachers’ facilitating role in these episodes by systematically analysing their verbal as well as bodily conduct before, during and after the episodes, unearthing the teacher behaviour leading to and maintaining the discussion and the conduct bringing the discussion to an end. Our analysis reveals a large repertoire of conduct and proves that the teachers, while often refraining from verbal contributions, nonetheless actively foster the discussion by bodily means such as gestures, gaze and even laughter.

Three Dimensions of Dialogicity in Dialogic Argumentation

Three dimensions of dialogicity are emphasised in the literature: dialogic teacher talk, students' dialogic moves and organising for dialogic teaching. In this article, we examine these dimensions and the interplay between them in supporting dialogic argumentation in the context of whole-class discussions in mathematics and physics. Three seemingly different seventh-grade lessons were selected for further analysis from the database of a research project on dialogic argumentation. In this paper, we focus on whole-class discussions after a group assignment. The lessons were video recorded with multiple cameras and transcribed. We characterised dialogic features of teacher talk, more general teacher decisions and organising for dialogic teaching, as well as students' dialogic and justifying moves. In addition, we examined how these were connected. According to the results, the three dimensions of dialogicity played out differently in the lessons. Furthermore, the results give insights into the interplay of the three dialogicity dimensions and students' justifying moves in dialogic argumentation.

Teaching Context and Students’ Learning: A Case Study of a Public Sector University

This is an exploratory research study that aimed at capturing students’ learning experience in a public sector university campus in a remote region in Pakistan. The sample included students in the last semester of their two years Master’s program in Education Data were generated through a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, and whole-class discussions with Master’s students of Education. Findings showed that the students saw their learning embedded inrelation to the interaction with the faculty members, availability of resources, and interactive teaching approaches. It surfaced that remoteness of the context and unavailability of the Internet, lack of relative skills, and English language deficiencies, were key challenges.

Teacher orchestration of classroom interaction in science: exploring dialogic and authoritative passages in whole-class discussions

ABSTRACTWhereas science is fundamentally a result of a dialogic debate, the authoritative approach has been conceived of as a fundamental part of school science. Dialogic interactions encompass the mutual appreciation of different ideas manifested in teacher supportiveness toward students and, in authoritative interactions, the focus is more on the science’s or teacher’s point of view. Whereas dialogic and authoritative interactions have been viewed as oppositional in recent educational research, authoritative interactions could well be the seed for and give strength and meaning to dialogic interactions, and thus, to the overall dialogue. The focus in this study is on the interplay between authoritative and dialogic interactions rather than on the rivalry between them. In other words, we present how both dialogic and authoritative interactions can be essential for teacher orchestration of whole-class discussions. This is achieved through a temporal consideration of the interactions and an in-depth analysis of selected episodes of a case science teacher. Interpretations are complemented with teacher reflections to shed light on the on-the-fly decisions made by the teacher when orchestrating dialogue. Implications for educational research and teacher education are discussed.

Like a conductor: whole-class discussion in English classrooms

Purpose After interviewing teachers about their beliefs on discussion, the author observed four English teachers as they led class discussions. The purpose of this study is to see what kinds of discussion were happening, and what teachers were doing to facilitate those discussions. Design/methodology/approach The author observed six English class sessions with discussion as a technique and transcribed each. To analyze the discussion events (DEs), the author focused on the addressivity of the teachers’ comments, and plotted the DEs on a four-quadrant system of analysis. The quadrants helped to move beyond the value-laden dichotomy between monologic and dialogic discussion, and to better understand what teachers are doing. Findings The majority of class sessions were classified as convergent-active but teachers used a variety of discussions. In particular, teachers were concerned about control, so they used three techniques to keep procedural control as follows: taking over the discussion, creating specific procedures and using the Initiation-Response-Evaluation format in different ways. Originality/value Instead of focusing on a dichotomy this method of analysis opens up the possibility for labeling different kinds of dialogic instruction, like the teacher-as-conductor form of convergent-active discussions. This can help teachers understand that addressivity and purpose matter as they create their discussions but also that various forms of discussion are necessary in the classroom. Incorporating dialogic instruction has been difficult for teachers; this method can help describe what they are doing while not devaluing the kinds of discussion that are taking place.

Professional Learning Opportunities Regarding the Concept of Function in a Practice-based Teacher Education Program

Teachers’ professional knowledge has been an active area in the field of mathematics education research in the last decades, but we still know very little regarding how teachers learn. This article aims to identify learning opportunities experienced by two teachers regarding mathematical and didactical knowledge for the teaching of function, in a context of practice-based learning. To this end, we analyze data from a practice-based teacher education program based on a cycle that incorporates three segments of teachers’ practice: planning, enacting and reflecting on a high school mathematics lesson, conducted from the perspective of inquiry-based teaching. We analyze two strands of the professional knowledge mobilized by the teachers, namely (i) the mathematics knowledge for teaching function, (ii) the knowledge for teaching practice, regarding function. The results indicate learning opportunities that emerged from the work done, regarding the use of the classroom as a teaching professional learning environment: the search for ways to encourage students to participate in the discussions; the recognition of the potential of the chosen lesson plan for the covariational approach , the importance of organizing mathematical discussion practices for students’ learning, organizing the time devoted to whole-class discussions and preparing for leading them and the potential of a class developed from the perspective of inquiry-based teaching.

Young students’ diverse resources for meaning making in science: learning from multilingual contexts

ABSTRACT This manuscript elaborates the value of looking beyond the written and spoken word in science education research and practice at the early childhood level. We examine one plurilingual child’s descriptions of a science activity to explore the diversity of resources that she used while expressing her understandings of a sound investigation. We demonstrate the ways in which she made her understandings evident via multiple modalities, including gesture, facial expression, and drawing, in two different classroom contexts; a whole-class discussion and a small group interaction. Foregrounding the resources she engaged serves to illustrate how different classroom structures mediated the complexities of her explanations. The findings of this research underscore our central argument regarding the value of considering the range of resources that facilitate children’s expressing understandings in science education so they can be successful, especially within multilingual contexts. We draw implications for research and teaching praxis for positioning science as more than what is spoken and written, but as a complex, embodied enactment deeply embedded in multimodal, multilingual, interactions.

Pre-Service Teachers Making Sense of Fraction Division with Remainders

This study reports an analysis of how pre-service teachers (n=34) made sense of fraction division with remainders using pictorial modeling strategies, and how small-group and whole-class discussion helped them develop conceptual understanding. One and a half class sessions were video recorded, and 12 interviews were conducted. Results indicate that pre-service teachers can develop a conceptual understanding of fraction division with remainders using modeling strategies, and their understanding emerges in three levels: a) level one: ignoring the remainder or labeling it incorrectly; b) level two: interpreting the remainder in the original unit but not relating it to the new unit; and c) level three: interpreting the remainder both in the original unit and the new unit flexibly.

Centering Children in Mathematics Education Classroom Research

Drawing on a 3-year interpretive study that followed a cohort of children from prekindergarten to Grade 1, this article presents results of a multiple case study, which demonstrated that although two children had the same teachers, classmates, and curricula over 3 years, their experiences in the three successive mathematics classrooms were quite different from each other (although consistent for each child). The two focal children did not have equitable access to their teachers’ pedagogical moves, and this lack of access was easy to overlook in transcripts of whole-class discussions. The study suggests that more research needs to represent mathematics lessons from the perspectives of children and youth, particularly those students who engage with teachers infrequently or in atypical ways.