Dialogically Focused Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Orientations Toward Mathematical Writing: A Multiple-Case Study

Dialogically Focused Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Orientations Toward Mathematical Writing: A Multiple-Case Study

Ethan P. Smith
Copyright: © 2024 |Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-6538-7.ch005
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Abstract

Because mathematics classrooms entail expectations for students to communicate understanding through both writing and spoken discourse, it is important to consider the place of writing in the context of such discourse. This chapter details a case study centered around three dialogically focused high school mathematics teachers and their orientations toward mathematical writing. Teachers in this study were first asked to describe their orientations toward mathematical writing. Then, they were asked to reflect on samples of student writing and recordings from their classrooms to further understand how they orient toward students' mathematical writing. Findings suggested that these teachers' orientations toward mathematical writing are embedded in broader views that they hold toward discourse, feedback, and student and teacher self-efficacy around writing. Findings also indicated the value of using the construct of teacher noticing to help investigate and strengthen teachers' orientations toward mathematical writing.
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Background

Dialogic instruction (Munter et al., 2015) is a prevalent approach toward mathematics instruction that emphasizes the importance of discourse and mathematical talk in supporting students’ learning of mathematics. Because classroom discourse can support students’ engagement with each other’s ideas and learning in mathematics (Webb et al., 2014), dialogic instruction offers promise in addressing the language demands of the classroom and supporting broader educational policy goals around fostering communication in mathematics. Such instruction entails the use of high cognitive demand tasks, opportunities for students to discuss different strategies or representations, and student discourse (Henningsen & Stein, 1997; Munter et al., 2015), but the role of mathematical writing in the context of such classrooms is less understood. Indeed, classroom spoken discourse has long received more attention compared to students’ written work in mathematics education research (Morgan, 1998; Pugalee, 2004).

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