ERIC Number: EJ1390473
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0737-0008
EISSN: EISSN-1532-690X
"What Do You Think She's Going to Do Next?" Irresolution and Ambiguity as Resources for Collective Engagement
Johnson, Nicholas C.; Franke, Megan L.; Webb, Noreen M.; Ing, Marsha; Burnheimer, Eric; Zimmerman, Joy
Cognition and Instruction, v41 n3 p348-380 2023
Understanding how learning environments productively mobilize children's ideas as resources for participation in joint activity is an ongoing focus of research on classroom instruction. We investigated whole-class mathematics conversations in which multiple students participated in ways previous research suggests are consequential for learning. We found that in such conversations, students rarely presented the entirety of their solutions before other students engaged. Rather, incomplete explanations and written representations that emerged over time created entry points for other students to contribute in mathematically substantive ways. These aspects of student participation operated in combination with teachers' in-the-moment responses to create opportunities for, and publicly recognize, different kinds of contributions as resources for collective work. Our findings suggest that, rather than challenges to communication that must be overcome, students' vague, unfinished, and ambiguous ideas present productive contributions that can be leveraged to support collective mathematical work.
Descriptors: Classroom Environment, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Student Participation, Classroom Communication, Teacher Response, Mathematics Instruction, Learner Engagement, Grade 3, Elementary School Students, Elementary School Teachers, Public Schools, Teacher Student Relationship
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 3; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A