The project Mathematical Discourse in Secondary Classrooms, led by faculty at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware, is developing and testing materials for professional development leaders to use in work with secondary mathematics teachers. The aim is to help those teachers analyze the discourse patterns of their own classrooms and improve their skills in creating discourse patterns that emphasizes high-level mathematical explanation, justification, and argumentation.
The basic hypothesis of the project is that engaging in carefully planned analyses of narrative and video cases and in action research focused on discourse can effectively support teachers in improving the discourse quality of their classroom instruction. The project builds on findings from prior work that has shown how meaningful educational experiences can empower secondary mathematics teachers to identify and change problematic classroom discourse patterns and create more productive experiences for students.
The project is preparing an introductory module, five constellations of activities built around narrative and video cases, and a module to help professional developers support secondary mathematics teachers in conduct of action research. Development is informed by "soft pilot" testing that leads to improvement of the professional development program.
The core research questions of the project concern the effects of the professional development program on teacher knowledge, beliefs, and classroom practice. Preliminary evidence about answers for those questions is provided by an external pilot test of the professional development program. The effects of the professional development are evaluated by analysis of data from pre- and post-assessments of teacher knowledge, beliefs, and classroom practice.
This project addresses the challenge of enhancing teacher abilities to deliver high quality mathematics instruction. By focusing on practices that raise the level of classroom discourse about mathematics, the results have the potential to enhance the learning experiences of all students.
