Education Commons^™

Analyzing Classroom Discourse To Investigate Structuring Equitable Mathematical Talk In Small Groups And Whole-Class Discussions, Brittney Marie Ellis

Dissertations and Theses

Shifting classroom discourse to be more student-centered has become an integral part of reform-oriented instructional practices. At the same time, shifting discourse can open up opportunities for inequity to occur in the immediate learning environment as both the quantity and quality of mathematical talk changes. In this project, I examined complexities involved in such settings by using discourse analysis methods to explore the positioning of students relative to mathematics content and each other's mathematical ideas. First, I analyzed the ways teachers' discourse during group work enactments related to established equitable teaching practices. Findings from this study suggest communicating group tasks …

An Investigation Into Intermediate Grades Teachers' Noticing Of The Mathematical Quality Of Instruction, Krista Lynn Strand

Dissertations and Theses

The Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) is an important feature of a classroom mathematics lesson. Before teachers can strengthen the MQI of their own lessons, however, teachers must first be able to notice MQI-related features of instruction. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate intermediate grades teachers’ MQI-related noticing as they go through a ten-week research-based MQI professional development (PD) program. Specifically, this dissertation is guided by two research questions: (1) How do individual teachers’ noticing of MQI-related features of instruction shift as they go through an MQI-focused professional development program? and (2) How do teachers approach the task …

Construction And Implementation Of An Individualized Math Program For Sixth Graders, Lynda Sylvia Hatch

Dissertations and Theses

The sixth grade teachers at Mooberry School in Hillsboro, Oregon were not pleased with the way they were teaching math. The students, grouped by ability, had a poor self-concept about math and felt "locked into" one class.

During the summer of 1973, these teachers considered ways to change their math instruction. Reading was done to determine the most promising practice in math education in the United States. A successful approach to learning appeared to be individualized instruction, as is discussed in this paper. Many different individualized programs were studied, grouped into eleven general categories, and described in detail. The Mooberry …