Teachers' structuring of mathematical inquiry lessons: shifting from "task-first" to "scaffolded inquiry".
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| Title: | Teachers' structuring of mathematical inquiry lessons: shifting from "task-first" to "scaffolded inquiry". |
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| Authors: | Calleja, James1 (AUTHOR) james.j.calleja@um.edu.mt, Foster, Colin2 (AUTHOR), Hodgen, Jeremy3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Research in Mathematics Education. Dec2024, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p460-493. 34p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Career development, *Secondary school teachers, *High school teachers, *Mathematics education, *Mathematics teachers |
| Abstract: | A three-phase "task-first" lesson structure is frequently suggested when teaching mathematics through inquiry. We investigate how secondary school teachers of mathematics structure their inquiry lessons and examine how and why they deviate from a "task-first" structure. We present detailed lesson observation data from three teachers participating in a year-long professional development programme focused on inquiry teaching. We track the developing structure of these teachers' inquiry lessons through minute-by-minute lesson analysis, describe how their lesson structures altered over time and explore why. Our data show that contextual constraints may explain why teachers departed from the "task-first" lesson structure. In their inquiry teaching, two of the teachers adopted more scaffolded approaches, including the use of a sequence of smaller sub-tasks and teacher interventions. We argue that these modifications to a "task-first" lesson structure are legitimate ways to support student learning through inquiry; indeed, that they may offer some advantages for inquiry teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | A three-phase "task-first" lesson structure is frequently suggested when teaching mathematics through inquiry. We investigate how secondary school teachers of mathematics structure their inquiry lessons and examine how and why they deviate from a "task-first" structure. We present detailed lesson observation data from three teachers participating in a year-long professional development programme focused on inquiry teaching. We track the developing structure of these teachers' inquiry lessons through minute-by-minute lesson analysis, describe how their lesson structures altered over time and explore why. Our data show that contextual constraints may explain why teachers departed from the "task-first" lesson structure. In their inquiry teaching, two of the teachers adopted more scaffolded approaches, including the use of a sequence of smaller sub-tasks and teacher interventions. We argue that these modifications to a "task-first" lesson structure are legitimate ways to support student learning through inquiry; indeed, that they may offer some advantages for inquiry teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 14794802 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/14794802.2023.2176915 |
