The Use of Carefully Planned Board Work to Support the Productive Discussion of Multiple Student Responses in a Japanese Problem-Solving Lesson

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Use of Carefully Planned Board Work to Support the Productive Discussion of Multiple Student Responses in a Japanese Problem-Solving Lesson
Language: English
Authors: Baldry, Fay (ORCID 0000-0002-5518-9416), Mann, Jacqueline, Horsman, Rachael, Koiwa, Dai, Foster, Colin (ORCID 0000-0003-1648-7485)
Source: Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education. Apr 2023 26(2):129-153.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 25
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Grade 8
Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Problem Solving, Grade 8, Lesson Plans, Mathematics Teachers, Comparative Analysis, Geometry, Teaching Methods, Group Discussion, Student Attitudes, Specialists, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Japan
DOI: 10.1007/s10857-021-09511-6
ISSN: 1386-4416
1573-1820
Abstract: In this paper, we analyse a grade 8 (age 13-14) Japanese problem-solving lesson involving angles associated with parallel lines, taught by a highly regarded, expert Japanese mathematics teacher. The focus of our observation was on how the teacher used carefully planned board work to support a rich and extensive plenary discussion (neriage) in which he shifted the focus from individual mathematical solutions to generalised properties. By comparing the teacher's detailed prior planning of the board work (bansho) with that which he produced during the lesson, we distinguish between aspects of the lesson that he considered essential and those he treated as contingent. Our analysis reveals how the careful planning of the board work enabled the teacher to be free to explore with the students the multiple alternative solution methods that they had produced, while at the same time having a clear overall purpose relating to how angle properties can be used to find additional solution methods. We outline how these findings from within the strong tradition of the Japanese problem-solving lesson might inform research and teaching practice outside of Japan, where a deep heritage of "bansho" and "neriage" is not present. In particular, we highlight three prominent features of this teacher's practice: the detailed lesson planning in which particular solutions were prioritised for discussion; the considerable amount of time given over to student generation and comparison of alternative solutions; and the ways in which the teacher's use of the board was seen to support the richness of the mathematical discussions.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2023
Accession Number: EJ1372103
Database: ERIC
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Description
Abstract:In this paper, we analyse a grade 8 (age 13-14) Japanese problem-solving lesson involving angles associated with parallel lines, taught by a highly regarded, expert Japanese mathematics teacher. The focus of our observation was on how the teacher used carefully planned board work to support a rich and extensive plenary discussion (neriage) in which he shifted the focus from individual mathematical solutions to generalised properties. By comparing the teacher's detailed prior planning of the board work (bansho) with that which he produced during the lesson, we distinguish between aspects of the lesson that he considered essential and those he treated as contingent. Our analysis reveals how the careful planning of the board work enabled the teacher to be free to explore with the students the multiple alternative solution methods that they had produced, while at the same time having a clear overall purpose relating to how angle properties can be used to find additional solution methods. We outline how these findings from within the strong tradition of the Japanese problem-solving lesson might inform research and teaching practice outside of Japan, where a deep heritage of "bansho" and "neriage" is not present. In particular, we highlight three prominent features of this teacher's practice: the detailed lesson planning in which particular solutions were prioritised for discussion; the considerable amount of time given over to student generation and comparison of alternative solutions; and the ways in which the teacher's use of the board was seen to support the richness of the mathematical discussions.
ISSN:1386-4416
1573-1820
DOI:10.1007/s10857-021-09511-6