Working with learners’ mathematical thinking: Towards a language of description for changing pedagogy

This paper examines teachers’ classroom talk as teachers respond to, interact with and take forward learners’ contributions. Teachers’ responses to learner contributions provide a useful lens in understanding teachers’ hybrid practices as they take up aspects of reform practice. A set of codes for teacher moves is developed to describe teacher responses, which build on previous work in describing classroom talk and provide the beginnings of an elaborated language of description for changes in teaching practice. The codes illuminate the similarities and differences across four secondary school mathematics teachers as they shift their practices to take account of learners’ thinking.

Research highlights
► A set of codes is developed to describe teachers’ changing practices;
► The codes illuminate changes and continuities in teachers’ practices over time;
► There was a clear shift in teacher moves towards more reform-oriented moves;
► Traditionally-oriented moves remained;
► The dynamics of hybrid practices are illuminated.