Teachers’ mathematical activity in inquiry-oriented instruction

•I explore the role of teachers’ mathematical activity in inquiry-oriented instruction.•I investigate connections between teachers’ and students’ mathematical activity.•I investigate mathematicians’ teaching of abstract algebra.

This work investigates the relationship between teachers’ mathematical activity and the mathematical activity of their students. By analyzing the classroom video data of mathematicians implementing an inquiry-oriented abstract algebra curriculum I was able to identify a variety of ways in which teachers engaged in mathematical activity in response to the mathematical activity of their students. Further, my analysis considered the interactions between teachers’ mathematical activity and the mathematical activity of their students. This analysis suggests that teachers’ mathematical activity can play a significant role in supporting students’ mathematical development, in that it has the potential to both support students’ mathematical activity and influence the mathematical discourse of the classroom community.