Productive Talk and Participation in Disciplinary Practices: Perspectives From Science and Mathematics Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium focuses on productive classroom talk and how it shapes opportunities for students to participate in disciplinary practices in mathematics and science. Four papers, two each in science and mathematics education, are included; each paper explicates the relationship between classroom talk and productive disciplinary engagement from the perspective of a different practice. The two papers on science education address the practices of modeling and explanation respectively, while the two papers on mathematics education address the practices of argumentation and justification. Collectively, the papers in this symposium illustrate that productive talk, by offering a concrete set of resources and instantiations of practice, is a powerful approach for enacting instruction aligned with educational reform.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Learning Sciences

Chairs

• Savitha Moorthy, SRI International

• Christopher J. Harris, SRI International

Papers

• The Use of Talk Moves to Support Student Participation in Scientific Modeling - Savitha Moorthy, SRI International; Christopher J. Harris, SRI International; Carrie-Anne Sherwood, University of Michigan; Cynthia M. D'Angelo, SRI International; Carrie D. Allen, University of Colorado - Boulder; Tina M. Stanford, SRI International

• Rigor and Responsiveness in Classroom Activity - Jessica J. Thompson, University of Washington; Sara Hagenah, University of Washington

• Managing the Tension Between Mathematical Content and the Practice of Argumentation - Jennifer Knudsen; Philip J. Vahey, SRI International; Teresa Lara-Meloy, SRI International; Nicole Shechtman, SRI International

• Supporting Student Justification in Middle School Classrooms: Teachers’ Work to Create a Context for Justification - Megan E. Staples, University of Connecticut

Discussant

• William R. Penuel, University of Colorado - Boulder