Using Classroom Vignettes to Reveal What Prospective Teachers Notice

• In Event: Conceptualizing Teacher Noticing in Research on Teaching and Teacher Learning

Abstract

Equitable mathematics instruction requires that each and every learner has the opportunity to participate in high-quality instruction as a valued member of the mathematics community. Unfortunately, without explicitly recognizing the barriers minoritized populations face from systemic oppression, this vision is nullified (Shah & Coles, 2020). Although mathematics education researchers have examined ways to teach mathematics to diverse populations of students (e.g., Vomvoridi-Ivanovic & Chval, 2014), documented disparities exist for minoritized students (Berry, 2018; Lambert, 2018). Knowledge of these disparities emphasizes the need to better prepare prospective teachers (PTs) to effectively teach each and every learner by developing PTs’ orientations toward equity in teacher education programs. Mathematics teacher educators must recognize what PTs attend to in classroom events and how they relate these events to mathematics instruction because teaching expertise requires the ability to notice and interpret classroom events (Mason, 2008). The purpose of this study is to examine what PTs attend to in five classroom vignettes focused on gender, cultural, racial, and linguistic biases (see Table 1).
We use the Equity Noticing Framework (Author, 2018) to analyze what PTs find noteworthy in the vignettes, how they interpret the events, and what instructional decisions they recommend. The Equity Noticing Framework situates van Es and Sherin’s (2002) three components of noticing within Gutiérrez’s (2013) four dimensions of equity (i.e., access, achievement, identity, and power) and the systems of oppression (e.g., racism, sexism) and privilege.
Prospective teachers (n=221) from four different universities in the United States participated in the study. Data consisted of PTs’ individual responses to prompts from five classroom vignettes (see Table 1). Data were first analyzed using the Equity Noticing Framework for a priori coding. We then used pattern coding to appropriately group and label similarly coded data as a way to attribute meaning (Saldaña, 2016) and identified common themes (Delamont, 1992). Finally, we discussed the appropriateness of the themes. All discrepancies were resolved.
Our findings not only describe what PTs attend to in classroom episodes and related pedagogical decisions PTs make, but also how PTs perceive classroom events and diverse students. For example, about 86% PTs recognized the systems of oppression for students who were linguistically diverse (e.g., “he is doing everything possible to succeed…[He] needs an ELL teacher”). They suggested productive ways of supporting students by giving them agency. However, a limited number of PTs acknowledged the role of racism in the mathematics classroom. For example, in the Eric vignette, the PTs focused on black Eric’s disruptive behavior and referred him to special education despite his mathematical abilities (e.g., “he could get instruction in special education setting”).
These results are significant as they demonstrate the importance for mathematics teacher educators to foster ways PTs can notice and disrupt inequities in their practice. To do so, mathematics teacher educators should reflect on how they: a) provide opportunities that build PTs’ capacity to recognize systems of oppression; b) foster PTs’ growth in analyzing events through a critical lens; and c) support PTs to take action and advocate for minoritized students.

Authors

• Christa Jackson, Iowa State University

• Thomas Roberts, Bowling Green State University

• Cynthia E. Taylor, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

• Kelley Buchheister, University of Nebraska-Lincoln