When Group Work in Undergraduate Math Classrooms Is Socially Productive but Mathematically Unproductive

• In Event: When Group Work in Undergraduate Math Classrooms Is Socially Productive but Mathematically Unproductive

Abstract

While it is known that small group work is an effective tool in undergraduate math instruction in terms of student outcomes, the implications for student experiences are less clear. Using ideas from intersectionality theory, role theory, and established work on analysis of group work in math classrooms, this paper explores how students in small groups participated in and discussed math problems. A case study approach that included a group observation and individual interviews generated an example of a discussion where students collaborated with each other well – i.e. were socially productive – but did not arrive at a reasonable mathematical conclusion – i.e. were mathematically unproductive. This has implications for practitioners in considering how they cycle through their classrooms during small group work.

Author

• Jeremy Bernier, Arizona State University