Noticing in the Midst of Building on a Critical Event

• In Event: What Constitutes Teacher Noticing of Critical Events?

Abstract

Objectives and Perspectives
The noticing literature has focused on a variety of things for teachers to notice. Even studies that focus specifically on noticing student thinking often leave it open as to what student thinking is most important to attend to and take up during a lesson. To give teachers a lens for their in-the-moment noticing, our work has focused on using an extensive collection of classroom video data to develop frameworks that define (a) characteristics of high-leverage student contributions (HLC) and (b) a productive way to respond to them that incorporates subsequent student contributions (building on an HLC). Thus, our “critical events” are student contributions that satisfy definitions provided in these frameworks.
In our work, we see the surfacing of an HLC as an initial “critical event” in teachers’ in-the-moment use of student thinking. Our objective is to go beyond understanding teacher noticing of each individual HLC that surfaces during a lesson to explore the ongoing and iterative teacher noticing that is required in the context of teachers engaging in the teaching practice of building on an HLC (Authors, 2022b). Specifically, we investigate this question: How do teachers need to engage in noticing activities to keep the class focused on making sense of an HLC?
Data Sources and Methods
As part of a larger project, 12 secondary teacher-researchers iteratively enacted our conceptions of the teaching practice of building in their classrooms; we studied these enactments to refine our conceptions, which they then re-enacted. We coded these videorecorded, transcribed enactments according to how each teacher action contributed to or hindered the practice of building on an HLC.
Results and Significance
Once a teacher has recognized an HLC and decided to build on it, our results suggest that each subsequent student contribution that surfaces while building on the HLC becomes another “critical event” that teachers must notice. This is because the teacher needs to attend to and interpret each contribution to determine whether it is (or is not) HLC-related—that is, whether it will (or will not) help the class make sense of the HLC. This determination informs the decision about how to respond—to incorporate a contribution into the discussion when it is HLC-related or to put it aside if it is not HLC-related. Our data suggest that being deliberate about this decision kept the class focused on making sense of the HLC. Common situations that led to disengagement from the HLC included decisions such as asking if people had different ideas or trying to connect a contribution that was not HLC-related to the ongoing discussion. Importantly, we have some evidence that sharing our frameworks with teachers supports their ability to notice and build on HLCs.
Most of the work on noticing to date has focused on the initial noticing of critical events. Given the fields’ focus on discourse and the potential of HLCs to lead to powerful mathematical discussions, this study provides valuable insights into the type of noticing that is needed to keep the class engaged in building on an HLC, and thus capitalize on that potential.

Authors

• Shari L. Stockero, Michigan Technological University
  Presenting Author

• Laura R. Van Zoest, Western Michigan University
  Presenting Author