Investigating the Use of Resources by Educators to Sustain Connective and Productive Disciplinary Engagement in Classroom Interactions (Poster 4)

• In Event: Connective and Productive Disciplinary Engagement: Key Concepts, Applications, Developments, and New Directions

Abstract

This paper aims to unpack the complexities which arise in looking at connective and productive disciplinary engagement (CPDE) in classroom interactions. CPDE articulates two levers of power - epistemic diversity and historicity & identity - which shape what, how, and by whom disciplinary engagement is socially, culturally, and politically constructed (Agarwal & Sengupta-Irving, 2019). CPDE and its predecessor, Productive Disciplinary Engagement (PDE; Conant & Engle, 2002), were intended to serve as frameworks for both the design (pre-) and interpretation (post-) of disciplinary engagement. There is an opportunity to understand how CPDE can be used as a tool for teachers to inform their instruction in the moment of classroom instruction.

The data for this paper are transcripts from an observed lesson and the educator’s post-reflection within a larger “Studio” cycle (Lessig et al., 2017). The focal lesson was a “slow-reveal” data literacy task, where the teacher revealed information on a data visualization in chunks. Students were asked to notice and wonder about the data visualization at each point and make assumptions about what the data was communicating. As more information was revealed, students revised their assumptions and provided evidence for their reasoning. The task itself was designed to support students’ CPDE, as students were positioned as authorities and leveraged their own histories and identities in sense-making. They also had opportunities to share their diverse understandings and uncertainties regarding the content and context of the data visualization. However, the task design is not enough to ensure that CPDE occurs; it is necessary to attend to how the teacher provides opportunities for CPDE throughout instruction. We investigate the resources a teacher draws upon to create and sustain opportunities for CPDE during classroom interaction using CPDE as an interpretive framework.

Data analysis explored instances of CDPE in student contributions to classroom discourse, the teacher moves preceding these contributions, and the teacher’s reflections on the lesson in which they discussed why they made such moves. We found that the teacher leveraged a variety of resources in creating and sustaining CPDE. First, the teacher was able to read a variety of student responses, understand possibilities for epistemic diversity within student thinking, and elevate specific responses for whole class discussion. Holding time between student responses and the beginning of a discussion allowed for the teacher to make intentional choices. Next, the teacher set (and returned to throughout class) a norm for revising thinking at each stage of information. This norm afforded the teacher opportunities for recognizing student authority and choice in clarifying or revising their reasoning. This presentation provides insight regarding possible resources teachers may leverage during instruction to redistribute power within student learning experiences and identifies how the CPDE framework can support educators in their resource use. There are opportunities to connect such resources to other research on educators’ noticing or responsiveness towards equitable learning (Kang, 2022; van Es, et al., 2019). Further, additional conversations are needed to explore constraints that may arise as educators use CPDE as a framework for in the moment instructional decisions.

Authors

• Megan E Brunner, AERDF / EF+Math

• Rebekah Elliott, Oregon State University