Exploring Teacher Perceptions of Generative Design Questions in Elementary Mathematics Instruction

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Innovating STEM: Teacher Resilience, Creativity, and Digital Practice

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores how two elementary mathematics teachers interpret and implement generative design questions (GDQs) to foster student participation and mathematical engagement. Grounded in a socio-constructivist framework, the study draws on classroom observations, interviews, and instructional artifacts to examine how GDQs—open-ended prompts designed to elicit exploration and reasoning—support inclusive discourse. Findings highlight shifts in both teacher practice and student participation, with GDQs broadening representational space and promoting voice, agency, and risk-taking. Ms. H modeled responsive questioning through multimodal expression, while Ms. S developed confidence in revoicing and dialogic teaching. Together, their narratives illustrate how thoughtfully implemented GDQs can disrupt normative hierarchies and reframe participation as a collaborative and evolving process in elementary mathematics classrooms.

Authors

• Kolawole Kushimo, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

• Walter M. Stroup, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth