From Deficit to Strength: How Frame Shifting Transforms Teacher Noticing in Mathematics Education

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 11:45 am
  In Poster Session: SIG-RME Poster Session: Explorations of the Mathematics Teaching and Learning Experience

Abstract

This study investigates how structured pedagogical interventions support prospective teachers in developing strength-based approaches to student thinking. Through a pre-post design with 26 prospective secondary mathematics teachers, we examined changes in professional noticing practices during an intensive teacher education course focused on frame shifting—the deliberate practice of changing interpretive frameworks. Using a structured coding scheme that functions as both analytical tool and pedagogical scaffold, we tracked participants’ written responses to standardized noticing tasks. Results revealed significant decreases in deficit-based orientations and substantial increases in strength-based orientations. These findings suggest that explicit frame shifting activities can systematically support teachers in developing more equitable noticing practices.

Author

• Thorsten Scheiner, Australian Catholic University