Timing as a Complexity in Teaching

• In Event: Division C Section 1C: The Role of Language in Mathematics Educations

Abstract

In understanding the complexities of problem-based instruction, researchers have identified benefits of supporting students who find themselves unsure of how to approach novel tasks by framing them using familiar instructional situations. In this study, we build on that finding to identify the nuance of timing that teachers describe when carrying out a problem-based lesson. The data come from a series of focus groups we conducted with a total of 48 current Algebra and Geometry teachers to further investigate the phenomenon of framing novel tasks. We specifically report on the findings from focus groups on an Algebra Lesson (the Walkie Talkie Problem) in which students learn to write a difference function.

Authors

• Irma E. Stevens, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Nicolas Boileau, Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer

• Scott Bridges, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Amanda Marie Milewski, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Patricio G. Herbst, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor