Shifting the Qualities of Questions Asked in Secondary Mathematics Education

• In Event: Middle and High School Mathematics Discourse: Creating Learning Opportunities

Abstract

Does designing lessons as mathematical stories shift the types of questions teachers ask during high school mathematics lessons? In this study, we present data that suggests that lessons designed with the mathematical story framework to elicit a specific aesthetic response (“MCLEs”) improve the types of questions teachers ask during the lesson. Our findings suggest that when teachers plan and enact MCLEs, they are more likely to ask questions that probe students to explain their thinking, explore mathematical relationships, and focus on meaning making. In addition, teachers are less likely to ask short recall or procedural questions in MCLEs. These findings point to the role of lesson design in the quality of questions asked by teachers.

Authors

• Rashmi Singh, University of Southern California

• Leslie Dietiker, Boston University

• Erin Barno, Boston University