RUNNING HEAD: Literature Review – Domain C (Standard 3) 1

Literature Review – Domain C (Standard 3)

Karen Bowler

National University
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Abstract

Standard 3 of the Nevada Teacher Instructional Practice Standards pertains to

engagement of students in meaning making through discourse and other strategies. This

literature review will summarize an article discussing strategies for engaging students in

mathematical discourse. This review will be included as an artifact for evidence of Domain C

(Standard 3) in my Professional Development Quest Portfolio (PDQP).

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Literature Review – Domain C (Standard 3)

The engagement of students in meaningful discussion of mathematical concepts has long

been identified as important and essential to students’ learning of mathematics. Students’

exchange and sharing of ideas greatly benefits both students and teacher.

When students are given the opportunity and are encouraged to talk about mathematical

concepts, they are better able to reflect on their own understanding in addition to making

meaning of and critiquing the ideas of others. A collaborative and supportive learning

environment sets the stage for this discourse, which facilitates the achievement of higher order

thinking skills – a requirement of the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice.

“Students can make conjectures, link prior knowledge to current understanding, reason about

mathematics, refine and amend their approaches, and take ownership of their mathematical

knowledge” (Kersaint, 2015).

As students develop in their learning of and ability to use tools of mathematical

discourse, such as words symbols, diagrams, physical models, and technology, they are better

able to present and defend their ideas. Not only is this a great benefit for students, but it allows

teachers to monitor and more accurately assess students’ mathematical understanding and

development.

While it is possible for students to be given the information needed for a mathematics

lesson merely by the teacher telling them what they need to know, a far more productive and

thoughtful approach would be to engage students in a constructive dialogue. It is imperative, as

teachers, that we structure our lessons to encourage and foster student interaction. Not only does

this get our students talking about math, it also allows us to address gaps in students’

understanding and aids students in their ability to express mathematical concepts more precisely.
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Establishing a learning environment that welcomes student involvement is crucial in

engaging students in constructive and valuable mathematics discussions. One of the first steps in

establishing this type of environment is to set the expectation that every student will participate

and add to the discourse community. Encouraging students to use their problem-solving,

reasoning, and communication skills to make inferences, examine their own ideas, and find

solutions to mathematical problems is a definite necessity.

So, how can teachers do this? They begin by making decisions as they develop their

instructional plans. These might include the tasks they plan to utilize, how they arrange student

seating, and modeling specific behaviors that are expected including how students should engage

in classroom discussions. Some students might find these expectations for engagement

uncomfortable at first, so it is important that teachers ease the transition into making the

classroom a dialogue-rich environment. Teachers will also need to determine how to best

coordinate student interaction. Possibilities might include pairs, small groups, or whole-class

interactions.

Teachers can support students and help prepare them for their roles by modeling or role-

playing and reinforcing these behaviors regularly and consistently. It is important that teachers

observe, listen to, and monitor students so they can make adjustments to instruction as needed.

This will assist teachers in determining what questions to ask, which students to call on, and

when to extend student thinking. These tasks will also allow teachers to monitor growth, assess

student knowledge, and gain insight about the effectiveness of approaches they use for

instruction. In addition to content knowledge, mathematical discourse also allows teachers to

monitor development of student confidence within the content area and support student

perseverance.
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It is important to note that regardless of the level of English language proficiency of some

students, all students are mathematics language learners, and discourse allows opportunity for all

students to develop in mathematical language. Teachers must understand that all students

require support as they learn the language of mathematics. The Standards for Mathematical

Practice include, “students should become fluent in mathematical language, including

vocabulary, symbolic representations, syntax, semantics, and linguistic features. In addition, they

must have ample opportunities to use the language of mathematics as they engage in various

forms of communication” (Kersaint, 2015). Discourse allows students to practice precision in

multiple areas within these standards.

Being a math teacher, I found this article very interesting and helpful in better

understanding the importance of engaging students in mathematical discourse within my classes.

It also gave me ideas of methods I can use to improve in providing these opportunities for my

students.
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References

Kersaint, G. (2015). Talking Math: How to Engage Students in Mathematical Discourse.

Getting Smart. Retrieved from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2015/09/talking-math-
how-to-engage-students-in-mathematical-discourse/.