1. TEAM-Math and AMSTI Professional Mathematics Learning Communities
Discourse and Effective Questioning

2. Goals for Today’s Session
To better understand how:
To support effective classroom discourse
To ask purposeful questions that support student learning

3. Classroom Discourse Initial discussion in groups: Read PtA, pp. 29-31
What do we mean by “discourse”?
Why is classroom discourse important?
What practices support effective discourse?
Read PtA, pp
Revisit your answers to these questions.

4. Look at the Chart on p. 32
What do the components of classroom discourse?
What do you notice as the level of discourse increases?
Where does your classroom discourse typically fall in this chart?

6. Teacher and Student Actions
Look at the chart on p. 35:
How are the teacher and student actions connected?
Which of these do you experience on a consistent basis?
Which of these are more challenging to do?
What connections to the Standards for Mathematical Practice do the Student Actions suggest?

7. Classroom Vignette
How well do you think this teacher is doing in promoting effective discourse?
How much thinking are the students doing? How engaged are they in the mathematical practices?

8. Further Analysis Read the discussion on pp. 36-37 of PtA.
Analyze the vignette using this discussion:
What types of questioning did she ask? (refer to the chart)
Was she primarily “focusing” or “funneling”?

9. Focusing and Funneling
Funneling: Using a set of questions to lead students to a desired procedure or conclusion, while giving limited attention to student responses that veer from the desired path.
Focusing: The teacher attends to what the students are thinking, pressing them to communicate their thoughts clearly, and expecting them to reflect on their thoughts and those of their classmates.

10. Teacher and Student Actions
Look at the chart on p. 41:
How are the teacher and student actions connected?
Which of these do you experience on a consistent basis?
Which of these are more challenging to do?
How does questioning tie to classroom discourse?
What connections to the Standards for Mathematical Practice do the Student Actions suggest?