Engaging Students in Mathematical Communication: Teaching for Understanding

By Marylina Serio

Abstract Despite the documented importance of facilitating communication in the mathematics subject area, and teachers recognition of this importance, many teachers continue to practice traditional methods of teaching in their mathematics classrooms. Accordingly, this research paper looks at how effectively elementary teachers are implementing activities that promote rich verbal and written peer-to-peer and teacher-to-student communication as a way to teach for understanding in their mathematics classrooms. Using a qualitative research methodology, semi-structured interviews with 3 elementary teachers, ranging in years of teaching and training experience, have been conducted in order to determine the extent to which teachers perceive they are facilitating communication in their mathematics classrooms and perceived challenges which face these teachers along with other teachers in realm of education. The research conducted for this paper also sought out practical strategies that teachers may use so as to teach for understanding in the mathematics classroom through communication while dealing with the challenges to implementing student discourse. Through this research, it was discovered that teachers perspectives on and experiences with mathematics and student discourse, student attitudes and abilities, external factors, time, and the strategies which teachers employ in their mathematics classrooms as ways to facilitate student discourse, greatly affect the math talk which takes place within a classroom.