A.

Title of the Study

The plot thickens: The aesthetic dimensions of a captivating mathematics lesson

Richman, A. S., Dietiker, L., & Riling, M. (2018). The plot thickens: The aesthetic

dimensions of a captivating mathematics lesson. The Journal of Mathematical

Behavior, 100671.

B. Review of the title

The research title contains the significance of the study, which is unfolding

mathematical content to captivate students’ productive engagement. We agreed that the

title was appropriate and sufficient. In addition, the title pointed out the constructs that it

revolves around the aesthetic dimensions of a captivating mathematics lesson,

including its mathematical plot. We do not think the title needs improvement because it

is already well constructed as a title for research.

C. ‌Review of the Introduction

The introduction started with the teacher posting a new but catchy problem for

the students, which captivated them and excited them to find the solution to the given

situation. Engagement is happening, and it can be an essential factor in productive

student learning. Seemingly, it provides and creates a striking effect on the student's

emotional response, and it appears that they were intrigued, determined, and not

deterred from engaging in the problem.

 Moreover, the researchers provide a concept that pertains to the aesthetic

aspects or dimension of the lesson and explains how the student's excitement and

intensity when confronting the problems they were given was an outcome of a series of

events, much like how the impact of a plot twist in a book depends on the anticipations

the story arranges. The researchers also claimed that to analyze the aesthetic aspects

or dimensions of the lesson, and we must conceptualize the lesson as an art—a

manifestation of the coordinated efforts of teacher and students, with both planned and

impromptu elements that can be appreciated as one for their aesthetic dimensions

(Dewey, 1934; Wong, 2007). As a result, this study adheres to traditional literary

analysis by examining the aesthetic components of a finished performance, such as in a

story.

The study aims to seek an analysis by understanding the aesthetic dimensions of

a captivating mathematic lesson for students, specifically in a 6th-grade classroom. The

research wants to create a method that successfully interprets unfolding mathematical

content into a mathematical story using a narrative framework.

The rationale of the study is to provide more information on this kind of specific

performance while also generating a tool for the exploration of other aesthetically

compelling lessons that derive students' capacity from the unfolding mathematics. And

using this method, we get to the conclusion that discovering the features of how

straightforward mathematical content, even when devoid of context such as adding

appealing graphics or relevant contexts (e.g., Durik & Harackiewicz, 2007), may

captivate and motivate students, like this, offers new insight into knowledge acquisition

as well as student attitudes toward mathematics.

 D. Review of Related Literature

In the review of related literature, the researchers direct the focus of the study to

the emerging mathematical content, specifically its temporal structure, and substance. It

is mentioned that to make sense of how the mathematical content within the enacted

lesson unfolds is to frame it as a narrative. Good literary stories make sense because

the events are chosen and sequenced so that it is possible to see the connections

between them (Egan, 1988; Gadanidis & Hoogland, 2003; Zazkis & Liljedahl, 2009).

Similarly, carefully-sequenced parts of a mathematics lesson, whether in a textbook or

within a classroom, can allow a student to recognize how the parts of the lesson are

interconnected and draw pleasure through sense-making (Gadanidis & Hoogland,

2003). In addition, narrative principles have also been used to support the

conceptualization of mathematical experiences, such as mathematics lessons.

These were some of the most relevant literatures in the study that have direct

impact on the study:

Study shows that a story raises mysteries (Barthes, 1974), revealing enough

information to enable a reader to recognize there is something they do not know. This

can motivate a reader to ask questions of the story (i.e., to open questions) and seeks

clues and information to answer the questions (i.e., to close questions) (Nodelman &

Reimer, 2003).
Studies indicate the key elements of literary stories (i.e., characters, action, and setting)

can be mapped to their corresponding aspects within an enacted mathematics lesson

(Dietiker, 2015, 2016)

Studies, however, indicate a mathematical plot involves “the aesthetic response of a

reader as he or she experiences a mathematical story, perceives its structure (and thus,

looks for order, finds patterns, senses rhythm, etc.), and anticipates what is ahead (by

wondering, imagining, asking questions)” (Dietiker, 2015, p. 298)

The researchers found out that the ability to anticipate where a story is headed enables

a reader to prepare for what he or she “might see,” leading to the generation of

questions resulting from curiosity and wonder (Wong, 2007).

There is a theoretical framework that is provided in the study, and the

researchers were able to explain how a reader comes to know the truths in a story using

the narrative theory of Bal (1986,2009). According to Bal, the story enables a reader to

come to know the truth but also may mislead a reader. The researchers develop a

theoretical framework that characterizes the enacted mathematical story as a sequence

of mathematics events that unfold over time, connecting a beginning with an ending.

They gave emphasis that this narrative framework focuses on a mathematical story plot.

They characterized the mathematical plot into three, which are density, coherence, and

rhythm. The mathematical plot becomes denser when a reader is pursuing an

increasing number of questions. On the other hand, story coherence is the extent to

which the events and mathematical ideas of the mathematical story (i.e., a lesson) are

connected to each other for a reader (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999). Lastly, the third
characteristic of a mathematical plot rhythm, is the pattern created by the opening and

closing of questions over the course of the story.

For the conceptual framework, it is clearly observed that the aesthetic dimensions of
a captivating mathematics lesson are influenced by the teacher's teaching style, the
classroom environment, and the student's prior knowledge and interest in mathematics.
The independent variables such as narration or storytelling are expected to impact
student engagement and learning in mathematics; which are the dependent variables.
The framework can guide the design and evaluation of effective math lessons that
incorporate aesthetic dimensions to enhance student engagement and learning. For
instance, storytelling and real-world scenarios could be used to illustrate the practical
applications of mathematical concepts and make the lesson more engaging. The
teacher's teaching style, the classroom environment, and the student's prior knowledge
and interest in mathematics are expected to mediate the relationship between the
independent variables and the dependent variable of student engagement and learning.
By taking these mediating factors into account, teachers can design math lessons that
are tailored to their students' needs and interests, thereby enhancing the effectiveness
of the aesthetic dimensions of the lesson.

E. Review of the Research Questions

The research question was explicitly stated. It has been reiterated in several

parts of this study that the purpose is to explain how the unfolding mathematical content

captivated the students of this 6th-grade classroom. This is the research question stated

in the study:

How can the student reactions throughout this captivating lesson be explained by the

aesthetic dimensions of its unfolding content?

 Based on the flow of the literature review, we think the research question is

logically followed. This study aims to identify the aesthetic dimensions of the enacted

lesson as revealed in this analysis of the questions raised by the lesson and how their

answers are pursued, that is, the mathematical plot. It really amazes and inspires us to

do research that would contribute to acquiring new knowledge in learning about

mathematics.

F. Review of the Methodology and Method

The research utilized a qualitative research design. There was no further

explanation given why this design was chosen. Still, from what we can infer, the

researchers used this design because it would be more appropriate to capture and

describe the evidence that successfully interprets unfolding mathematical content into a

mathematical story using a narrative framework. It is also relevant because one of the

purposes of this study is to seek an analysis by understanding the aesthetic dimensions

of a captivating mathematic lesson to students, specifically in a 6th-grade classroom.

The lesson analyzed in this study was selected from the Measures of Effective

Teaching database (MET) (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010a). The selected

lesson was initially identified as a candidate for analysis since it was the only lesson

available for viewing that was given a score of 3 points out of 3 on both the “richness”

and “overall” measures of the Mathematical Quality of Instruction instrument (The Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010b). This measure was generated using questions such

as “This class does not keep my attention – I get bored,” “My teacher makes learning

enjoyable,” “My teacher makes lessons interesting,” and “I like the ways we learn in this

class.” The researchers chose the enacted lesson for the study because it had a
notable student aesthetic response that offered an opportunity to link the structure of the

mathematical content of the lesson with its potential aesthetic opportunities. Moreover,

the lesson focused on generating the rules for adding integers. Before this lesson, the

students were introduced to three concrete methods for adding integers: the number

line, the dancing method, and the heaps and holes method.

In their analysis, the researchers included the recording showing the entire

lesson from two different views. Also, they provided pictures of classroom bulletin

boards and lesson handouts. Based on the study, there were 19 students in the class

and one instructor, a female teacher, called “Ms. Burke” (a pseudonym). This 6th-grade

class was chosen as respondents since this class had a high average of student-

reported captivation according to the TRIPOD Student Perception Survey (Ferguson,

2017). Since the analysis aimed to understand how a mathematical learning experience

can be designed to offer the observed aesthetic effects, only the portion of the filmed

activity that contained the new content development was considered the “lesson” and

interpreted as a mathematical story. This portion of the lesson was 34 continuous

minutes long.

In interpreting the mathematical story, researchers focus on the sequential

mathematical contributions toward new revelations of the fabula of the lesson. These

contributions include utterances by the teacher and the students, and all mathematical

tasks read from a worksheet or whiteboard. Researchers started the analysis of the

mathematical story by partitioning the transcript into acts. Next, they identified the

mathematical questions raised in the story. Researchers included questions formulated

explicitly or implicitly by the teacher or a student. In addition, researchers adapted the

hermeneutic codes introduced by Barthes (1974) to describe the changes in what is

known about a question (from formulation to answer). This study used eight codes,

formulation, promise, partial answer, snares, equivocation, jamming, suspended, and

disclosure, to identify the emergence of questions, progress toward their resolution,

diversions from or barriers to this progress, and the solution itself.

In analyzing the mathematical plot, researchers identified the acts and questions

of the story and progressed on coded questions within each story arc. A question and

all changes toward its resolution are called a story arc. Researchers analyzed the

mathematical plot for how it provides potential insight into the observed aesthetic

reactions of the students. This included analyzing how the plot elements worked

together across the sections of the story, how the density of open questions per act

changed across the lesson, how patterns of overlapping story arcs promoted the story's

coherence and the shifting rhythms of the unfolding content.

Researchers contextualized the analysis results by recounting the interpretation

of the mathematical story and plot, which are essential for understanding the findings.

Researchers intentionally presented this mathematical story in the present tense to

allow the reader of this study to experience the unfolding nature of the mathematical

story and its plot. The unfolding acts of the story have been grouped into five sections

based on their collective role in the story: an introduction, set-up, crisis, releasing

tension, and resolution. Each section first presents the story's events in the classroom,

and then researchers briefly describe how to interpret their role in the plot.

G. Review of the Results.

 The results were presented through tables, graphs, and with a simple narrative.

To answer the research question, researchers provided a mathematical plot diagram

that identifies potential aesthetic dimensions of the enactment and connects them with

the unfolding mathematical content. Researchers examined the separate events of the

entire lesson that impacted student anticipation, explaining the evident surprise,

wonder, and subsequent engaged discussion. They described the potential impact of

questions and more general narrative structures, such as open questions without

progress, the steady facilitation of partial answers, and the timing of the provision of

important information. Researchers found that introducing new mathematical characters

strikingly different from those the students have encountered and structuring the

sequence of the mathematical story exhibited curiosity and affable concern rather than

frustration and anger.

Researchers identified the characteristics of the mathematical plot, including

patterns in the density of inquiry, the coherence of the story, and the rhythm of the

unfolding content. The dynamically changing density levels were due to introducing the

new tasks and the student questions they triggered. Researchers concluded that

questions contributed to density differently depending on their content. The graph of the

density of the mathematical plot by acts was shown in the study. Researchers

suspected that much of the dramatic increase in density resulted from unresolved

tension from student questions that may have yet to be raised or addressed directly.

This occurs when a significant mathematical question spurs additional related questions

that students would react to, leading to increased inquiry. Thus, the tension caused by

the high density contributed to the student's emotional experience, curiosity into
productive mathematical observation, and questioning in the absence of immediate

resolution.

Researchers also explained the overarching questions as building blocks for

larger ideas that enabled students to recognize the relationships between different parts

of the story and anticipate where it is headed. It was evident that when questions

remained open, it reinforced surprise and crisis in the enacted lesson. As the lesson

built toward the crisis, the evident confidence students developed was a focused

mastery in answering overarching questions. When the expectation of mastery was

violated by presenting a challenging task directly related to the overarching question,

the potential for surprise and subsequent curiosity was much greater. Researchers

indicated in a table the connections between the questions raised by students and the

teacher.

Patterns of questions and answers in the lead-up to the crisis (Acts 3 through 5),

the crisis created by the challenging task (Act 6), and the immediate aftermath (Acts 7

through 11) created rhythms that may partly explain the evident aesthetic student

reactions. At the start of the crisis (Act 6), the rhythm changed abruptly. Researchers

mentioned that a change in rhythm signaled a new expectation and was time for

students to ask mathematical questions to figure out how to solve different tasks. In

addition, after the crisis, the formulation of new questions offered a new rhythm to the

story that maintained student engagement. This rhythm manifests as a checkerboard

pattern in which the two questions alternate as the focus of the class. A table was

shown in the study indicated the pattern of the progress of the two questions stated.

The back-and-forth rhythm of changing focus between these two questions sets up an
expectation of forward progress toward answering the overarching questions. It

indicates to students that the conclusions they draw from one question can inform their

thinking about the other.

We think that the results were sufficient to answer the research question. The

results were able to answer the research question into which the study was framed.

Since the research is meant to explain the aesthetic dimensions of the story, including

its plot, density, coherence, and rhythm, and connect them to the unfolding

mathematical content, specifically, this analysis demonstrates the aesthetic elements of

a lesson and how they explain the students’ productive engagement. These results

provide us with knowledge of a method that successfully interprets unfolding

mathematical content into a mathematical story using a narrative framework.

H. Review of the Discussion/Implications/Limitations.

The discussion started with the affirmation that conceptualizing a lesson as a

narrative effectively understands how a decontextualized integer addition problem can

captivate the students in a 6th-grade classroom. This was achieved by identifying the

aesthetic dimensions of the lesson, such as misdirection, obstruction, changing levels of

density, coherence of the story, and rhythm. This analysis has identified a sequence of

mathematical changes that collectively represent how the content unfolded in this

lesson to allow for the student's surprise and subsequent engaged discussion. The

sequence can be summarized as equivocation, formulation, jamming, promise, partial

answer, and disclosure.

 The researchers were able to affirm for this sequence to work; the teacher likely

relied on established classroom norms that enabled students to trust where the lesson

was headed. Accordingly, the students in this classroom may have been familiar with

her role and thus were emotionally prepared for the plot twist that the teacher had

planned. In addition, prior experiences may have also provided credibility to the

teacher’s promises, which enabled students to persevere through the jammed central

question and subsequent discussion.

The researchers mentioned that this sixth-grade classroom is not the only place

where student captivation to unfolding mathematical content can occur. The

mathematical stories that have accompanied other such responses have been

documented and analyzed using the mathematical story framework in a variety of other

contexts such as lower elementary and high school (Dietiker, 2016; Dietiker et al.,2016).

Furthermore, in lessons with real-word contexts, this framework would be able to

distinguish the aesthetic dimensions of the unfolding mathematics from the aesthetic

affordances of the context. In addition, this can also be used to analyze the unfolding

mathematics in other modes of instruction. In lessons where students work in groups,

one group’s story can be analyzed (Dietiker et al., 2016), or the stories of multiple

groups can be examined and compared.

There is a limitation discussed in the study, researchers did not have direct

access to the teacher or the students and, thus, could only conjecture student

experience, pre-existing classroom norms, and teacher intention through observable

behavior. They concluded that identifying the connection between unfolding

mathematical content and the felt experience of students can be associated with

student interest and engagement.

We found the discussion insightful in interpreting and analyzing the observed

experiences of students and a teacher. We also agreed that, in the discussion, it was

not sufficient. It needed to integrate more information and some previous studies. Yet

the researchers recommended more research to explore and explain the hypotheses

further. It would be interesting to know and understand deeply how those elements in a

mathematical story and its plot work together.

I. Write a Personal Reflection.