Learning Maths Via

Communication

Ting Tiew Qin

Chew Woei Hong
Lim Kien Tat 1
Key Messages

At the heart of mathematics

is the process of identifying
relationships and trying to
present these relationships
mathematically in order to
communicate them to others.

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Key Messages

The secret to successful

teaching is being able to
determine what students are
thinking, and then use that
information as the basis for
instruction.

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Key Messages

Through skillfully led

discussion, teachers will gain
insight into student
understanding and students
will build understanding and
consolidate learning.

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Key Messages

Students’ writing will also

reveal and consolidate
understanding but must be
prefaced by many oral
opportunities.

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 Key Messages

How do Whether students are talking

you or writing about their
There
know? are 6. mathematical learning, the
most valuable question that
a teacher can ask of them is
“How do you know?”

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Working on It

Promoting
Opportunities for
Communication

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Promoting Opportunities for Communication

Fostering students’
communication skills is an
important part of the teacher’s
role in the mathematics
classroom. Teachers need to be
aware of the many kinds of
opportunities that exist in the
classroom for helping students
to communicate.
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Promoting Opportunities for Communication

Read the list of opportunities for

communication on p. 6.4.
In groups of four to six, create a graphic
organizer on chart paper and organize into
categories the ideas from the list.
- What kind of graphic organizer will you use?
- What categories will you use?
In each of your categories, add another
example of an opportunity for communication.

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Promoting Opportunities for Communication

with the large group.

Discuss similarities and differences.

Similarities Differences
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Working on It

Oral Communication
Teachers can promote
students’ communication skills
by providing models of good
communication.

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Oral Communication

Help students to develop

skills in problem solving
by demonstrating the
thinking process for
solving a problem and
modeling this process in
oral dialogue.

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Oral Communication
Can you think
of another way
to show that?

Use prompts and

questions that help
students expand
on their oral
responses.
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Oral Communication

Form six expert groups.

In your expert group:

Read about a strategy for fostering

oral communication (pp. 6.6 - 6.7).
Record your ideas on BLM 5.1:
- What is the strategy? Give an
example of what it might sound like.
- When could the strategy be used
appropriately?
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Oral Communication

Return to your home

group.

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and
record
them on
BLM 5.1

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Questions and Prompts for
Promoting Communication

The questions and prompts that

teachers use will vary to reflect the
purpose of the communication they
wish to elicit from students. At different
times teachers ask students to:

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Questions and Prompts for
Promoting Communication

 Retell;

 Make connections;

 Reflect on their work;

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Questions and Prompts for
Promoting Communication

 Predict, invent, or problem

solve;
 Share their representations of
mathematical situations;
 Share their feelings, attitudes,
or beliefs about mathematics.

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A Problem to Solve…

Form groups of four consisting of

two ‘students’ and two ‘teachers’.

The ‘students’ solve the problem.

The ‘teachers’ use the Question
and Prompt cards to help support
their ‘students’ as they solve the
problem.

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Promoting Written
Communication

Talk, then write

Provide Model
authentic the
writing writing
tasks process
Use strategies that
promote written
communication
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Promoting Written
Communication

Number yourselves from 1 to 5, and

reorganize into your number groups.

Each group is responsible for explaining

three strategies for promoting written
communication to the large group.

Record your group’s ideas on chart paper

for sharing.

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Promoting Written
Communication
1. Mind Mapping, Model Writing,
Shared Student Writing,
2. Think-Talk-Write, Thinking
Windows, Place Mat,
3. Procedural Writing, Graphic
Organizers, Math Word Wall
4. Math Strategy Wall, Class
Journals/Logs, Math Picture Books
5. Poster Projects, Problem Posing,
Creative Writing
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Relationship of
communication
Cooperativ
e Learning

Communicati
ons
Proble
m
Game solvin
s g

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Thank You

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