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Productive teacher noticing and affordances of typical problems

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Abstract

In this paper, we extend the notion of noticing during the planning of a lesson to examine what and how teachers notice concerning the affordances of typical problems, such as examination-type or standard textbook questions. Teachers in examination-oriented educational systems generally use these types of problems to develop procedural skills. However, the affordances of such problems for developing conceptual understanding have been largely untapped. Here, we present an exemplifying case of a mathematics teacher, Alice, who used typical problems effectively in her classroom to deepen students’ understanding of mathematics. We argue that Alice productively noticed the affordances of these typical problems beyond their usual use, and we suggest recommendations for supporting mathematics teachers in providing high-quality learning experiences for all students.

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(adapted from Sullivan et al., 2015, p. 87)

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Acknowledgements

This paper refers to data from the research project Portraits of Teacher Noticing during Orchestration of Learning Experiences in the Mathematics Classrooms (OER 03/16 CBH), funded by the Office of Educational Research (OER), National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as part of the NIE Education Research Funding Programme (ERFP). The views expressed in this paper are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the views of NIE.

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  1. Mathematics and Mathematics Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Singapore

    Ban Heng Choy & Jaguthsing Dindyal

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  1. Ban Heng Choy
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  2. Jaguthsing Dindyal
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Correspondence to Ban Heng Choy.

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Appendix A: Example of a planning guide for task design

Appendix A: Example of a planning guide for task design

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Choy, B.H., Dindyal, J. Productive teacher noticing and affordances of typical problems. ZDM Mathematics Education 53, 195–213 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01203-4

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