Mathematics Teachers’ Noticing Practices in Their Classrooms

Abstract

Classrooms must be communities in which mathematical sense making is developed. Most mathematical lessons consist of teacher presentation of mathematical problems along with the algorithm of solving it, followed by the assignment of a similar set of problems for students to work through individually. The above characteristics do not provide the conditions necessary for the development of the students’ capacity to think and to reason mathematically ( Stein, Grove & Henningsen 1996). Teachers must come up with practices and skills that will bring about mathematical sense making in the classroom. Emphasis on teacher accountability for student learning outcomes necessitates the development of effective instructional tactics among all teachers including those just beginning their professional practice (Thomas, Jong & Fisher, 2017). One of the strategies that can be used by the teachers is ‘noticing’. Noticing is the teacher’s capacity to attend to the students’ mathematics conceptions and practices, secondly to interpret these conceptions and practices and thirdly to decide upon a productive instructional course of action based on this interpretation (Jacobs, Lamb & Phillip, 2010). This study explored the noticing practices that are used by the teachers in their classrooms. Qualitative mathematics learning and sense making of mathematics by the learners was also explored. This was done by observing three educators in their classrooms. A method of interviewing was also used. These methods helped the researcher to realise what is taking place in the mathematics classrooms.