MATHEMATICAL

DISCOURSE
MIAA 320
By Amy Schmerer

A WALK THRU DISCOURSE
Essential Questions

Cognitive Demand

Discourse Article

Audio Recording

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Reflection: I found it much easier to come up with questions for
my own grade level because I am knowledgeable of the
curriculum and the students. I was not comfortable creating
questions for upper grade levels, even while analyzing the
curriculum, because of lack of familiarity and my own lack of
mathematical knowledge. I have been fortunate to have had
extensive training on the K-3 level. ie: Making Math Real, Math
Matters, and years of experience. (Which all supports the findings
in the not so great article I chose for my presentation.)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
K-3 Span Grade

What strategies can you use to help foster the understanding of
division concepts?
How can you think of division as sharing?
How can I use what I know about repeated subtraction to form
equal groups?
What kinds of scenarios require making equal groups?
How can you solve a division problem by drawing a picture?







ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
4-7 Grade Span

Why do we need positive and negative numbers?
Where in the real world might you use numbers less than zero?
When might you need to compare integers?
Why might you need to write integers in order from least to
greatest?


ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS


8
th
Grade Algebra

How can simplifying and factoring polynomials help
solve real world problems?
How can you determine whether you have found all the
factors of a number?
How do you determine which terms to group?
For which numbers do you try different pairs of factors?
(This level was way over my working math knowledge)



COGNITIVE DEMAND K-3
Level One: Memorization Tasks

Reflection: These were the easiest and most prevalent level of
problems in the math module. I chose these because they are
both simple computation problems that students have previously
learned and are required to complete on a timed test.

Sprints example: 2x1= 2x2= 2x3=
COGNITIVE DEMAND K-3
Level Two: Procedures Without Connections
Tasks

Reflection: I chose these problems because the students were given
a model to use to solve the problems and they were required to
interpret the model in a variety of ways using more simple
computation.

Fill in the blanks to make true statements

(Picture of 3 hands)
3 groups of 5=________
3 fives=_________
3x5=_________


COGNITIVE DEMAND K-3
Level Three: Procedures With Connections Tasks

Reflection: I chose these because students must use what they
have learned and expand on it.

Mrs. Tran picks 15 tomatoes from her garden. She puts 5
tomatoes in each bag. Explain how you can find out
how many bags she needed.

COGNITIVE DEMAND K-3
Level Four: Doing Math

Reflection: I chose these problems because they require the
students to interpret whats given and figure out how to prove their
answers

Explain how you can use addition to solve multiplication
problems.




REFLECTIONS THUS FAR
I am not confident that any of the previous work I have done has
been but a learning experience, not evidence that I have
mastered mathematical discourse. The more I know, the less I
know.
I have learned that without feedback, because our work was
stolen, I feel a little lost and uncertain of the direction I am going.
I have learned that feedback is important to the students growth.
ARTICLE
Challenges Associated with Developing Discursive
Classrooms in High-Poverty, Rural Schools by Richard S.
Kitchen

This article, that I found little value in, listed the challenges to
creating discursive classrooms yet no concrete solutions excepting
that the teachers need to be trained in higher level mathematics and
be trained in creating discourse. Better curriculum, collaboration,
funding and teacher education was the bottom line to better success
in the classroom.

Reflection: We here, by undertaking this coursework, are doing what
the article said will help in developing discursive classrooms.
AUDIO ONE 3
RD
GRADE
Problem from Module 1 Lesson 17
A classroom has tables that seat a total of 24 students. 4
students are seated at each table. Show me on your whiteboards
how you can figure out how many tables are in the classroom?
Tell your partner your strategy for solving this problem.
Reflection: I noticed that the students were basically just telling
me the various ways they found the solution to problem. I
decided to try it again and to ask a more essential question
STUDENT WORK SAMPLE
STUDENT WORK SAMPLE
KUMAN STUDENTS WORK
AUDIO TWO K-3
Do you think division and multiplication are related? Prove to me
whether they are or not.

Reflection: This question resulted in much better discourse. They
discussed their varying proofs and attentively listened to other
ways to prove it. They were very engaged. They were agreeing
and getting excited when someone chose a similar way to prove
it. This led to my sub questioning being more cognitively
demanding. Layman terms, its easier to ask better questions
when the initial prompt is better
AUDIO CLIP
SUB QUESTIONS THAT AROSE
How does your array help prove to me that division and
multiplication are related?

How do you know that five times six equals thirty?

How is that addition related to multiplication?

I believe these are also level four questions. The discourse that
followed met my expectations. These were challenging questions
for the students to answer. The audio is my evidence.
LESSON TWO DISCOURSE