Teachers' noticing and interpretations of students' responses to silent video tasks

• Published in: Research in mathematics education Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 135 - 153
• Main Authors: Kristinsdóttir, Bjarnheiður, Hreinsdóttir, Freyja, Lavicza, Zsolt, Wolff, Charlotte Eliza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 03.05.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Concept Formation; Discussion (Teaching Technique); Foreign Countries; Learning Activities; Mathematical Concepts; Mathematics; Mathematics Instruction; Observation; Secondary School Students; Secondary School Teachers; Secondary schools; Student Reaction; Students; Task design; teacher knowledge; teacher noticing; Teachers; Verbal Communication; Video Technology; Iceland
• ISSN: 1479-4802; 1754-0178
• DOI: 10.1080/14794802.2020.1722959

Four upper secondary school teachers in Iceland were asked to implement a silent video task, intended to support students' understanding of mathematical concepts, with their 17-18 years old students and to give feedback to the researcher developing the task. The task was challenging for teachers because it required them to make a short transition from a transmission-oriented to a socio-constructive approach in a new role as facilitators of learning; encouraging students' discussions about mathematics and utilising student-to-student explanations in a whole group discussion. An overarching research question asked how teachers' knowledge influenced their engagement in the innovative practices. This paper reports how teachers noticed (i) mainly unclarity and what was absent in students' responses to the silent video task, and (ii) some limiting factors and insecurities that constrained teachers' ability to innovate.