Task 3

Task 3. Analyzing Classroom Discourse.

Observe in a classroom, keeping a record that lets you answer the following questions.
Record/write down a list of what is said for 10 minutes during the CORE part of the
class:

What proportion of time does the teacher talk?

o Time the class for 10 min, how many of those minutes is the teacher talking?
I noticed that my MST talked most of the time, approximately 7 minutes; it is nearly
about 70 percent of class time.

What types of questions does the teacher ask?

o List all the exact words you hear the teacher uses when asking questions
about the math topic (not review or procedural questions)
The lesson was about using the addition to check the subtraction. The questions that
the teacher asked were repeat and she just change the numbers.

She asked students What we called these blocks? Base ten blocks.
What is the answer of 12-7=?
Who can represent the 12 and 7 by using the base ten blocks?
Who can subtract the numbers?
Who can tell how we can check the answer?
Who can use the addition to check the answer of subtraction?
What is the answer of, 42-7=?
Who can represent the 42 and 7 by using the base ten blocks?
Who can solve it on the board?
Who can use the addition to check the answer?
.
What evidence do you see that children have learned some mathematics?
o What are children saying or doing that shows they understand a new topic?
The teacher asked students to take out their white board and write 50-12=? Then she
asked them to solve it individually and check their answer by using the addition. All
students answer correctly. She asked them to do more than one example. After that,
she asked them to open their students book page 28 and solve it. She walked around
and check students answer, I helped her to check students answer.

How many of the children have an opportunity to talk?

o Are children talking only when the teacher calls on them?
Some of the students were talking even if the teacher did not call on them. When the
teacher ask one student to answer some students answer with her, so the teacher
ignore their answer. Moreover, some students were talking when the teacher call on
them for answering.
o Do children talk to partners or in table groups?
The students were sitting in lines so they did not talk to their partner or groups. My
MST most of the time let students to sit and work individually because she believe
that they will learn best by themselves. According to Piaget, the children learn and
develop from themselves (Berk, 2009).
o Do children raise their hands to ask questions? What are they asking?
In this lesson, I did not notice any students who raise their hand to ask question.
When I checked students answers, I noticed that some of the students understand the
lesson clearly, so they did not ask any questions. While some of them did not
understand but they feel shy to ask questions. I told the teacher that some of them did
not understand and they feel shy to ask question. She told me, I know that so I
always sit with them and explain for them again. Then I also helped her to explain
for some students.

In your opinion, is the classroom discourse about important and new mathematics?
o Why or why not?
In my opinion, I think the classroom discourse about important and new mathematics.
The lesson was about using the addition to check the answer of subtraction. The
students can subtract the numbers but they did not know how to check their answers.
Therefore, this lesson and classroom discourse were very important for students to
check their answers. The teacher show them how to use the addition to check the
answer of subtraction. Moreover, she repeat her questions more than one time to
ensure that students understand the new idea.

References:
Berk, L. (2009). Child development. Boston: Pearson Education