Constructing a shared mathematical thinking space through collaborative group talk

Description/Abstract

This study examined the peer talk of students working together in mathematics classes ranging from 11-year-olds to 15-year-olds (Edwards 2003). It was undertaken in naturalistic classroom conditions in which audio-recordings of peer talk in collaborative small groups were analysed using Mercer’s (1995) model of three levels of linguistic, psychological, and cultural components. Evidence suggests that the roles of ‘talking aloud’ and maintaining a ‘thread of thought’ within the group are two important means of allowing public access to individual mathematical thinking. Similarly, repeated repetition and confirmation of peers’ ideas and opinions demonstrate that the group is establishing a cohesive and trusting community where the ‘ground rules’ are negotiated. Further communal mathematical activity is represented by the degree to which there is joint acceptance of the resolution of conflict both between and within individual members.