Trust, Power, and Task: Conditions for Productive Collaboration in Mathematics Classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46328/ijses.5866Keywords:
Math education, Collaborative learning, Self-efficacy, Classroom discourseAbstract
Collaboration plays a crucial role in mathematics education, influencing student engagement, problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, and classroom equity. Bridging the gap between theory and practice is an essential step to using and applying advancements in educational research. This study examines the implementation of collaboration and peer-to-peer discourse in classrooms across the United States, focusing on the specific strategies educators employ to enhance student participation in exchanging ideas through discussion. Through qualitative interviews with experienced math teachers and/or education researchers, the study aims to identify methods that foster collaboration and open, helpful peer-to-peer discourse. The study takes a systematic approach by examining classroom collaboration through three lenses: student trust and safety, power dynamics, and task selection. It finds that creating a comfortable environment where students can trust one another, a situation where teacher-student and student-student power dynamics are fair, and one where task structures are both challenging and accessible to the majority of the classroom are all key aspects to creating an environment conducive to productive collaboration.
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