BES Case Study 25: Develop a mathematical community of practice

BES Case Study 25: Develop a mathematical communit…
01 Feb 2007
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The best evidence syntheses (BESs) bring together research evidence about ‘what works’ for diverse (all) learners in education. Recent BESs each include a number of cases that describe actual examples of professional practice and then analyse the findings. These cases support educators to grasp the big ideas behind effective practice at the same time as they provide vivid insight into their application.

In a mathematical community of practice, students learn to articulate their thinking and engage in exchange of ideas in an environment that is both challenging and safe. The safety is particularly important because, to develop mathematical understanding, students need to be able to get things “wrong” and learn from their “mistakes” without being embarrassed or defensive.

This case provides a window into the relationship between a teacher and two students as the teacher challenges one of the students to clarify his explanations.

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