See it, Try it, and Reflect on it (STaR): Using Video to Scaffold and Support Preservice Teachers in the Reflective Process of Developing Participation Questioning Discourse

Abstract

Purpose

To share activities to support preservice secondary mathematics teachers’ (PSMTs) participation questioning discourse, which consists of (a) modeling and engaging students in mathematical discourse and activity, and (b) supporting and assessing students’ development of conceptual understanding.

Methodology/approach

PSMTs typically struggle to develop fluency in participation questioning discourse, despite having it modeled for them by expert teachers in mathematics education courses. Using Gee’s Discourse Theory to conceptualize this problem, we developed the iterative model of See it, Try it and Reflect on it (STaR) to create learning activities in a methods course that engage PSMTs in viewing and reflecting on videotaped mathematics lessons.

Findings

PSMTs increased their fluency in participation questioning discourse through viewing and reflecting on videotaped lessons using the STaR iterative model.

Practical implications

The STaR model is a promising framework that can be used to design learning activities to help preservice and inservice teachers acquire fluency in discipline-specific pedagogical Discourses.

Citation

Switzer, J.M., Teuscher, D. and Siebert, D. (2015), "See it, Try it, and Reflect on it (STaR): Using Video to Scaffold and Support Preservice Teachers in the Reflective Process of Developing Participation Questioning Discourse", Video Research in Disciplinary Literacies (Literacy Research, Practice and Evaluation, Vol. 6), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2048-045820150000006017