Developing Questioning Within a Secondary Mathematics Methods Course

Abstract

Teacher questioning impacts the level of student thinking that occurs during mathematical instruction. It is important to investigate how questioning is developed in secondary mathematics methods classes so that these environments can support the development effective questioning strategies. This article explores how two preservice teachers use teaching noticing techniques to elicit, interpret, and respond to student thinking through a cycle of planning a lesson, practicing it with peers, revising it, and teaching the lesson in a high school classroom. Analysis explores how the preservice teachers use questioning to either privilege or minimize student thinking through focusing or funnelling questioning structures, and how flexible the preservice teachers were in asking questions based on how adjusting their questions based on what was noticing in student responses. While both participants stated the goal of creating student-centred learning environments, they varied in their ability to privilege student thinking to create such environments during the teaching of their lesson.