E: Examining Teacher Discourse and Whole-Class Interaction: A Social Semiotics Model for Mathematics Lesson Study Groups

Cuny Brooklyn College, Brooklyn NY

Investigators

Abstract

The project is a three-year, exploratory, qualitative case study of a mathematics Lesson Study group for 12 beginning mathematics teachers working in high-poverty middle schools in Brooklyn, New York City. The project's Lesson Study model employs social semiotics to examine the intersection between language and learning in mathematics classrooms. The project is addressing two research questions: (1) How does social semiotics illuminate the complexities of mathematics instruction in high-poverty schools? (2) How does the Lesson Study group strengthen teachers' content knowledge, increase their pedagogical-content knowledge, and enhance their ability to orchestrate whole-class conversations? Additionally, on-site Lesson Study groups will also be launched in some participating schools.