Incorporating Mathematical Writing Prompts Through Lesson Study
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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate how pre-service teachers utilized mathematical writing prompts through the lesson study approach. The participants were eight (8) secondary mathematics pre-service teachers enrolled in a teaching internship course, teaching Grade 8 and Grade 10 learners via an online distance learning platform. Using a qualitative, multicase study design, the research examined the integration of writing prompts by two lesson study teams. Data were collected through various sources, including lesson plans/modules, pre-lesson questionnaires, post-lesson discussions, post-lesson journal prompts, interviews, and a focus group discussion. The pre-service teachers’ engagement in the lesson study was analyzed through thematic analysis, following a four-phase iterative process. Findings revealed that their use of writing prompts focused on the concept-building process of the lesson topics. Emphasis was placed on aligning writing prompts with the lesson objectives. The process of integrating writing prompts followed these steps: (1) identifying lesson objectives, (2) creating writing prompts aligned with the objectives, (3) anticipating learners' responses, (4) implementing the lesson and observing learners' responses, (5) addressing misconceptions revealed in the responses, (6) using the responses to enhance lesson discussions, and (7) revising prompts to achieve desired responses in future lessons. Process prompts were predominantly used for problem-solving activities, while narrative prompts were utilized in lessons involving real-life contexts. Nevertheless, all four types of prompts—content, process, narrative, and affective—could be integrated within a single lesson, typically in the following sequence: content, process, narrative, and finally affective.
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