PME-NA 43 – Impact of Lesson Design on Mathematical Questions

Brief research report by Rashmi Singh, Hector I. Nieves, Erin Barno, and Leslie Dietiker

How does the design of lessons impact the types of questions teachers and students ask during enacted high school mathematics lessons? In this study, we present data suggesting that lessons designed with the mathematical story framework in order to elicit a specific aesthetic response (“MCLEs”) have a positive influence on the types of teacher and student questions asked during the lesson. Our findings suggest that when teachers plan and enact lessons with the mathematical story framework, teachers and students are more likely to ask questions that explore mathematical relationships and focus on meaning making. In addition, teachers are less likely to ask short recall or procedural questions in MCLEs. These findings point to the role of lesson design in the quality of questions asked by teachers and students.