Learning dynamics of mathematics teachers as they diagnose students’ knowledge in a lesson study

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the learning dynamics of a group of five middle school teachers that took place in a lesson study during the elaboration and analysis of a diagnostic task. In particular, we intend to analyze the teachers’ learning that occurred in their didactic knowledge, notably in their curriculum knowledge, knowledge of students and of their learning processes, and knowledge of teaching practice. Data were collected by participant observation, with audio recording of the sessions, collection of participants’ written documents, and by making a research journal. The results suggest that the elaboration and analysis of a diagnostic task during the lesson study, through a reflexive process, gave the teachers an opportunity to develop didactic knowledge about the curriculum guidelines for the specific content, students’ thinking, tasks, and role of different representations for learning rational numbers. This work also allowed the teachers to change their knowledge about the students, more specifically, about their real capacity, leading the teachers to value the positive aspects of their students’ solutions and not only attend to their difficulties