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CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
EDUCATIONAL DISCOURSE / TESL RESEARCH GROUP
SEMINAR
Friday, 12 July, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Rm Y7544 (English Department Conference Room)
THE COLLABORATIVE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ELEGANT ALGEBRAIC
EXPRESSION
Professor Barbara Graves
Laboratory of Applied Cognitive Science
Department of Educational Psychology
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
This talk will examine how the discourse practices of Grade
5 students mediate their reasoning processes in an inquiry
mathematics classroom. The focus is on the collaborative
exchange as a mechanism for conceptual change as students
engage in a difficult problem-solving activity. From the
research perspective because discussion and collaboration
draw heavily on language, specifically conversation, an
increasing number of researchers are investigating the role
of discursive practices in classrooms in relation to the
construction of mathematical understanding. Of particular
interest is how students draw on their shared knowledge and
interest to maintain the discussion and how the role of
genuine inquiry within the talk resulted in the construction
of what we have designated an elegant algebraic expression.
ALL ARE WELCOME