Research On Mathematics Classroom Activity

When the Shanghai Second Curriculum Reform was implemented in all levels of schools in the city, Shanghai Education Committee required that model lessons should be chosen and recorded in each district for sharing the teachers' quality in teaching, and improving their professional development.In order to find an effective way for in-service teacher education, the videos of the model lessons should be evaluated from a special perspective for balancing between the reform intended and the classroom practices. Recommendation also should be provided for the further reform.The videos of mathematics model lessons about algebra themes from Grade 6 to 8 were observed and analyzed based on activity theory. Classroom activity can be labeled into four categories: teacher lecture (can include short question-answer), interaction, student practice, and cooperative discussion. On foundation of the other empirical researches, cognitive activity was encoded into four nested levels: recall, recognizing, building-with, and constructing. Furthermore, this research always maintains the structure of each lesson.This research found that teachers in model lessons integrated the ideas of Shanghai Second Curriculum Reform into the classroom practice. Teacher lecture and the interaction between teacher and students happen frequently. Student practice and cooperative discussion were used as complementary. The styles of model lessons showed the principle of "student center and teacher guided":(1) In the classroom interaction, students built with mathematics conceptions, negotiated the solutions of mathematical examples and exercises, and developed mathematics abstract thinking;(2) Teacher's lecture and demonstration strengthened students' knowledge foundation;(3) Teacher made use of variations in exercises in order to consolidate knowledge and cultivate competence;(4) Cooperative discussion provided students more thinking and discourse space;(5) Teachers set up mathematics context and summarized regularly in classrooms. Some disadvantages also existed in the model lessons:(1) There were less cognitive activities of constructing;(2) Many classrooms had too many mathematics exercises, so students had no sufficient time to think deeply;(3) Cooperative discussion in some classroom was unsuccessful.In the end, this research reflected:(1) Chinese traditional education also emphasized communication between teacher and students in classroom;(2) Teacher's talking can not be made dichotomy simply.(3) Introduction through context was possibly affected by the reform guidance and Chinese traditional culture.(4) To Chinese mathematics teacher, classroom cooperative discussion was a new arrival, so it should be used careful.The conclusion was found that under the Shanghai Second Curriculum Reform, mathematics classroom instruction integrated the reform and traditional ideas together into classroom practices, and balanced between the students' knowledge foundation and cognitive development. Besides, the model lessons also showed the education principle of "student center and teacher guided". In fact, under particular culture and social situation, teachers could form their special teaching styles.