Alternatively certified teachers' use of mathematical discours

Educational reform efforts such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for mathematics have placed a new emphasis on student success. One of NCTM's ten standards is communication. It should come as no surprise that the term discourse is featured prominently in educational research and is the focus of recent teacher education and professional development efforts.;I designed this research to examine how three alternatively certified teachers in two rural school districts conducted mathematical discourse using the Advancing Children's Thinking (ACT) framework. The ACT framework categorizes teacher-student mathematical discourse into three groups: eliciting student engagement, supporting student thinking, and extending mathematical discourse. All three participants engaged in mathematical discourse in each of the three categories of the ACT framework, which is important given the dependence of alternatively certified teachers by school districts nationwide. These participants regularly elicited and supported student thinking; however, participants extended mathematical discourse infrequently.;None of the participants had more than three years of teaching experience. No specific curriculum or professional development was a part of the study. Participants taught regularly-scheduled mathematics lessons. I recorded, transcribed and coded observations; I conducted post-observation interviews; and I completed one stimulated recall interview as a final component of the study.;The use of scenarios as a method of professional development for currently employed teachers, particularly those alternatively certified, to support implementation of extended mathematical discourse is one of several recommendations. I advise mentoring in the establishment of classroom routines and a strong intellectual environment as a part of the new teacher implementation process. Finally, I recommend professional development for alternatively certified teachers in the area of effective questioning techniques that facilitate discussion in all three areas of the ACT framework. Implementing strong mathematical discourse in the classroom is no easy task, and teachers must be prepared to meet the challenge of engaging students to learn mathematics.