Mathematical reading (3rd Session)

Date and Time  : 29-07-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator: Mr. Sushant Pawar.(Dept of Math edu. HBCSE)

As the title suggests the webinar was conducted to read the research reading. Primary focus of the research reading is how a teacher can handle different approaches of students for solving mathematical problems, and how teachers should/can be sensitive about the socio-economic status of students. Also this reading describes the thought process of a teacher while teaching and dealing with different approaches of students. Webinar was conducted by Mr. Sushant Pawar who has been working in Department of Mathematics Education HBCSE since 2 years. PDF copy of research reading was shared with participants on whatsapp group so they can go through it prior to the webinar. The resource person prepared the presentation in such a way that part of the research reading was displayed on the slides. The resource person used to read those slides and then used to give 2 minutes to participants to note down the key points from the slides. After some slides there used to be discussion about what participants have noted down and what they feel about it. Experts from HBCSE and outside and teachers shared their experiences too while the discussion part.

This webinar was the third and the last part of the research reading webinar. Here the participants have read the first and second part of reading in the first and second webinar and here they read the third and last part of the reading and they discussed that. Some notable discussion points are mentioned below:

  • Resource person started the webinar by revising the points from the 1st and the 2nd webinar and then he also described how the scenario in the reading took place.
  • In this particular part of the reading it is described how Lampert (author of the paper) dealt with the student’s responses.
  • Then he shared the notable points which he noted down from the reading and asked teachers and other experts to share their views about it. Which involved points like the teacher encouraging the students to have peer discussion, encouraging to ask questions, and how the teacher connected division of fraction with the context of the classroom.
  • To one of the responses of one student described in the reading Satyawati Rawool Ma’am noted how that particular student has issues with decimal fractions.
  • With regard to division Aaloka Kanhere ma’am shared her observation from one classroom about students’ understanding about division which underlined how while dividing by 2 students actually adds instead of dividing to get the answer.
  • Then the reading focused on different approaches of students while solving the same problem given by the teacher. It involves detailed conversation between teacher and students.
  • Then Satyawati Rawool Ma’am added how we should involve this kind of practice which this teacher from the reading is describing.
  • Then Purna Patil Ma’am added how she feels that the author of the paper wants to check whether students’ conceptual knowledge about division is clear or not.
  • Then Sandhya Ma’am added how it is important for teachers to know students’ understanding about the concept.
  • Then Mayuri Pawar added how the teacher from the reading is encouraging students’ different approaches and how sharing those approaches with other students can be helpful to understand the concept more deeply.
  • Then Sugra Chunawala ma’am added her point how this paper is opposite from the typical classroom experience. It elaborates the concept of constructivism.
  • Then Satyawati Rawool ma’am added how this paper she used to give to her B.Ed. students and how those students used to find it is absurd in the beginning but afterward they used to find this paper useful. Also practicing a similar method in the classroom is viewed as not efficient.
  • She also added how she practiced similar things from the reading in her classroom and then how those students understood the concept deeply.

And then the webinar came to end with a compilation of reading of this research reading.
 Report Prepared by: Sushant Pawar