The Impact of Adding Written Discourse to Six Year Olds’ Mathematics Explanations within a Problem-Based Learning Unit

Abstract

Communicating their thinking in mathematics is challenging for young children. This research studied the change in six-year old students’ oral and written solution explanations before and after six problem-based mathematics lessons that focused on developing conceptual understanding of adding or subtracting a 2-digit number and a multiple of ten. Participants were assigned to a comparison group or an intervention group based on the classroom in which they were assigned. All students completed a pre-and post-assessment. Both groups received the same, six problem-based lessons. To encourage growth in their communication skills, students in both groups were asked to talk about their strategies, while the intervention group was asked to both talk and write about their strategies during each lesson. Oral and written pre-and post-assessments were scored using a rubric adapted from the Project M3 curriculum (Gavin et al., 2006-2008) and interrater reliability was established. T-test analyses were conducted to determine if a significant difference exists between first-graders oral and written mathematical explanations within discourse modes (comparing pre/post writing or pre/post talking) and between discourse modes (comparing talking and writing) for the intervention and comparison groups. A significant difference between discourse modes was found on the pre-assessments but not the post-assessments, suggesting that increasing oral discourse decreased the gap between the children in both groups ability to talk and write about their thinking. A significant difference was found within discourse modes for the intervention group, but not the comparison group, suggesting that adding written discourse to problem-based lessons further increased the children in the intervention group’s ability not only to write about their solutions, but also to talk about their thinking. In order to give a glimpse of the development of the first graders in the intervention group’s oral and written mathematical explanations, the work of three focus students was selected to share. Through the use of problem-based instruction and cognitively demanding tasks along with the development of sociomathematical norms and discourse knowledge, the young children in this study were able to improve their verbal and written communications skills.