Dialogic Learning on a Shared Theme: Approaching Inclusive Settings in the Mathematics Classroom

Abstract

In the 1980s, Georg Feuser developed his theory of a universal public education that enables inner differentiation by means of developmentally logical didactics. A key element of his theory is the idea that all children in a classroom learn together on a shared theme in cooperation with one another. Following Feuser’s ideas, the question arises: how to implement the concept of learning on a shared theme in the mathematics classroom. The theory of dialogic learning established by Ruf and Gallin in the 1990s turns out to be particularly compatible and to offer suitable concepts for a practical implementation. Finding a good shared theme, which captures central mathematical ideas and, at the same time, addresses all children in the classroom, is a major challenge for teachers. An essential aspect of dialogic learning is the concept of core ideas, which can help teachers in finding an appropriate shared theme. A core idea has a short and concise message, serving as a guideline for teachers when designing learning environments. Teachers’ initial reflections on core ideas constitute a good opportunity for sounding out ways of inner differentiation and for setting individual learning goals. In this article, we discuss how to approach inclusive learning in the mathematics classroom, linking Feuser’s ideas with dialogic learning and using examples from practice. We present two learning environments, which demonstrate how the idea of dialogic learning on a shared theme can be implemented in the mathematics classroom. The first learning environment addresses the mathematical problem of finding the volume of a right rectangular prism. The second learning environment focuses on the mathematical problem of classifying triangles according to their angles and sides.