They’re already asking, I’m more alert: a teacher’s journey with mathematical whole-class discussions within lesson study

Purpose The purpose of this study is to know how a teacher’s understanding and practice regarding whole-class discussion develops as she participates in three successive lesson studies. Design/methodology/approach This study is qualitative and interpretative, with participant observation design. We analyze the case of a middle school teacher (students 10–12 years old) by using discourse analysis to identify the reproduction or production of discourses regarding whole-class discussion and to identify productive networks that led to new discourses. The data analyzed in this paper were collected between 2021 and 2023 regarding a teacher’s initial individual interview and her subsequent participation in three lesson studies. Findings Even though the contribution of lesson study is traceable during the teacher’s first participation in it, sustained involvement in this process was important to raise her awareness of the impact of her practice regarding whole-class discussion on students’ learning. The teacher’s development was increased by the exploration of mathematical tasks explored before proposing them to students, anticipation of a diversity of strategies and planning the board, the presence of a facilitator and participation in more than one lesson study. Originality/value The teacher took part in three lesson studies over two school years, which allows for a longitudinal analysis of the development of her understanding and practice of whole-class discussion. Discourse analysis, considering the notions of intertext and productive networks, allowed identifying what contributed to these developments and how they evolved.