Developing and implementing task-focused guidance for language-responsive mathematics teaching

Mathematics teaching that is responsive to the linguistic demands of the mathematical content, as well as the linguistic resources that students bring, is widely recognised as supporting the learning of mathematics. In this paper we report on one aspect of the video analysis that occurred as part of a larger development project focused on language-responsive mathematics teaching. Videos of lessons where experienced teachers implemented tasks they had collaborated in designing guidance for were analysed using a standardised observation framework focused on classroom discourse and the quality of mathematical activity. The analysis shows the teachers explicitly including opportunities to elicit students’ thinking and to enable students to engage in a range of rich discourse practices.