Not Merely a Workaround: Theorizing Asynchronous Math Talks as a Robust Instructional Routine for Visible Thinking, Participation, and Engagement in Mathematics Teacher Education

The sudden global shift due to COVID-19 accelerated the need for a better understanding of mathematics learning and teaching in an asynchronous format. Also, despite the popular use of mathematics instructional routines in mathematics classrooms, the field of mathematics education research has very limited empirical studies on instructional routines. This dissertation addresses this by examining Asynchronous Math Talks (AMTs), a structured instructional routine adapted from Number Talks. The central goal of this research is to develop and theorize AMTs not merely as an online workaround, but as a robust instructional model that leverages the unique affordances of digital platforms to make preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) mathematical thinking public, permanent, and assessable. The study investigates the progression of the routine from numerical reasoning in Asynchronous Number Talks (ANTs) to the coordination of mathematics and authentic real-world context in Asynchronous Connecting Math to the Real World Talks (ACMRTs) to AMT as an umbrella concept of the routine, which supports PSTs’ cognitive and social presences through the structure of the routine (teaching presence), and drives multidimensional engagement. Findings reveal that AMTs make all PSTs' mathematical thinking visible to instructors, peers, and themselves, broaden participation and engagement through a “post before you see” structure, and compare their ideas with peers through a specific prompt. Furthermore, the AMTs provide rich formative assessment opportunities through permanent written records of student strategies and interpretations, and support PSTs to encounter mathematics as flexible, discussable, and connected to the real world around them. This dissertation concludes that AMTs serve as a powerful model for sustained, collaborative inquiry that can significantly enhance teacher education in both online and traditional formats.