The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn
The teaching of mathematics cannot be thought of without considering the use of examples. The examples that teachers use during a lesson and how they mediate the example set is critical to what opportunities for learning are opened up during the lesson. In this article, we explore how a teacher medi...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Pythagoras |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pythagoras.org.za/index.php/pythagoras/article/view/667 |
| _version_ | 1828094665789800448 |
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| author | Vasen Pillay Jill Adler Ulla Runesson Kempe |
| author_facet | Vasen Pillay Jill Adler Ulla Runesson Kempe |
| author_sort | Vasen Pillay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The teaching of mathematics cannot be thought of without considering the use of examples. The examples that teachers use during a lesson and how they mediate the example set is critical to what opportunities for learning are opened up during the lesson. In this article, we explore how a teacher mediates an example set with focus particularly on what is varied and what remains the same. The case that we draw on is taken from a larger learning study conducted in Grade 10 mathematics classes and the lesson that is used in this article was the last lesson in the learning study cycle. We use variation theory, specifically how the sequencing, pairing and juxtaposing of examples provides learners with opportunities to discern the critical aspect of the object of learning. We analyse the teacher’s mediation of the example set on a micro level, as this enables us to illuminate and develop our argument, while simultaneously offering a detailed example of mathematics teaching. We argue that it is the systematic and deliberate structuring of variation within an example set in the midst of invariance coupled with the teacher’s mediation of both planned and learner-generated examples that is critical for opening opportunities to learn. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:01:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bbc0c4933464487bb894a0ecaa24fbad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1012-2346 2223-7895 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:01:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pythagoras |
| spelling | doaj.art-bbc0c4933464487bb894a0ecaa24fbad2022-12-22T04:38:40ZengAOSISPythagoras1012-23462223-78952022-11-01431e1e1010.4102/pythagoras.v43i1.667269The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learnVasen Pillay0Jill Adler1Ulla Runesson Kempe2School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSchool of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSchool of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, JönköpingThe teaching of mathematics cannot be thought of without considering the use of examples. The examples that teachers use during a lesson and how they mediate the example set is critical to what opportunities for learning are opened up during the lesson. In this article, we explore how a teacher mediates an example set with focus particularly on what is varied and what remains the same. The case that we draw on is taken from a larger learning study conducted in Grade 10 mathematics classes and the lesson that is used in this article was the last lesson in the learning study cycle. We use variation theory, specifically how the sequencing, pairing and juxtaposing of examples provides learners with opportunities to discern the critical aspect of the object of learning. We analyse the teacher’s mediation of the example set on a micro level, as this enables us to illuminate and develop our argument, while simultaneously offering a detailed example of mathematics teaching. We argue that it is the systematic and deliberate structuring of variation within an example set in the midst of invariance coupled with the teacher’s mediation of both planned and learner-generated examples that is critical for opening opportunities to learn.https://pythagoras.org.za/index.php/pythagoras/article/view/667ritical aspects of object of learninglearner-generated examplessequencing, pairing and juxtaposing examplesvariation theory |
| spellingShingle | Vasen Pillay Jill Adler Ulla Runesson Kempe The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn Pythagoras ritical aspects of object of learning learner-generated examples sequencing, pairing and juxtaposing examples variation theory |
| title | The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn |
| title_full | The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn |
| title_fullStr | The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn |
| title_full_unstemmed | The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn |
| title_short | The sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference: Opening opportunities to learn |
| title_sort | sequencing and pairing of examples in the midst of sameness and difference opening opportunities to learn |
| topic | ritical aspects of object of learning learner-generated examples sequencing, pairing and juxtaposing examples variation theory |
| url | https://pythagoras.org.za/index.php/pythagoras/article/view/667 |
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