Journal for Research in Mathematics Education · 1997 · 177 citations · 0 references
EducationMathematicsMathematics EducationElementary Mathematics EducationMathematics InstructionStudent EngagementClassroom EngagementClassroom InvolvementCognitive EngagementEngagement TrajectoriesLearning PersistenceMathematical ReasoningCognitive Change ProcessesCognitive Learning ProcessesMathematical PedagogyMathematical ThinkingMathematics Learning TrajectoriesMathematics ReasoningStudent Thinking In Mathematics
Classrooms must foster active engagement in rich mathematical activity to develop students' capacity to do mathematics. The study examines how classroom factors influence student engagement with tasks designed to promote high‑level mathematical thinking and reasoning. The authors present four qualitative portraits illustrating how student engagement in high‑level cognitive processes either persisted or declined during classroom task work. The findings indicate that sustained high engagement is associated with many supportive factors, while declines in engagement occur in various ways for multiple reasons.
In order to develop students' capacities to “do mathematics,” classrooms must become environments in which students are able to engage actively in rich, worthwhile mathematical activity. This paper focuses on examining and illustrating how classroom-based factors can shape students' engagement with mathematical tasks that were set up to encourage high-level mathematical thinking and reasoning. The findings suggest that when students' engagement is successfully maintained at a high level, a large number of support factors are present. A decline in the level of students' engagement happens in different ways and for a variety of reasons. Four qualitative portraits provide concrete illustrations of the ways in which students' engagement in high-level cognitive processes was found to continue or decline during classroom work on tasks.