An Investigation of Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ Discussion Skills in the Context of Lesson Study

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to investigate how pre-service teachers have used five practices for conducting productive mathematical discussions (anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting) in teaching statistics throughout their participation in lesson study. Researchers employed a qualitative research method. The participants of the study were three pre-service teachers as they carried out three lesson studies. In the data analysis, the framework developed by Stein et al. (2008) was used. The results revealed that the pre-service teachers did not include all practices in their lesson plans and implementations at the beginning. As the lesson study progressed, the pre-service teachers attempted to include anticipating, monitoring, selecting, and connecting practices. However, the difficulties in terms of the sequencing practice were seen to be continuing. In light of the obtained findings, it was suggested that lesson study should be integrated into teacher training programs in Turkey.