Managing epistemic imbalances in peer interaction during mathematics lessons

Abstract

In this study, we investigated how students manage their lack of/insufficient understanding of the content of a mathematical task with the aim of reaching shared understanding and epistemic balance in peer interaction. The data consist of recordings collected during a mathematics project (6 × 75 minutes) in a Finnish lower secondary school. The findings, drawing on conversation analysis, showed two markedly different sequence trajectories: (1) how interaction between a K+ and a K− (more/less knowledgeable) student proceeded relatively smoothly when these positions were accepted by both participants, and consequently the K+ led epistemic work by designing turns that resembled teachers' practices and (2) how the K+/K− interaction became extended when a K− challenged the K+'s knowledge claims and, furthermore, how a K− steered the epistemic work using polar and wh-interrogatives. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the ways the management of epistemic imbalance can progress during peer group work.

Peer Tutoring and Math Digital Tools: A Promising Combination in Middle School

“…Authors in the field argue that when students were able to check their own results and correct their own procedures, they became more independent from a pedagogical perspective, increasing their autonomy and requiring less support from their teachers or instructors [78][79][80]. The fact that students could associate different mathematical concepts in a more complex way is rational considering that these associations were promoted in three ways (teacher's explanations, peer's help, and analytical and graphical developments of the digital tools) instead of just the one way (teacher's explanations) of traditional learning [81][82][83][84]. Finally, the fact that students in the experimental group did more exercises and problems than those in the control group may be attributable to two main factors: the helping behaviour that usually arises during peer tutoring interactions [85][86][87][88] and the instant feedback provided by the digital tools [89][90][91].…”

Epistemic management in mathematics classroom interactions: Student claims of not knowing or not understanding

“…Recent CA research has examined the role of knowledge in the organisation and structure of a range of interactions (Heinemann et al, 2011;Heritage, 2012bHeritage, , 2012aHeritage & Raymond, 2005Kämäräinen, Björn, Eronen, & Kärnä, 2019;Keevallik, 2011;Raymond & Heritage, 2006;Stivers, Mondada, & Steensig, 2011). Their analysis often focuses on how different participants may orient to differences in what people do or do not know, or claim to know (or not know).…”

“…Jakonen, 2014;Sert & Walsh, 2013), but some recent works within mathematics education (e.g. Kämäräinen et al, 2019;Koole, 2012aKoole, , 2012b illustrate the negotiation of epistemic access and responsibilities as described below.…”

Conversational functions of ‘I know’, ‘you know’ and ‘we know’ in collaborative writing of primary school children

“…This may contribute to our understanding of how intersubjective orientations are shaped in writing practices in school settings and generate new insights into the role of epistemics within this dialogic context (Alexander 2008;Wegerif 2011) that aims at reaching shared understanding of a task, sharing ideas, and supporting and encouraging each other to contribute and to value all contributions (Littleton and Mercer 2010;Mercer and Littleton 2013;Rojas-Drummond et al 2020;Vrikki et al 2019). CA-informed studies on epistemics in student-student interaction have shown the role of epistemic positioning in the social organisation of an event and in reaching shared understanding between participants (Back 2016;Heller 2018;Kämäräinen et al 2019;Melander 2012). A relatively large proportion of the studies paid attention to how these trajectories are shaped by initial actions that convey a less knowledgeable (K-) position, for instance how epistemic work is steered and leads to resolving emerging knowledge gaps or epistemic asymmetry by information requests to mobilise help from a peer (Jakonen and Morton 2015;Melander Bowden 2019), by sequential patterns of help-seeking interactions (Svahn & Melander Bowden 2019), or by polar and wh-interrogatives (Kämäräinen et al 2019).…”

“…CA-informed studies on epistemics in student-student interaction have shown the role of epistemic positioning in the social organisation of an event and in reaching shared understanding between participants (Back 2016;Heller 2018;Kämäräinen et al 2019;Melander 2012). A relatively large proportion of the studies paid attention to how these trajectories are shaped by initial actions that convey a less knowledgeable (K-) position, for instance how epistemic work is steered and leads to resolving emerging knowledge gaps or epistemic asymmetry by information requests to mobilise help from a peer (Jakonen and Morton 2015;Melander Bowden 2019), by sequential patterns of help-seeking interactions (Svahn & Melander Bowden 2019), or by polar and wh-interrogatives (Kämäräinen et al 2019). In our study, we will focus on the perspective of 'being knowledgeable' (K+), by analysing how 'I know', 'you know' and 'we know' are used in sequences of peer talk.…”