Public Defence: Annika Perlander

Annika Perlander is defending her dissertation for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

The doctoral work has been carried out at the Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Science.

This dissertation project explores and gives examples of how different timescales influence the interpretation of classroom interactions. Specifically, the research focuses on how a teacher’s various approaches to the dynamics in classroom talks can link and support the students’ meaning-making processes across timescales.

You are invited to follow the trial lecture and the public defence:

• Link to digital participation (Zoom)
• Link to full dissertation

Summary

The importance of considering timescales to handle dynamic aspects of classroom interactions.

In my doctoral research, I highlight the role of timescales in understanding classroom interactions in mathematics education, especially within the context of recent curriculum changes in Nordic education systems that emphasise mathematical reasoning and communication. Opportunities for classroom dialogues within single lessons are becoming more common in mathematics teaching. However, as teachers set many of the frames for such dialogues, there is a need to understand the roles teachers assign to classroom talks during sequences of lessons and how students are given opportunities to engage in them across time. Through my research, I provide insights into the kind of support students need to understand how they can participate in dialogues about mathematics effectively and link subject knowledge within and between lessons. Through three sub-studies, this research examines how teachers navigate the dynamics of planned and spontaneous activities across lessons. The results show how the teachers shifted between types of classroom talk based on, for example, their own learning experiences, teaching purposes and student responses. The context is Nordic upper secondary mathematics education (videregående/gymnasium), focusing on Norwegian and Swedish curriculums. 

Key Findings from the three studies 

The dialogic research approach combines a sociocultural perspective on learning, dialogical communication principles, and multiple timescale analysis to explore how teachers manage interaction dynamics and engage students in meaning making across timescales.

Study 1 explored how Norwegian student teachers’ diverse backgrounds and personal beliefs link their in-the-moment actions in the classroom with knowledge developed over longer timescales. For example, the student teachers drew on different sets of socially shared narratives and moral rules to engage in similar positions as teachers. Practical teaching experience was emphasised as crucial for understanding the expectations of classroom norms and being a teacher in the Norwegian school system.

Study 2 used a timescale analysis as a reflection tool when reading published research articles and interpreting their results on classroom interactions. For example, when results about teaching actions were related to various timescales, the function of actions within and between lessons became more prominent. Such reflections allowed for considerations of alternative actions as preparation for handling future teaching situations.

Study 3 showed how two early-career mathematics teachers alternated approaches when handling students’ ideas and inviting and supporting students to participate in classroom talks. The study identified teaching rhythms related to who got opportunities to participate in classroom talks and the type of activities used within a lesson sequence. The variation in types of classroom talks connected mathematical content and students’ responses within individual lesson events with longer-scale learning processes.

The findings underscore the need for education research to consider meaning-making processes across different timescales. By varying types of classroom talks within and between lessons, teachers can help students grasp different aspects of mathematics. Awareness of multiple timescales can inform teaching practices and support student learning by, for example, understanding when classroom talks can be appropriate and noticing the various functions talk repertoires can have across time. For teacher education, the results imply that considering timescales when reflecting on teaching practice can prepare student teachers for the dynamics in interactions and make them more comfortable to engage in classroom dialogues. Further studies are encouraged to explore how shifts between types of classroom talks and linking learning opportunities across time can support the development of students' competence in communicating mathematics.