Initial participation in a reasoning-and-proving discourse in elementary school teacher education

Abstract

Based on a commognitive framework, we analyse the reasoning-and-proving processes of two teachers, and we identify the actions and routines that are visible when working on a given task. The data consist of video recordings of the teachers’ attempts to validate a stated hypothesis involving multiplicative reasoning. Six categories of what characterises the teachers’ initiation into a reasoning-and-proving discourse are identified. The findings reveal that some actions related to substantiation routines seem to be applicable for novice teachers. Examples of this include questioning validity and the use of words related to deductive reasoning. However, the teachers’ participation in the discourse is characterised by ritualised actions, as in their use of visual mediators. Furthermore, the analysis discloses the teachers’ tendency to use construction-related actions in what was designed to be a validating activity.