Orchestration of mathematical activities in the kindergarten: The role of questions.

The purpose of this study is to investigate what role the questions of child carers play in their interaction with children in connection with planned mathematical activities, including preparation in the form of scheduled tasks, use of physical objects, framing of the learning situation and the number of children who participate. The study is part of a larger research project 'Teaching Better Mathematics', which aims at promoting learning and development in mathematics teaching at schools and at daycare centres.

The child carer asks the children a total of 154 questions during the activity. The questions are categorised as six different types related according to their focus: 1) proposal for action; 2) open-ended questions; 3) questions for argument; 4) questions for problem-solving; 5) rephrased questions; and 6) concluding questions. Only a few of the questions resulted in unsatisfactory responses or no response at all. The way in which the child carer posed the questions was assessed to be of great significance for how the children responded, both verbally and nonverbally, i.e. using sign language or similar gestures. Some of the children responded nonverbally by enacting the answer using an object central to the activity (in this case a weight). Therefore, the researchers concluded that it is important that objects are included in activities dealing with solving mathematical tasks. Moreover, the researchers found that questions are a powerful educational tool in order to engage children in learning activities and they found patterns of how the conversation developed through different types of questions.

The data material consists of video footage of 27 minutes of a pedagogically planned mathematical activity with six children aged three to four years. The children include two girls and four boys. The activity is supervised by a child carer. In addition, the researchers also took field notes during the activity. The goal of the activity is that, together with the child carer, the children must assess which objects are heavier than others on the basis of size and weight.  The study is analysed on the basis a sociocultural understanding of learning and development, and on Vygotskij's theory of learning as a social and situated process in which children take in concepts, tools and actions through cooperation and communication with others.

Carlsen, M., Hundeland, P.S. og Erfjord, I. (2010). Orchestration of mathematical activities in the kindergarten: The role of questions. European Society for Research in Mathematics Education: Proceedings of the Sixth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education, January 28th-February 1st 2009, Lyon (France).