Examining teachers' relational noticing: promoting equity through positive interactions in mathematics education

Abstract

AbstractHow teachers attend to and interpret positive relational interactions shapes how they enact instructional practices for equity. We draw on frameworks from equitable mathematics instruction, relational interactions, and teacher noticing to conceptualize mathematics teachers’ relational noticing. Using noticing interview and classroom observation data from a research collaborative between secondary mathematics teachers and university-based teacher educators, we document the range and diversity of ten teachers’ relational noticing. We use this analysis to examine how teachers’ relational noticing supports enacting equitable instructional practices. Our findings indicate five themes of teachers’ relational noticing that are informed by their personal histories, understanding of dominant narratives of mathematics education, and their local sociopolitical school context. Additionally, teachers enacted a range of practices for creating positive relational interactions, with attending to student thinking being the most enacted practice. Our findings suggest that mathematics teachers’ relational noticing can support the three axes of equitable instruction.