An Elementary Teacher's Practical Knowledge of Using mathematical Tasks for Promoting Students' Understanding and Discourse

This study described an elementary teacher's practical knowledge of selecting and using mathematical tasks for promoting students' understanding and discourse. The informant of this ethnographic inquiry was a third grade teacher and has 10 years of teaching experience. According to the analysis of multiple data sources, this study showed that based on his beliefs about the development of understanding of mathematics and discourse, he continually employed two different types of tasks: open-ended tasks and tasks from students' mistakes and comments during discourse. Teachers' practical knowledge of teaching mathematics and the classroom norms for students' understanding and discourse are suggested to be given attention for further research on this area.