Virtual math teams: understanding and supporting collaborative problem solving over time

The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) project is an NSF-funded research program through which researchers at the College of Information Science and Technology (IST) and the Math Forum investigate the innovative use of online collaborative environments to support effective K-12 mathematics learning. A key research issue in this program is to understand how mathematical team problem-solving evolves over time and how sustained engagement in problem solving can be supported effectively. This pilot study reports on findings from data collected from five small teams of K-12 students distributed across the U.S. who worked on an open-ended mathematical task during a series of four online sessions. Transcripts of the online interactions and records of their artifacts created are analyzed to identify the local and longitudinal dynamics of their "joint problem space". Preliminary findings point to a range of “bridging” methods through which team members, mentors, and other participants construct mathematical knowledge over time, evolve their sense of team and online community, and interlink the online environment with other interaction spaces, offline (e.g. school, classroom) and online. These findings contribute to our knowledge of how to design system supports and activities for the longitudinal development of teams and online communities