Increasing Number Sense through Mathematical Discourse in the Primary Classroom

The purpose of this action research is to explore the ways mathematical discourse effects number sense in the primary classroom. A study was done in a first grade classroom with 18 students to determine if increasing mathematical discourse in the classroom through the use of “Number Talks” by Parrish and “5 Practices for Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions” by Smith and Stein, student number sense will increase. The findings suggest that through effective questioning in whole-group and small-group instruction, open- strategy sharing, and quantitative imagery, students’ number sense will increase. Students in classrooms with rich mathematical discourse will potentially become more comfortable sharing math strategies and will be more confident in their own mathematical abilities. Sources of data collection include a district written and mandated test to measure number-sense in primary students, a student self-assessment, math unit tests, and teacher field notes. The study was conducted over a six-week time period, it may be more successful if done from the beginning of the school year