THE ACTION AND ART OF MATHEMATICAL CHATTER

Mathematics is usually assessed in a written format such as, assignments, online quizzes, and timed tests, at all educational levels. However, a written solution does not totally reveal the true thoughts of the student, therefore an educator cannot truly distinguish between two similar solutions as to whether the concept is fully understood, or a template has just been followed. Conversations can reveal more evidence of mathematical knowledge than a written solution alone, and as such it is valuable to make use of this to enhance the learning and assessment process. The task at hand is to provide students with an environment and atmosphere that will be conducive to mathematical and statistical ‘chatter’. Activities, often considered the domain of kindergarten or primary, give students easy friendly access to discuss mathematical concepts initially in personal terms and then gradually to mathematical notation. The weekly tutorial will now become the vehicle to steer us in the direction of assessing mathematical chatter, where students learn to verbalise what they would have just transcribed alone. Both the tutorial and the assessment consist of students working and talking together, using whiteboards not paper, on problems, thus the teaching, learning and assessment are aligned. This paper will map the various elements of Bloom’s taxonomy to the elements of the interactive teaching and assessment of the action and art of mathematical chatter.