Using Toulmin's Model to Develop Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of Collective Argumentation

Author:
Patty Anne Wagner University of North Georgia

Search for other papers by Patty Anne Wagner in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Ryan C. Smith University of Georgia

Search for other papers by Ryan C. Smith in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
AnnaMarie Conner University of Georgia

Search for other papers by AnnaMarie Conner in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Laura M. Singletary Lee University

Search for other papers by Laura M. Singletary in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Richard T. Francisco University of Georgia

Search for other papers by Richard T. Francisco in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close

As creating and critiquing arguments becomes more of a focus in mathematics classes, teachers need to develop their abilities to facilitate collective arguments. Many mathematics education researchers find Toulmin's (1958/2003) model of argumentation to be useful in analyzing arguments, raising the question of whether mathematics teachers would find it useful as well. We introduced the model to prospective secondary mathematics teachers and asked them to analyze arguments using it. We found that the prospective teachers developed an appropriate understanding of what collective argumentation looks like in the classroom, and the model provided them a lens for analyzing teaching practice. This suggests the use of Toulmin's model is a promising step in helping prospective teachers develop their conceptions of collective argumentation.

Contributor Notes

Patty Anne Wagner, Department of Mathematics, University of North Georgia, Newton Oakes Center 212, Dahlonega, GA 30597; patty.wagner@ung.edu

Ryan C. Smith, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, University of Georgia, 105 Aderhold Hall, Athens, GA 30602; smithryc@uga.edu

AnnaMarie Conner, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, University of Georgia, 105 Aderhold Hall, Athens, GA 30602; aconner@uga.edu

Laura M. Singletary, Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Lee University, SMC 106, Cleveland, TN 37311; lsingletary@leeuniversity.edu

Richard T. Francisco, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, University of Georgia, 105 Aderhold Hall, Athens, GA 30602; rtfrancisco@gmail.com

(Corresponding author is Wagner patty.wagner@ung.edu)
(Corresponding author is Smith smithryc@uga.edu)
(Corresponding author is Conner aconner@uga.edu)
(Corresponding author is Singletary lsingletary@leeuniversity.edu)
(Corresponding author is Francisco rtfrancisco@gmail.com)
  • Collapse
  • Expand
Mathematics Teacher Educator
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 1068 218 24
Full Text Views 47 9 1
PDF Downloads 90 42 2
EPUB Downloads 0 0 0