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This paper investigates the relationship between teacher and student discourse patterns, measured by accountable talk moves (Michaels & O’Connor, 2015) and the quality of mathematics instruction as measured by the Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) rubric. This study uses a large public dataset of human coded MQI lesson transcripts and validated AI coding for talk moves to explore how different talk moves predict instructional quality. Results indicate that certain talk moves at certain frequencies, especially those relating to accountability to the learning community and rigorous thinking, positively correlate with higher MQI scores. Thus the nature and frequency of nuanced discourse patterns are crucial for high-quality mathematics instruction, while simple metrics like the amount of student talk have little impact. 

This paper shares a synthesis of the literature related to the application of a relationships-first approach to high-dosage math tutoring. In the context of our research, high-dosage tutoring is delivered multiple times per week during the school day by paraprofessionals who work with students in historically under-resourced schools. We apply a critical perspective to frame the importance of attending to interpersonal relationships during tutoring. We then explain the core ideas of small group interactions, dialogue, relational interactions, care and belonging and provide a synthesis of these constructs. The literature synthesis presented is intended to be applied to research-based efforts aimed at supporting tutors working to increase their skills for cultivating strong interpersonal relationships and enacting equity oriented pedagogy. 

This paper shares a synthesis of the literature related to the application of a relationships-first approach to high-dosage math tutoring. In the context of our research, high-dosage tutoring is delivered multiple times per week during the school day by paraprofessionals who work with students in historically under-resourced schools. We apply a critical perspective to frame the importance of attending to interpersonal relationships during tutoring. We then explain the core ideas of small group interactions, dialogue, relational interactions, care and belonging and provide a synthesis of these constructs. The literature synthesis presented is intended to be applied to research-based efforts aimed at supporting tutors working to increase their skills for cultivating strong interpersonal relationships and enacting equity oriented pedagogy. 

TalkMoves is an AI assistive tool that provides automated feedback to educators to support their daily teaching practices. While originally designed for classroom math teachers, this tool can be useful in a broader context. The University of Colorado Boulder and Saga Education formed a co-design team tasked with re-contextualizing TalkMoves for coaches of novice math tutors to use in their ongoing professional development. To effectively adapt an existing technology to a new problem space, the co-design team iteratively exchanged ideas of what exactly TalkMoves could achieve, as well as the specific needs of the coaches. Facilitators used strategies such as communal orientation, expansive dreaming, backcasting, and revoicing to promote productive collaboration. Three main goals emerged: maximize opportunities for user agency, center design around goal setting, and integrate the tool into the existing workflow. Any adaptation of an AI tool would benefit from this approach. 

The paper draws on data collected during an inquiry-oriented instructional approach in which students learn to program a sensor-based physical computing system to collect and display meaningful data from the world around them. As part of one instructional unit (Sensor Immersion Unit) students debug their system when it does not work as they expect it to. We present a case study of how one teacher (Gabrielle) acted as a caring collaborator with students as they addressed hardware and software problems. This included modeling and articulating a regular systematic approach to becoming “unstuck,” which we map in analysis. Gabrielle’s approach to supporting students, or her debugging pedagogy, positions debugging as core computing practice rather than as a means to overcome failure. 

This paper presents findings from a study of middle school science teachers’ professional learning activities designed to support the development of their debugging pedagogies. In two iterations of a professional learning activity, teachers worked to find bugs planted by facilitators in physical computing systems they were learning to integrate into their middle school science classrooms. We examine how teachers navigated the tension between developing their own troubleshooting skills versus supporting students’ skills in resolving inconsistencies between what they expect of the DaSH and what it actually does. We conclude with implications for the design of PL activities for supporting teachers’ debugging pedagogies.