Monograph No. 10
Communication, Communication, Communication, Communication in the MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM
October 1992
Publication of the Mathematics Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association
59 – 68
Chapter 7 – The Converse Structure of Communicative Classrooms
Daiyo Sawada
The two stories in Part HI may be of particular interest to those who have so far concluded that there are many effective ways to bring communicative activities into the classroom (Part I) and that these activities do enhance mathematics learning in ways that are unique to these activities (Part II) and also to those who may be ambivalent about whether or not their own teaching style is compatible with a communicative approach.
More specifically, if as you consider how that communicative nature of your teaching can be enhanced you get the nagging feeling that teaching mathematics communicatively is not simply a matter of adding communicative activities to your repertoire, then the two stories in this chapter and the contrasts between them are for you.
“Where am I going to get the time for all this language activity during math class?” I shall answer this question (and others as well) by contrasting the structure of traditional classrooms with what I call communicative classrooms by telling two stories.