INSTRUCTIONAL COHERENCE IN CHINESE MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM-A CASE STUDY OF LESSONS ON FRACTION DIVISION

In this study, we examined the instructional coherence in a Chinese mathematics classroom by analyzing a sequence of four videotaped lessons on the topic of fraction division. Our analysis focused on the characteristics of instructional coherence both within and across individual lessons. A framework was developed to focus on lesson instruction in terms of its content and process and the teacher's use of classroom discourse. The analyses of lesson instruction were further supplemented with the analyses of teaching materials and interviews with the teacher. The findings go beyond previous studies that mainly focused on a single lesson to provide further evidence about Chinese teachers' instructional practices and their possible impact on students' learning. In particular, the teacher tried to help students build knowledge connections and coherence through lesson instruction. Results also suggest that coherent curriculum and the teacher's perception of the knowledge coherence facilitated the teacher's construction of coherent classroom instruction.