Using Discourse-Based Mathematics Instruction in Secondary School Classrooms in Ethiopia

As part of a larger study that aimed at improving students’ mathematical proficiency, this paper contributes a framework for the design and implementation of discourse-based mathematics instruction in secondary school classrooms in an Ethiopian context. The development of the framework was anchored on a review of literature on classroom mathematics instruction being guided by the Teaching for Robust Understanding in Mathematics framework. This framework served as a guiding tool to contextualize and align the goals of mathematics teaching in secondary school classrooms in Ethiopia and to propose instructional components for discourse-based mathematics instruction: Planning, Designing, Doing, Discussing, and Reflecting. Each component provides a set of guidelines that inform and direct teachers’ actions to design and implement discourse-based mathematics lessons within collaborative learning settings. The framework for discourse-based mathematics instruction would be a useful contribution for teachers and educators to design discourse-based learning materials and professional development programs.