experiences. She suggested that, perhaps, working with didacticians can help overcome
limitations and help possibilities emerge.
3.2.3 An alternative (inquiry) approach—an idea suggested by didacticians
After these issues had been aired and discussed, the didacticians offered a suggestion that
initiated the planning phase of an inquiry cycle. Leo introduced a lesson idea, a “starting
point” from a teaching resource published by a British mathematics teachers’ professional
association (Ollerton, 2002), and Liv recounted her experience of using the same idea with
teacher education students. The lesson idea commences by asking everyone in the class to
write down a pair of whole numbers that satisfy the equation x+y=7. The published resource
continues with a list of supplementary questions and extension tasks that focus attention
towards graphing linear equations (and extended to hyperbolic equations “xy=c”). The
teachers were attracted by the suggestion: Mari remarked, “I am very keen to try this” (T);
Kristin agreed, “perhaps just start with the first equation” (T). In discussion about the task,
they considered the particular characteristics of their students, for example, that students are
not accustomed to extending tasks on their own initiative and that their classes include a
wide range of competencies. Kristin and Mari agreed that the more open the task is at the
start the more adaptable it will be for students at different levels. Furthermore, they must be
ready with hints and suggestions (on “the back of their hand”) that will enable students to
progress with the tasks, without giving unnecessary cues: for example, they discussed how
to suggest that students represent the number pairs in a diagram without directly suggesting a
Cartesian graph. They were also concerned about how the task would be managed: Thus,
some hints and suggestions should be presented on paper that could be quickly distributed to
groups without much delay.
3.2.4 Development of an inquiry based lesson—teachers adapt the idea
The discussion in the planning meeting laid the foundation for the final product that emerged
from subsequent meetings of the teachers that took place before and during the Christmas
holiday. They produced a series of four “cards” (reproduced in Appendix 1) that structured
the activity into a number of sub-tasks. The cards correspond closely to the suggestions
made by Ollerton (2002), as illustrated in Table 1. However, Ollerton’s suggestions are not
followed uncritically: The discussion in the meeting exposed the teachers’ rationale for
adaptations and additions in order to meet their educational and pedagogical ideals. For
example, they remarked that it is better to ask, “what if one of the numbers is nine?”
(following Ollerton’s suggestion) than to ask “what about negative numbers?” The activity
was split into four separate work cards that could be handed to groups as appropriate, and the
questions or tasks were laid out to be as open as possible and avoid unnecessary guidance.
There is a clear mapping between Ollerton’s suggestion, the planning discussion and all of
the “cards” produced. Table 1 is an abbreviation of this mapping and illustrates how the
planning discussion mediated between the published material and the first card produced by
the teachers.
3.3 An inquiry cycle—implementation in the classroom
Teachers and a didactician (Leo) met the day before the planned lessons were to take place to
discuss the implementation of the lessons and use of the work cards as well as arrangements
for filming and organizing the classroom. The teachers had previously told their students