Connections between group work and whole-class discussion: Students’ justifications in a figure pattern task

In this study we employed a figure pattern task to investigate how students’ mathematical justifications varied between group work and whole-class discussions during a single lesson in three Finnish Grade-7 classes (ages 13–14). Although previous researchers have typically focused on either group work or whole-class discussions, by combining both, we gained a deeper understanding of how students construct their justifications. This study comprised three lessons, each involving the same figure pattern problem. The lessons were recorded using multiple video cameras, and the students’ written productions were collected. We analyzed the content and level of explicitness of the students’ justifications using thematic analysis. The findings revealed significant variations in the content and explicitness of justifications between the two activities. Although group discussions often featured more detailed justifications, many of these were either simplified or not shared in whole-class discussions. In addition, reasoning was often implicit in whole-class discussions, and the teachers settled for superficial justifications in many cases. In contrast, refined or new justifications were also introduced in whole-class discussions. The teachers’ selection of students’ work influenced the justifications that were shared and discussed during the whole-class discussions. Although erroneous solutions were chosen for discussion, the potential to learn from the errors they contained was not maximized. The study highlights the importance of teachers monitoring group work to support richer whole-class discussions and the need to raise more diverse student justifications for discussion. Students’ solutions may appear similar on the surface, but their underlying reasoning may differ significantly. • Justifications may appear similar, but their underlying reasoning may differ significantly. • Many rich ideas in small groups were simplified or omitted in whole-class discussions. • Teachers often accepted superficial justifications in whole-class settings. • Teachers’ choices shaped which justifications were publicly discussed. • Other students’ comments may hinder groups from sharing valuable justifications.