Scaffolding Collaboration in Early Years Mathematics: A Practice-Based Case Study in Teaching Multiplicative Grouping

This practice-based case study is taken from a large three-year school-based participatory research project and presents evidence of both teacher-adapted and peer-supported learning in collaborative group work in early years mathematics. We draw on Vygotskian sociocultural theory, incorporating asynchronous and synchronous scaffolding, to examine evidence from one teacher’s unit of work conducted with a class of 6- to 8-year-old children where the focus was on equal grouping as an aspect of early multiplicative thinking. Four videoed lesson observations were taken over a six-week period. These indicate how the teacher adapted her support across the four lessons, both in promoting talk prompts and in progressing learning. Detailed transcript data are presented of the interactions of two groups of three children from the fourth lesson as they collaborated on a task intended to challenge their thinking in relation to equal grouping. The two interactions are analysed according to sociocultural discourse and demonstrate how the use of manipulatives took on a critical mediation role in the collaborative dialogue and shared learning within the groups. In solving the task, the children took the group’s shared ideas as their own. The two group interactions are presented as practice-based evidence that an approach, which takes account of teacher autonomy in directing and reinforcing steps of learning (asynchronous scaffolding), can result in productive peer-supported synchronous learning.