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Group flow in small groups of middle school mathematics students Armstrong, Alayne Cheryl
Abstract
This paper investigates situations in middle school mathematics classroom settlings where group flow seemed to be occurring, identifies observable characteristics that distinguished them as being group flow experiences, and suggests conditions which may encourage the occurrence of group flow. The focus was on the observation of small groups engaged in mathematics tasks in a regular classroom setting by the teacher-researcher through video and audio taping. Theoretical frameworks used to analyse the recordings were Sawyer's (2003c) model of group flow (following from M. Csikszentimihalyi's theory of flow), and the conditions required for the emergence of collective learning systems proposed by Davis and Simmt (2003). This paper suggests if the conditions for the emergence of a collective learning system are present, a group is more likely to develop and maintain a collective zone of proximal development where ideas can be negotiated. As a collective understanding emerges for the group and group flow becomes a possibility, certain behaviours that are both physical (posture, positioning, gestures, facial expression) and verbal (tone of voice, echoing and repeating words/phrases, rate of speech, fragmentation of speech) are observed. Group flow appears to manifest itself in a quicker form of these physical and verbal behaviours, a synchronization of action - for instance a physical closeness, an echoing of gestures and phrases, a quick fragmented way of speaking where members seemed to be finishing off each other's sentences - that suggests a parallel synchronization of thought. The more that group members appear to be "of one mind," the more likely it is that group flow may be observed.
Item Metadata
Title |
Group flow in small groups of middle school mathematics students
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2005
|
Description |
This paper investigates situations in middle school mathematics classroom
settlings where group flow seemed to be occurring, identifies observable
characteristics that distinguished them as being group flow experiences, and
suggests conditions which may encourage the occurrence of group flow. The
focus was on the observation of small groups engaged in mathematics tasks in a
regular classroom setting by the teacher-researcher through video and audio
taping. Theoretical frameworks used to analyse the recordings were Sawyer's
(2003c) model of group flow (following from M. Csikszentimihalyi's theory of
flow), and the conditions required for the emergence of collective learning
systems proposed by Davis and Simmt (2003).
This paper suggests if the conditions for the emergence of a collective learning
system are present, a group is more likely to develop and maintain a collective
zone of proximal development where ideas can be negotiated. As a collective
understanding emerges for the group and group flow becomes a possibility,
certain behaviours that are both physical (posture, positioning, gestures, facial
expression) and verbal (tone of voice, echoing and repeating words/phrases, rate
of speech, fragmentation of speech) are observed. Group flow appears to manifest
itself in a quicker form of these physical and verbal behaviours, a synchronization
of action - for instance a physical closeness, an echoing of gestures and phrases, a
quick fragmented way of speaking where members seemed to be finishing off
each other's sentences - that suggests a parallel synchronization of thought. The
more that group members appear to be "of one mind," the more likely it is that
group flow may be observed.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2010-01-05
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0092452
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2006-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.