Discourse Can Create a Learning Culture

When Katrina Lindo taught Integrated Mathematics 1 to ninth- and tenth-grade students, she encountered some students who appeared initially resistant to doing mathematics. Lindo wanted her students to see themselves as capable of making sense of mathematics. Lindo said that being a mathematician is "the process of taking what you know and using what you know to make sense of what you don't know, so we're all mathematicians." The authors had the opportunity to spend time in Lindo's classroom to discuss with her the classroom discourse that was observed. In this article, the authors illustrate discourse moves that Lindo used to engage students with mathematics. These moves are shared together with Lindo's reflections so that readers can consider ways to offer students' opportunities to develop productive dispositions and identities.