Abstract

Monitoring and assessing student thinking, facilitating mathematical processes and increasing student engagement are key issues for practicing elementary mathematics teachers. Awareness of student thinking allows teachers to plan lessons according to zones of proximal development and pace teaching, and group members accordingly. Awareness also allows teachers to catch misconceptions early. This article examines the use of Google Classroom to facilitate the mathematical processes of communication, representation, reasoning and justification or proof, allowing arguments to be built on prior knowledge that is accessible and readily available and noting the particular benefit for students of age 10-12 who benefit from shared awareness and subsequent student calibration when sharing their thinking at this age.