The power of dialogue and discovery

Greater emphasis must be placed on activities that promote innovative teaching methods in early childhood mathematics education in Poland. Our classrooms offer algorithmic and rote teaching methods, depriving students of important elements of successful mathematics learning. The aim of this action research was to investigate the relationship between a classroom environment that allows for dialogue and discovery and young children’s input into problem solving. Teaching six classes of elementary school within one academic year gave the author the opportunity to examine how dialogic teaching combined with a growth mindset approach can transform the attainment of knowledge, understanding and skills of learners, and how modern practices like number talks, solving open-ended tasks and group work can unleash students’ potential and activate them as thinkers and reasoners. The results confirmed that students who are challenged and offered concept-based learning opportunities not only genuinely engage in their tasks, but also help each other with deeper understanding of the concepts. They can cooperate with teachers in the creation of a new classroom in which students’ voices are heard and discoveries take place.