#132: “On the Graph They’re Talking If It Went Down or Up for the Speed. It’s Not Talking About a Half Pipe”: Authority and Dialogic Mathematics Peer Learning of Functions in 6th Grade

A strong conceptual understanding of functions supports future learning of algebra. However, struggles are persistent with learning functions because it requires a conceptual shift. This study uses the dialogic mathematics peer learning framework (Ben-Dor & Heyd-Metzuyanim, 2025) to explore how 6th grade students learn functions in classrooms. Our findings highlight that students’ perception of authority positioned some peers, despite having the wrong answer, more expert that others and it impacted how the conceptual shift occurred.