Orchestrating mathematical discussions with and through Padlet

The role of the teachers is central in orchestrating classroom discussions to support students’ engagement and highlight connections between emerging mathematical ideas. Literature shows many practices that could support teachers in dealing with this role, and some recent studies show that digital tools shape teachers’ practices. In this paper, we discuss an example of a structured educational activity conducted with a shared and collaborative digital platform (Padlet); the aim is to identify the Padlet affordances that may support productive discussion orchestration. In the discussion presented here, Padlet appears to be a valuable tool: students’ posts on Padlet allow the teacher to monitor the different approaches proposed by students to solve a given task and their achievements. Moreover, the possibility of having all students’ posts together permits students and the teacher to recognize similar strategies and connect emerging ideas.