Communication in Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching

L: hey guess what
me: what?
L: your lesson on algebra with your year 8 (?) inspired me the following day
I scrapped the syllabus and we just did a lesson on proof of (n-2) *180
me: :)
L: they spent the whole lesson doing it
me: that's fantastic, how did they get on?
L: yeah, really well, at the end two of them presented their proofs and the others asked questions when they'd finished.

Communication is a very important factor to comprehension in mathematics, this fact has lead to a distinct shift towards activities that utilise communication in mathematics learning. It is with this in mind that I think about pedagogy. Is it just mathematics comprehension that is aided by communication? Or is it something that can aid learners of all disciplines? The dialogue above is from a conversation between a fellow maths teacher and myself.

On wednesday we had a conversation about teaching and I happened to mention a way of working that I had been trying to foster in my year 8 class, one in which noting observations, asking questions, hypothesising and testing were the norm. It has been difficult and at times frustrating but it seemed to be particularly successful of late. This in turn caused L to reflect and to try something else (and as you can see it went well!). This to me seems telling. If a short conversation prompted a fellow maths teacher of mine to think about her upcoming lessons and to try something she hadn't necessarily planned to, then what difference could be made if this were standard in all departments across the country? If it were standard for colleagues in maths departments to ask each other about what they have done recently and in what way, about the maths and the unique way in which this subject can be (re)presented.