Promoting mathematical discourse can be a daunting task for teachers of young students. Notice that you should include the units so that the students have an idea of what to write about. Is the student learning from the series of questions? Reflect on the questions that you pose in your own classroom. When using Yes/No questions, for example, ask students to use thumbs up for yes or thumbs down for no. "W hen students are engaged in meaningful math discourse every day, it provides you with many opportunities to listen into their conversations with peers and get a better understanding of what concepts students fully grasp and … or questions like "What would happen if we changed this parameter?" Monitoring. Do your questions prompt students to develop deeper understanding or to get them to a desired answer? For more on how partner quizzes work, see You may even add, "…that requires subtraction," for example. Promoting Equity in Math through Classroom Discourse The 2018 VDOE Mathematics SOL Institutes highlighted the importance of strengthening the teaching and learning of mathematics through facilitating meaningful mathematical discourse. Last, facilitate a whole-class discussion. Some students may not answer open-ended questions because they are only comfortable answering questions that they can be confident they know what constitutes an appropriate response. Are they asking more questions like, "Will you work number six?" Write a story problem that has an answer of 20 cookies. The teacher's role includes orchestrating discourse by: Ask questions that assess the students' learning. Using chat to check for understanding: After giving lessons last spring, Paul France had his third … Use a game or other fun activity in your classroom, but be sure to reinforce the learning by asking students to think about their thinking process afterward. Mathematical discourse is the way students represent, think, talk, question, agree, and disagree in the classroom. Strategies to Promote Student Discourse 91 CHAPTER 4 04-Gillies-45194.qxd 2/20/2007 1:15 PM Page 91. or her misunderstanding. Questioning Your Way to the Standards. Make sure that the questions chosen for the partner quiz are more complex than those chosen for individual assessment so that they have a reason to collaborate. Designing Questions to Encourage Children's Mathematical Thinking. Mathematics is not about remembering and applying a set of procedures but about developing understanding and explaining the processes used to arrive at solutions. First, allow students to think alone about their solutions. or "How many balloons can fit in the school gym?" Use a partner quiz every once in a while, and allow each pair to ask the teacher just one question. Mathematical Discourse. Did the questions result in single answers or explanations from the students? It is good to mix up the kind of questions you ask. listening and responding to the teacher and one another; using a variety of tools to reason, make connections, solve problems; communicating, and make convincing arguments of particular representations, procedures, and solutions. Brummer and Kartchner Clark (2014) state, “students must think about, read about, talk about, and write about … Examples of student discourse and teacher-student discussions are provided. Learn Effective Math Teaching Strategies Today Teachers, when empowered with effective instructional strategies for teaching math, can move the needle on student mathematics achievement. Prefer more specific tips about how When reviewing the conversation, concentrate on the interaction after you pose a question as a means to evaluate whether or not your questions promote deeper mathematical thinking. Leave a question unanswered at the end of a class period. Given the amount of time dedicated to homework review in class, many education specialists are advocating the use of discourse in the math classroom as an instructional strategy that can provide students with opportunities to … One of the easiest routines to integrate into our repertoire of mathematical discourse opportunities is Number Talks. Telling students which solution is correct is never as powerful as letting them figure it out for themselves. When done in a collaborative and supportive learning environment, this can support achievement of higher order thinking skills, as required by the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice. This may seem uncomfortable to a teacher at first, but it is more like problem-solving in the real world. Allow them to wonder about a problem, research it, and find that their speculations turned out to be wrong, or to come up with an original solution. After the presentations, ask students which pair they think was closest and why. If I Only Had One Question: Partner Quizzes in Middle School Mathematics. This will include everyone and serve a dual purpose: each and every student will be more attentive if their participation is often required throughout the class, and you will be able to do informal formative assessment by taking a quick count of how many students seem to be grasping the ideas. Then, allow them to talk through their ideas with a partner. Mathematics Discourse (2011, 8). Give students the answer, and ask them to come up with the question. Participating in mathematical discourse has long … Which graphical representation is best for showing this and why? Encourage students work in pairs to construct a detailed argument and present it to the class. Set up classroom norms so that everyone knows their role in the classroom. When they don't know where to begin, coax them by asking, "Is there something you can try that might work?" Students will begin to appreciate the challenge and work harder outside of the classroom to come back with new approaches. Try Think-Pair-Share. During the Explore phase, monitor students’ work. Close each lesson with a summarizing question that reiterates the big ideas. In discourse-rich mathematics classes, students explain and discuss the strategies and processes they use in solving mathematical problems, thereby connecting their own everyday language with the specialized vocabulary of mathematics. This article illustrates how research about mathematical discourse can be translated into practice. to differentiate mathematics instruction for particular topics at your grade Asking good questions and promoting discourse is an integral part of the teaching and learning in a classroom. h�244U0P���w�/�+Q0��,H��/-���K-��0 �� � endstream endobj 197 0 obj <>stream Don't tell them right away that the question has no solution or a predetermined answer. This is a very specific instructional strategy that develops a routine around … It is worth your time! How the strategy works Review the Importance of Mathematical Discourse It is a very powerful event when students take over asking the questions that get at the big ideas rather than just the procedures. Through discourse, teachers can better understand the mathematical needs of the class—what the students know, misconceptions they may have, and how … Each unit of study within the Core Curriculum has four rich math tasks as well as lesson series that are premised on group work and positive student-to-student interactions. In addition, Webb and colleagues have argued that the help received is beneficial only if the student requesting it understands the Strategies to Support Academic Discourse There are multiple strategies for increasing the quality of discourse in your math classroom, including Open Strategy Sharing, Compare and Connect, Why? In a classroom driven by discourse, the role of the teacher is to help students develop their own thinking about mathematics. Developing effective questioning strategies or skills could be an integral focus in mathematics in our contemporary classroom discourse. Explicitly tell students that you would like them to explain their reasoning and sense-making. in the Math Classroom. or "Who can explain in another way what Bailey did?". (����Z@()���+��p�0*$Ie h������[R��IA*)��"��l�$皺�$�Eu�?����ȩ4)���Փs����|S�MU�P��O ��i�L�Y�"��;�T���nn�|����&��q5ﴽ�4�z��x��|W,]I��Oy1�ΗοL)8��}4J>=W7�j^����ń�k��7�T+�Y��4�����������uE:�wE���j��}�N2�\����+�U=��1�dm���u��-�p��T�eSO-��X��e�-�~��@l g�j�����Q�~�������~��؇�>�H/�����`�-�Ŝu�=�����/A�CXSC��dž��+�Xx�@���g,>�������y_>\����b2��$�1� QG�h�B�(�α�ϮX�p +-��S�O�*�LJ���i��� 'O��I�ZIa熘|^SD�Ȩ������h�T�. Engage your students in math discourse by displaying these math talking stems posters during whole group math, number talks, during math centers, or in guided math groups. listening and responding to the teacher and one another; using a variety of tools to reason, make connections, solve problems; communicating, and make convincing arguments of particular representations, procedures, and solutions. 196 0 obj <>stream The purpose of this study was to determine the questioning strategies used by the two teachers in their mathematical classroom discourse. 5 Strategies for Scaffolding Math Discourse with ELLs Author: Holland W. Banse , Natalia A. Palacios , Eileen G. Merritt , and Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman View More View Less When students are working in groups of three or four, each can be assigned a number. Do you pay particular attention to what they are asking you? • Facilitate discourse among students by having them decide if Use the technique of Question-Listen-Question. To help educators take a close look at classroom discourse, Dr. Cathy Seeley, former mathematics teacher and State Director of Mathematics for Texas and 6–12 Advisor for our Reveal Math … Let's Justify, What's Best and Why?, Define and Clarify, Troubleshoot and Revise, and Info Gap Cards. Pose an unanswered question to challenge your students. ", Base the success of your lessons on the extent of engagement of ideas and not on the students' happiness. Strive for more of the latter. or, "Does anyone have any questions?" Follow with a discussion focusing on what words in the problems gave hints of how to solve them, what information was extraneous, what difficulties the student solving the problem encountered, and so on. Be careful to make this transformation gradually. strategies and pedagogical content knowledge, some teachers may have difficulty interpreting and responding to unexpected answers from children (Nilssen et al., 1995). To listen well is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well and is as essential to all true conversation. Take note of the questions that your students ask. Mathematical discourse is the verbal and written communication that is centered around deepening thinking about and making sense of mathematics. See some tips below on how to get started: Observe another teacher. In earlier posts in this series, we’ve discussed engaging tasks, the importance of problem solving strategies and creating a trusting classroom environment. The SFUSD Math Core Curriculum is intended to promote discourse in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This can be modified to fit the needs and abilities of your students. When using closed questions, encourage each and every student to respond. Call on students by name to invite them to contribute. How can you tell? As a teacher, you probably spend a lot of time preparing engaging lessons, grading student work, and attending professional development. This approach can be used in a variety of instructional circumstances to encourage students to engage... Numbered heads. Pay particular attention to the questions the teacher asks the class and also individual students. The process consists of the following five practices: • Anticipating • Monitoring • Selecting • Sequencing • Connecting Anticipate how students will respond to a math task as you plan. Allow them to ask for anything but the answer, and be surprised that often a pair will turn in their work without even asking a question. Questioning Our Patterns of Questioning and Built from research-based frameworks, this powerful professional learning program provides groups of participants with opportunities to grapple with important ideas about mathematics discourse in an effort to support every student to engage in richer, deeper discourse that positively impacts their learning of mathematics and their identities as mathematics learners. A challenge faced by math educators of all levels is how to engage students in their mathematical content through rich discussion or discourse. Two books by math education expert Marian Small cut through the difficulties of differentiated instruction with powerful and universal strategies that teachers can use across all math content. 6 Strategies to Try Now Teachers: • Engage students in purposeful sharing of mathematical ideas, reasoning, and approaches, using varied representations. For more on types of powerful mathematical questions and an example of an elementary game, see level? Since the students are granted only one question, they will tend to save it and justify their process with each other. These questions are not, "Do we all get it?" This will encourage students' ability to ask good questions, while, more importantly, will promote student-student discourse. Were the questions effective? Engage your students in math discourse by displaying these math talking stems posters during whole group math, number talks, during math centers, or in guided math groups. Ready Classroom Mathematics includes: Embedded professional learning resources, including professional learning support for ELL instruction; Language differentiation strategies and ideas for “cultural responsiveness”; Student Workbooks; Teacher guides; Discourse cards; and; Practice tests. I am talking capital “N” for Number and capital “T” for Talks. Use students' questions to evaluate your own progress. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Every Student Succeeds Act - ESSA Toolkit. With older students, ask them to trade papers with another student without providing the answer. If I Only Had One Question: Partner Quizzes in Middle School Mathematics. Rather, these questions must give the learners an opportunity to communicate their reasoning process - why they chose a particular method and how their choices made sense. Were you able to tell if the students had true understanding of the mathematical topics? For example, you might ask your class, "How many drops of water are in Lake Erie?" – Chinese Proverb. The extra time it takes for learning to occur is worth it! Benefits of Classroom Discourse. Transform some of your closed questions, those that can be answered with one word, to open questions, those that require explanation. Ask students, "What kinds of conclusions can you make from this data set? You need to present them with problems that give them the foundation to struggle and move toward understanding. and "Are there any mathematics tools (technology or manipulatives) that could help?". Students Do During Math Discourse? Ask questions that … I've got everything I'm sharing with you today wrapped up in my Guided Math Pack for kindergarten. Students can make conjectures, link prior knowledge to current understanding… Here are the top math strategies for kindergarten that you can use in your lessons and the questions you should be asking. • Select and sequence student approaches for whole-class analysis and discussion. Require students to reflect on their experience by asking powerful reflection questions. Real data sets are conducive to asking open-ended questions. The article shows two types of discourse, cognitive discourse and motivational discourse. In Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners, co-author Dr. Gladis Kersaint, Dean of the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut and Curriculum Associates author, shares seven valuable strategies teachers can use to establish classroom environments that support mathematical discourse for all students. Use Fermi questions in your classroom to encourage multiple approaches, emphasize process rather than product, and promote non-traditional problem-solving strategies. For example, Ask questions about their strategy such as, "Was there a particular move that you could make to limit your opponent?" posing questions to challenge student thinking; listening carefully and monitoring understanding; encouraging each student to participate - even if it means asking, "Who can repeat what Andrew said?" Teaching math strategies in kindergarten may be easier than you think. Publisher Description One of the Common Core Mathematical Practices is to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. Listen to students' responses and guide them based on what they are thinking. Monitoring occurs as the teacher circulates during the Explore of the lesson in a CMP … %PDF-1.7 %���� Make sure that you prepare questions that address these multiple approaches and misconceptions, prompting a discussion about when particular approaches are better than others and how to explain why each misconception is faulty. The most popular strategies from the blog all have one thing in common: They include downloadable resources and strategies which can be immediately used in the classroom. Each class was videotaped over a six-month period but only a section from each of the two selected classes, on quadratic modeling, was watched for about 45 minutes long for the purpose of this paper. If you are working with younger children, make sure you are very specific. Engage your students in math discourse by displaying these math talking stems posters during whole group math, number talks, during math centers, or in guided math groups. Take time to brainstorm the multiple approaches that could be taken to work through similar problems and the misconceptions that students might have. One way to encourage students to contribute to the discussion is to use the think-pair-share method. Identify, in advance, the big ideas that your lesson examines and the mathematical outcomes that students should achieve. ... Not just explanations or solutions to problems, but students debating strategies, discussing math tools, and determining the reasoning behind their math solutions. Get an audio recorder, and record yourself teaching. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics defines mathematical discourse, as "ways of representing, thinking, talking, agreeing, and disagreeing . For examples of effective initial and follow-up questions, see Getting students to talk about math is really, really important. Studies on math homework in secondary classrooms from 2010 and 2012 indicate an average of 15% -20% of class time daily is spent reviewing homework. Talking about mathematical concepts allows students to reflect on their own understanding while making sense of and critiquing the ideas of others. You are doing your students a disservice if you present them with questions that they always know how to solve. h�̘�j�0�_�`���Pm��1�Jb� ���b�h�`;н�N��zn#��a�Y:���Y�! Write a story problem that has an answer of 20 cookies, Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate Mathematics, More Good Questions: Great Ways to Differentiate Secondary Mathematics Instruction. Next, ask two pairs of students to share their ideas with each other. It’s the number one vessel to invite students to make conjectures, revise ideas, and develop mindsets that mathematics is open and creative; it’s the teacher’s primary tool for formative assessment. What kind of questions would you suggest to the teacher? Are you creating an atmosphere so permeated with intellectual curiosity that your students are asking the questions that lead to the discovery of new relationships? Fermi questions are unexpected questions about the natural world whose answers are rough quantitative estimations. Both books are organized by grade level and NCTM content strand: Copyright © 2021, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. That way you can use these math strategies for kindergarten easily. But, do you take the time to think about the questions you are asking your students? Teach your students how to acknowledge and pursue the struggle and process of learning. Select strategies Designing Questions to Encourage Children's Mathematical Thinking. This webinar walks through four best practices in math instruction and offers ideas and sample lessons. Underlying the use of discourse in the mathematics classroom is the idea that mathematics is primarily about reasoning not memorization. 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