Math isn’t just numbers, logic, and calculation, nor is it just right and wrong. Math is everywhere around us, and part of us. Not just because we have to calculate tips or estimate travel time in everyday life, or because math describes how our hearts beat and neurons fire, but because we all come to math with our own feelings, narratives, and experiences. People often say, 鈥淚鈥檓 not a math person鈥濃�攂ut we鈥檙e all math people, because we鈥檙e all made of math.
That’s not always how math is taught, though. Fortunately, there are visionary math teachers, and innovative curricula like 猫咪AV Desmos Math鈥攂uilt using the powerful teaching and learning tools of 鈥攖hat bring math alive this way. Their aim? To build deep math proficiency for life.
And we brought a truly game-changing group of them together for our . This valuable (and free!) opportunity for educator professional development is still available to you on demand.
:
- What we know鈥攁nd don鈥檛 know鈥攁bout how best to teach math.
- Why curiosity-driven instruction is critical in the math classroom.
- What practices can help create dynamic problem-based learning experiences that leverage student ideas and build math fluency and proficiency.
And there鈥檚 more! Here鈥檚 a peek at what each expert had to say:
Welcome: What we know and don鈥檛 know about how to best teach math鈥揳nd build math proficiency for life
Jason Zimba, Chief Academic Officer of STEM at 猫咪AV
鈥淚f you ask me: 鈥楽hould I focus on fluency, concepts, or applications?鈥� My answer is yes,鈥� says Zimba. He offers an example of watching his daughter doing math homework to make the case for building math skills with practice and repetition鈥攑art of the time. 鈥淵ou do need practice and repetition to become skilled, but mindless exercises are going to produce brittle procedural skills. The quality and composition of the tasks we set for students is going to make a difference,鈥� he says, noting the power of games and playfulness and 鈥渢he importance of making practice mindful and anchored in concepts.鈥� And that, he says, is exactly what today鈥檚 speakers will explore.
How students鈥� personal narratives shape math learning
Gerardo Ramirez, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at Ball State University
It is impossible to separate the 鈥渘umbers鈥� part of math from the feelings students bring to it, argues Ramirez. Students have likely used their past experiences in math class鈥攚hether they found it challenging, affirming, or something else鈥攖o build a narrative about who they are as a math person. But teachers also have the opportunity to help students, if necessary, 鈥渞ewrite the story they鈥檙e currently composing,鈥� he says. A few ways to do this:
- Have students come back and do the same exercise twice, ideally within the first two weeks of class. 鈥淪tudents will notice that they鈥檝e grown,鈥� he says.
- Ask students how math makes them feel, literally in their bodies. Does it make their hearts beat fast? You can help them see that that鈥檚 not necessarily a bad thing鈥攊f nothing else, it鈥檚 energy, he says: 鈥淕iving students the language for and way of visualizing this can be helpful with changing their stories.鈥�
- 鈥淭reat students the way you would treat a guest in your home,鈥� he says鈥攊t sends every math student the message that they鈥檙e equally deserving of respect.
Bringing math to life: How games build fluency and engagement
Jennifer Bay-Williams, Ph.D., Author and Mathematics Education Professor at University of Louisville
Bay-Williams describes math strategy games as a way to support students who struggle with math鈥攁nd to bring fun into the math classroom for all. Games can help build fluency and a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. So beyond the fun, it鈥檚 serious: 鈥淭his is an equity issue,鈥� she says. 鈥淎ll students need the opportunity to feel like they can figure out mathematics鈥攖o develop a 鈥榤ath identity鈥� that they can do math, and start feeling like, 鈥業 can figure this out.鈥� It’s this agency that we are going for and the only way that’s going to happen is when we ensure that every student has access to a range of strategies and regular opportunities to choose new strategies. That’s what games do for us.鈥� (Bay-Williams also brings fun into the session by playing math games with participants鈥攕o don鈥檛 miss it!)
Building a culture of 鈥渕ath people鈥�: Leveling up engagement in your K鈥�8 math classroom
James Oliver, STEM Product Specialist at 猫咪AV
Oliver tried wearing goofy outfits to grab the attention of his math students鈥攁nd it taught him something a bit humbling. 鈥淲e are not the source of engagement,鈥� he says. Rather than drawing attention to impart information, teachers need to create opportunities for students to engage not with them, but with math. What makes an activity student-centered? 鈥淎llowing students to explore and then also explain based on their curiosities,鈥� he says. Just a few of the approaches he describes:
- Start class with low-stakes, low-floor warmups that can pique every student鈥檚 curiosity.
- Use the “notice and wonder” approach to encourage students to observe, reflect, and ask questions before diving into solutions.
- Present relatable scenarios鈥攍ike bringing in menus from their favorite restaurants, creating orders, and then calculating tips.
Math that motivates: Centering student ideas in the math classroom
Kristin Gray, Executive Director of the Math Suite at 猫咪AV
Correct answers matter, but so does how students get them. 鈥淲e want students to deeply understand concepts so when they are presented with a novel problem, they can transfer the knowledge and understandings that they have. So connections are really important,鈥� says Gray. 鈥淎nd the way we help them form connections is by centering their work and their ideas. One way to do that is to adjust the lens when you plan your lessons, shifting from 鈥楬ow do I teach students to get the answer?鈥� to 鈥楬ow do I use the problem to teach mathematics?鈥欌��
How to invite students into more effective math learning
Dan Meyer, Educator and Dean of Research at 猫咪AV
Stephanie Blair, Vice President of Desmos Coaching
鈥淚nviting student thinking is not a matter of creating personalized cupcakes for every student鈥攖hough they would appreciate that,鈥� says Meyer. He and Blair describe it as literally inviting students to offer their ideas and observations, and validating them all. 鈥淭he ideal here is that the teacher functions like a vacuum, drawing out student thoughts in a stance of 鈥業 value your thinking,鈥欌�� Meyer says. Also crucial: drawing on students鈥� background knowledge and making sure not to assume that all students bring the same knowledge into the classroom.
Developing young children鈥檚 identities and competencies as mathematicians
Akimi Gibson, Senior VP of Multiplatform Global Education Planning and Integration at Sesame Workshop
鈥淥ur role as educators is to provide children access points that help them feel a sense of belonging to the world of mathematics,鈥� says Gibson. Some of those points include providing opportunities for problem-solving with feedback and support, using mindfulness to help manage math anxiety, and helping children develop a growth mindset. But there鈥檚 a next level as well, Gibson adds: 鈥淐ommitting to the whole child includes partnering with family and attending to our own professional development.鈥�
We hope you鈥檙e inspired to watch the recording of our symposium鈥攁nd create a free account for . You鈥檒l find creative ways to engage every student with our free interactive lesson collections that K鈥�12 students can use in the classroom. You can also customize lessons or build your own using the Activity Builder tool. Try it and see how it can help you cultivate a classroom of collaborative learners ready to make math part of their lives.
The symposium program also includes the following sessions:
Class Openers That Foster Numeric, Algebraic, and Geometric Thinking
Oscar Perales, Math Teaching and Learning Specialist
Discover, Describe, and Develop Ways of Thinking About Math for Grades 6鈥�8
Kurt Salisbury, Director of Math 6鈥�12 Core Curriculum at 猫咪AV
Even more to explore
- Listen to Math Teacher Lounge.
- Engage students in math and art with the .
