Reflections on Number Talks

I’ve been working through Jo Boaler’s “How to Learn Math” course, and it’s fantastic. It was really good until about session 5 when it became awesome. She describes a classroom activity that I believe is just as beneficial for math teachers as it is for students. She uses Number Talks as a way to develop number sense and flexibility among students. You can get a quick feel for the idea through her recent number sense video. But here’s the notion in a nutshell: You pose a question that has some potential for math flexibility but is accessible (“What is 21 x 8?” or “What is the perimeter of this rectangle with the missing corner?”) and ask students solve mentally without an algorithm. Then, you ask a student to share how he or she developed the answer. Model that student’s solution strategy. Now, ask a student who used a different approach to explain. Model that. Repeat!

Students will see the many ways numbers can be manipulated. Their own thinking in validated, but they also see and understand alternate solution methods.

When teacher see several other legitimate solution methods, they will be open to their students’ brainwork.

Here’s what I think is golden: I believe many teachers will be shocked the first few times they run through these activities. Many math teachers have a rigid view of math and think, “This is how I see it, this is how it is done.” When teacher see several other legitimate solution methods, they will be open to their students’ brainwork. I even heard a presenter who advocates number talks recently claim there were only three strategies that could be applied to a particular problem. I don’t think she fully gets it, yet. Some day a student is going to show her a new method. I hope we start to understand that the connections we made to solve a problem are not the only possible connections to make. As students see and understand more and more connections, they develop stronger math skills and number confidence that will serve them well.

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