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Talking in Math July 26, 2018 | Volume 13 | Issue 22 Table of Contents
Questioning and Vocabulary Supports That Inspire Language-Rich Mathematics
Sue O'Connell
Most of us remember learning mathematics in quiet classrooms. Teachers demonstrated procedures, students silently practiced with worksheets and workbooks, and answers were quickly assessed as right or wrong. In contrast, today's vision of mathematical proficiency blends computational fluency, conceptual understanding, and application, moving math beyond memorization and computations into reasoning and problem solving. As we work to adjust our teaching practice to align with our goal of developing mathematical thinkers, we recognize the importance of talk and writing. Through math talk, our students are able to process their ideas, hear others' thinking, and ultimately revise and refine their own understanding.
Creating language-rich classrooms can be challenging for teachers. Figuring out what questions to ask, determining how to cultivate productive math talk, and finding ways to support precision in communication challenge us as we rethink math instruction.
Questions That Promote Math Talk
What questions do you ask to promote talk and writing in math class and how do your questions foster diverse thinking? Each type of question challenges students to think about mathematics in a different way.
With careful attention to the questions we ask, we prompt diverse thinking and stimulate rich class discussions that support our students as they test their thinking, refine their skills, build conceptual understanding, and solve math problems.
Cultivating Math Discussions
And who answers these questions? Simple instructional shifts, like asking students to reflect silently followed by partner talk, rather than calling on one student to answer a question, allow all students to process the question and voice their thinking, which yields rich classroom discourse.
Specific questions that encourage student-to-student talk serve to extend discussions and draw more students into the classroom conversations. For example:
Some students have difficulty diving into conversations, unsure how to insert their ideas into the discussion. Supporting students by discussing and posting possible sentence starters helps them find ways to insert their thinking into ongoing conversations. For example:
And creating a classroom environment that allows students to feel safe to share their thinking, even when it is in a developmental stage, relieves anxiety and leads to more engaging conversations. Some pointers for creating a safe environment for math talk include
Precision
The language of mathematics is extensive and specific, and students often lack the words to adequately express their ideas. Attention to math vocabulary, using any of the strategies below, helps students internalize this technical language and allows them to more precisely share their thinking.
Through the questions we ask, the ways in which we generate math talk in our classrooms, and our intentional focus on math vocabulary, we support students in talking frequently, precisely, and productively about their mathematical thinking. Unlike the silent classrooms in which we learned math, these language-rich classrooms allow our students to make sense of mathematical ideas through their communication.
Sue O'Connell is a former elementary teacher, reading specialist, and math coach. Now a nationally known speaker and education consultant who directs Quality Teacher Development, an organization committed to providing outstanding math professional development for schools and districts across the country, Sue is also the author of Math in Practice: A Guide for Teachers (Heinemann, 2016) and Introduction to Communication (Heinemann, 2007). Connect with Sue on Twitter: @SueOConnellMath
ASCD Express, Vol. 13, No. 22. Copyright 2018 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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