Eliciting Student Thinking

Number Talks & Task Design

Math Content - June 19, 2019

MS & HS Sit Together

Mix 25/26
Journal - 10 minutes
ACE 26
How has your experience
so far in practicum
compared with what we’ve
talked about in class so far
- mathematical identity and
agency, cognitive demand,
direct/dialogic instruction,
equitable mathematics
teaching, etc.?
ACE 25
How did you start each
class day this past year?
What were your goals for
starting class that way? Do
you plan on starting
classes the same way next
year?
Teaching Framework
Today’s Goals
Students will be able to apply the “Number Talks”
instructional strategy in their own classrooms.

Students will identify characteristics of teacher

questioning and the kinds of student thinking these
questions elicit.

Students will plan out a series of questions as part of a

dialogic instruction activity
Number Talks
 Number Talk

● Introductory mental math activity

○ No paper or pencil

● I will show you a problem and give

you time to think about it silently

● When you have an answer, give

me a thumbs up at your chest

● Questions?
15 * 18 = _____
 15 * 18 Debrief

Promotes
Teacher
Precise use of
Math isLorem
done mentally
1 Lorem
acts as2 Lorem 4
Language multiple
Facilitator
strategies
 Number Talk

● Introductory mental math activity

○ No paper or pencil

● I will show you a problem and give

you time to think about it silently

● When you have an answer, give

me a thumbs up at your chest

● Questions?
 ½ ¼
Is the quotient >, <, = 1
What are two good numbers that could be located at the two red dots?
 Number Talk Debrief

Promotes
Teacher
Precise use of
Math isLorem
done mentally
1 Lorem
acts as2 Lorem 4
Language multiple
Facilitator
strategies
Why Number Talks?
Why do Number Talks?
Standards for Mathematical Practice

● SMP 2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively

● SMP 3 - Construct viable arguments and critique the

reasoning of others

● SMP 7 - Look for and make use of structure

● SMP 8 - Look for and express regularity in repeated

reasoning
Why Number Talks?
Aligned with other Best Practices in Math Education

● Visual Representations

● Multiple Problem Solving Strategies

● Recognize and articulate

Mathematical concepts & notation
Why Number Talks?
Number Talks should build students’ Number Sense
Example Number Talk
Video
How to Plan a Number Talk
How to Plan a Number Talk
1. Start with a good problem!
a. Use easy access problems early
b. Curriculum on the Weebly

2. Anticipate student strategies & misconceptions

3. Think about what core math idea & language you

want to focus on
a. E.g. seeing that 9 + 7 = 8 *2
b. Or that 4/9 is just less than ½
c. Or that not all functions are continuous
Number Talk Template
Process & Debrief - TPS
- Take a minute and think about how you might use
Number Talks in your classroom.

- How do Number Talks compare with the Five

Practices?
Posing Purposeful
Questions
Funneling or Focusing?
Funneling questions (Wood, 1998): guide students down
a teacher’s path to find the answer.

Focusing questions: allow students to do the cognitive

work of learning by helping to push their thinking
forward.

Great teachers don’t tell you what to see, but they show you
were to look.
 Posing Purposeful Questions
“Building a classroom community that supports discourse requires some shifts in the traditional
students and teacher roles. In particular, the students assume greater responsibility for their learning
and the teacher no longer serves as the primary source of mathematical authority.”

Monitoring/Assessing Questions
● Was this the first strategy you tried? Why did you give up on the first
strategy?
● How did you decide what to do?
● Did you try something that did not work? How did you figure out it was not
going to work?
● How does what you are doing make sense to you?
24
Connecting/Advancing Questions

● Is there anything in Graham’s strategy that is like something we have done

before?
● What mathematical vocabulary did he use that we have learned?
● Is there something in this solution that reminds you of anything we did
yesterday in class?
● How is Graham’s solution like or different from Smita’s solution?

25
 Student to Student Discourse

Sentence Stems
● I agree with ____ because…
● This is what I think…
● I have a different perspective because…
● I made a connection with what---said because…
● When I thought about that question, I remembered…
● I chose this method because...

26
Scaffolding Math Talk to Enhance Student Conversations

Language Frames
● Another way to solve this would be…
● In order to solve this problem, I need to know…
● We think this answer is reasonable because…
● If I change___, my answer would be different because…
● I can check my answer by…

27
 Planning for Purposeful Questioning

Five Categories of Question Types

1. Gathering Information
2. Probing Thinking
3. Making the Mathematics Visible
4. Encouraging Reflection and Justification
5. Engaging with the Reasoning of Others

28
 Purposeful Questions

You have been given five groups of teacher questions and student
responses. With a partner, determine which category each group of
questions belongs in and note characteristics of each question category.
Specifically, how do the question types promote each category?

29
Brain Break
10 minute break
Course Planning
MS & HS Sit Together
Split up 25/26
Unit Concepts & Unit
Goals
This Past Week’s Work
Feedback on Sakai now

Things to focus on:

- Consider feedback in this week’s work
- Differentiate Concept & Skill
Unit Concepts = Enduring Understandings

● I should know what you’re teaching from the Concept

● Start with your standards (Common Core, State, or

Diocesan)

● Look at book chapter titles as well for guidance on

order
Unit Concepts
Things to Avoid:
- “Introduction”; “Review” - Your concept should be
Mathematical content - a rich, essential
understanding

- Repetitious throughout years: “Fractions” in 5th, 6th,

7th
Course Plans
● Plan on 8 Units (can push to 10 in HS)

● 1 to 1 Correspondence between Concept & Goal

● 15 - 20 true class days for a Unit

○ Try not to have units go on forever
What a Unit Goal Should Be
1. Observable
a. You can actually see students doing it
2. Assessable
a. You can assess whether or not students have achieved the
UG
b. Not “Understand” or “Comprehend”
3. Clearly and Concisely Written
a. I should be able to picture an assessment from your UG
b. “Create”
4. Appropriately Challenging
a. Ex: HS Geometry units should not be at the Knowledge level
Ways to Improve Unit Goals
1. Picture “What do you want your students to be able to
do at the end of this unit?”

2. Double check your goal - how can a student show

you achievement of this UG at the end of the unit?
Example: 6th Grade Math based on CCSS
1) Equivalent Expressions & Problem Solving
2) Rational Number Operations: Fraction Operations
3) Rational Number Operations: Decimals & Percents
4) Ratio Reasoning & Unit Rates
5) Integers
6) One-Step Equations & Inequalities
7) Geometry: Area & Volume Applications
8) Statistics: Data Distribution & Variability
Examples - Stats/Prob
● 7th Grade Unit Goal: SWBAT analyze data using
statistics.

● Suggestions to change?

● SWBAT use measures of center and variability from

sample data sets to compare two populations.
Examples - Procedure Heavy
● If all your unit goals look like:
SWBAT solve one-step equations.
SWBAT solve two-step equations.
SWBAT factor polynomials.
● You may be missing a focus on Conceptual
Knowledge. Include some focus on “Modeling” and
“Applying”
Course Planning Activity
Practice Round - 15 minutes
- Receive a list of standards & textbook for a course
- 7th Grade Math - 7th Grade CCMS
- HS Algebra II - Algebra 2 in Texas (TEKS)

- Your job is to generate a draft set of Unit Concepts &

Goals in your groups

- Write your draft in your group’s tab in Google Sheets

- https://tinyurl.com/y5e5sz3w
Review
Dialogic Instruction Plan
Due Tomorrow Night
Homework

1. Dialogic Instruction Plan due tonight!

2. Tomorrow is our first day of teaching episodes. Please

meet in your assigned room as listed on handout.
After the teaching episodes and course planning
work, we will all come back together in room 478.