With these great ladies, we were able to share with about 55 other area math teachers our 6 month journey so far with Number Talks at MVHS. Each shared there individual class story highlighting the power of engaging learning through number talks. The videos of classroom action were not TV Quality, but we were able to share our classrooms and hopefully motivate others to take the leap into using Number Talks. There is a lot more to Number Talks than meets the eye. Stay tuned for Number Talks the Next Level.
3 teacher and I are headed to present what we have done so far with Number Talks at the DVC County Institute Day. Putting together a presentation is such a great way to summarize, formalize and validate your efforts. The teachers in my department who have been using number talks have shared so many amazing moments with me, I only wish I was able to capture them all to share with everyone. But really it is about getting started in your own classroom and experiencing the power of Number Talks, everyone's journey is different, everyone's classroom, everyone's students..... That is what makes this so unique, so many different SOLID Teaching things come out of this simple practice. We are very excited to present tomorrow and see what teachers from other building think.
From Ch 2 of Making Number Talks Matter by Humpherys & Parker "There is a dance between supporting and stretching students' understanding: its choreography is based on what you learn about your students each time you do a Number Talk. This will become your own formative assessment in action!" @numbertalks @meteamath I was so excited to receive this text on Friday morning just after school started! I have the distinct advantage in my department to have two math coaches who are allowed one period of release to assist with professional development of our 21 teachers. Both tried out Number Talks with there own students, I video taped them both, we watched if together and learned from what we saw and now they are sharing their craft with others.
More to follow, I was just so excited to hear about the sharing and excitement I had to share. Tomorrow I get to share again a Number Talk, this time with just my MV friends, and hope to also give them enough guidance this time for them to go forth and try this out with their own classes next week. I have created a Number Talks Basics google cheat sheet to guide them through their first or second go at it. Wish me luck with another Number Talk in front of my favorite teachers and I will certainly share out how it goes soon.
Two of my favorite math teachers let me video tape there early attempts at number talks live in their classrooms. I learned quite a bit as I watched live and even more as we watched the recorded version together. As I hope to have my entire HS staff doing number talks by the end of the year, I realized loud and clear that my PD leadership needs some revision or at this point supplementation. Fortunately for me, we have a department meeting this Friday where I get a chance to improve on my first shot at Number Talks roll out. I will get back to everyone on how that goes early next week, but I think I have a good plan.
In addition to the two gracious teachers who were video taped, a handful of others were willing to share stories of Number talk moments in there own classrooms. One consistent message from these is 'My students came up with ideas I never thought of'. What excites me the most at this point is students are talking not teachers, students are talking math, creating discussions and building on their own ideas rather than those of the teacher or the book. I am quite impressed by the teachers willingness to give it shot after a short introduction and a couple of demos. I look forward to the future of Number Talks at MV. I did it! I embarked on the journey I have been reading about, watching videos of, and preparing for since NCSM Boston last spring. I knew about Number Talks, I heard good things, my 3rd grade son's teacher was using them regularly, I just wasn't convinced that High School students would be a prime audience...Then I attended a session by Cathy Humphreys @NCSM-Boston 2015. The presentation sold me - HS Ss can build number sense, develop mathematical reasoning and create a classroom culture of risk taking a problem solving all by implementing Number Talks at the beginning of the class period.
And so I studied, I talked, I shared, I watched, and I read. Finally, in an effort to get started and share with my department I tried out a number talk. Toughest part was landing on which of the many great problems to use. I was able to do the Number Talk twice and video tape both times. My audience both times included 30-40 HS math teachers from 3 different schools. I was impressed, amazed and energized by the Number Talks and the feedback. I am looking forward to rolling them out in my own class and helping other teachers begin the journey as well. |
NCSM Summer Leadership Academy Crew. This is what Math Leaders look like. !
AuthorI am just an excited math teacher/leader trying out Number Talks for the first time because I believe in the transformative power of understanding students thinking. Archives
June 2018
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