Bored Math Students in Your Classroom? Try This!
Welcome back to Tutor Route’s Treasure Trove, where we delve into the ever-evolving world of education and the pursuit of student success. Today, we're taking a page from the book "Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning," a treasure trove of wisdom on math education. We'll explore strategies and practices from the book, combined with our own insights, to tackle the challenge of engaging students in math.
Proven Strategies
The book emphasizes the importance of fostering thinking classrooms, where students actively engage in problem-solving and critical thinking. One teaching practice from the book is the "Which One Doesn't Belong?" activity. In this practice, students are presented with a set of four items, and they must identify which item doesn't belong and explain their reasoning. This activity not only engages students but also encourages them to think deeply about mathematical concepts.
Another practice is "Talking Points," which promotes collaborative discussions. Students work in pairs or small groups to discuss math problems, share their thought processes, and debate their solutions. This collaborative approach fosters engagement and allows students to learn from each other's perspectives.
Putting into Action at Tutor Route
Taking inspiration from "Building Thinking Classrooms," we've integrated these proven strategies into our math tutoring programs. Our certified tutors are trained to create thinking classrooms where students actively participate in learning.
For example, we've introduced the "Build Autonomy" activity into our math sessions. We present students with math problems or scenarios and ask them to explore different solutions and explain their reasoning between their peers. This not only engages their critical thinking but also makes math relatable coming from their peers rather than just our tutors. By encouraging students to discuss math problems in groups and sharing their thought processes and debating solutions, students not only engage with the subject matter but also benefit from diverse perspectives, just like in the book's approach.
We've also embraced the "Student Notes" practice where students are writing their own notes based on our tutor’s mini-lesson through an anchor chart and modeling how to solve the problem step by step, students are synthesizing their learning and figuring out which strategy works best for them and jotting down in their notes to reference during their guided practice.
The Future of Math Education
The future of math education is promising, guided by insights from "Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics." By creating thinking classrooms and implementing practices like "Which One Doesn't Belong?," "Talking Points," “Build Autonomy,” and “Student Notes,” we're well on our way to unlocking student engagement in math.
The book's wisdom, combined with our commitment to personalized learning and interactive teaching methods, sets the stage for a generation of students who not only understand math but also appreciate its beauty. With these proven practices, math education becomes an exciting journey of exploration and discovery, just as envisioned in the book. We hope these strategies for your classroom too!
