Here's what happened.
First, I was strategic about seating. We gathered in the classroom digital share area, and I made sure that everyone had a comfortable place to see the big white board and participate in the conversation.
Next, I created a packet to foster discussion. I placed one of my tech savvy students at the computer to move the doc as we talked.
I told students how Math Talk is essential to building great math skills, and how some engineers I've spoken to recently discussed the way that many of their employees are good at calculations, but struggle with mathematical discussions that focus on number estimation and relationships. This introduction fostered investment.
We worked through the packet with lots of discussion as we looked for ways to describe patterns and relationships. There were a couple of errors (now corrected) that actually created some great discussion. What I liked most is that students came up with many answers that I had not thought about. "I love learning from my students," I commented each time that happened.
Setting the stage for a great Math Talk matters--a stage with apt seating, a good discussion guide/packet, and a sense of importance.
How do you foster Math Talk in your classroom? What strategies work best? I look forward to growing this initiative in the weeks to come.
