Fletcher Elementary School first grader, Briar Cercone, shows her class how she used a number line to solve a word problem. The students on the rug are showing her a thumbs up if they agree with her strategy, a thumbs down if they disagree and raising their hand if they would like to add on to her thinking as part of a Math Talk.

“What are some ways to solve word problems?” asked Fletcher Elementary School first grade teacher, Ashley Calla.

“Mental math! Fingers! Math drawings! Making a number bond! Drawing a number line!”

“Yes, those are all great strategies. First, we are going to solve the math problem independently using any strategies that you choose but then, you are going to show each other your strategy. What do we do if we agree with our friend’s math strategy? We say, ‘I agree with my friend because …’ and then you need to tell them why. What if you find a mistake in your friend’s answer? ‘I disagree with my friend because …’ and then tell why. And what if you have an idea of your own about your friend’s answer? You say, ‘I would like to add on to their thought.'”

Miss Calla’s students proceeded to solve the two-step word problem on their own. The problem has one answer, but multiple ways to get to that answer. Students are given time to think and then math ideas are shared out as a group using words, numbers, pictures and gestures by students “teaching” each other how they solved the two-step word problem.

“Math talk helps to build math language and deepen student’s understanding of problem-solving by sharing math strategies,” said Miss Calla. “It gives them a way to communicate with each other and all students participate increasing classroom engagement. Sometimes even the students give each other a new perspective on how to solve a problem.”

Students are taught how to participate in math discussions by learning discussion expectations and sentence frames called “Talk Moves” like in Miss Calla’s class. This means that students are provided with some hand gestures and language to use to communicate their thinking until it becomes automatic. In addition to Math Talks, teachers at Fletcher School are beginning to use Number Talks too.

While Math Talk refers to a way to structure discourse about any given math topic, a Number Talk is a mini-lesson that supports mental math computational fluency. Number Talks are classroom conversations around purposefully crafted computation problems that are solved mentally.

¯    May or may not connect to the lesson

¯    Last for 5 to 15 minutes

¯ Is quick-paced

¯    Teacher poses problems, listens and charts students’ strategies.

¯    Students share strategies and try out new strategies.

A teacher may use some aspects of Math Talk, such as the talk moves, during a Number Talk, but Math Talks should be more fully employed during the main daily math lesson.

The practices of Math Talks and Number Talks were learned in a Communities of Practice workshop given by district instructional coaches Christina Spontaneo and Amanda Sischo.

“I have teamed up with many of our teachers to begin trying the strategies out with their students,” said Fletcher Instructional Coach Stephanie David. “It is insightful to hear the students communicate their thinking. It is helpful to teachers to find what strategies the students are using correctly and which strategies they need more practice on. The students are able to see that although there are a variety of ways to solve a problem, some strategies are more efficient than others.”