Number Talks: An Instructional Strategy used to Create a Classroom Culture of Listening, Sharing and Flexible Thinking Core Mathematics Partnership Building Mathematical Knowledge and High-Leverage Instruction for Student Success March 17, 2016

Number Talk Routines Although Number Talks are a short daily routine, there is nothing routine about them. They appear deceptively easy…but each Number Talk takes on a life of their own…there is no road map to follow. (p.161) Count off around the table to 5. Find your spot around the room. Make sure to take your number talk book with you to your spot. Rules: Once you get to your group, re-number yourself. You will get a question. Think about your answer or use your book to study for a few minutes. Then as a group – share out - around the room

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria We thinking about the effect implementing Number Talks in our classrooms. Success Criteria: We will be successful when we can use conversations to help us reflect on the final Number Talk project.

Learning from Number Talks 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. (p.12) What is one way you have “stretched” your students thinking during Number Talks? What is one thing you have learned about your students’ mathematical thinking?

Thoughts for Successful Number Talks There are 9 suggestions listed between p. 18 – 21. Focus your attention on 1, 2, 4, 6 & 7. Where have you have grown when implementing number talks? Consider your journey implementing number talks during the past 6 months. What do you plan to work on during the rest of the year?

Managing Bumps in the Road Q1: What if I don’t understand what a student is saying? (p. 164) Q3: …there are only a few students who want to share almost everyday, while many others have never shared at all. How can I get more students involved? (p. 166) Q7: My number talks are going pretty well, but they seem to be two way communications between me and a student…how can I get students to listen and talk to one another? Select one of these “bumps” that you ran into. Read through the suggestions.

How did you get past your bump in the road? Share one additional “bump in the road” you encountered? Share the strategy you used to move beyond the “bump”?

Learning From Each Other Return to your table group. Use the Reflection Question form to debrief your small group discussions. Pick one topic that proved interesting and share your small group conversation with your table. Jot down ideas on the worksheet. Repeat – Until we say “stop”

Number Talk project 5 Number Talk templates A brief summary of the reason you selected the talks, the overall plan for implementation. Write a summary reflecting on your goals for students, the progress they made and insights gained from this work. Provide evidence of the Number Talks. This will highlight examples of student thinking. The evidence could include: illustrations/charts/photos/videos, vignette capturing student responses that reflect how Number Talks have affected their understanding of Fractions, Ratios, and Proportional reasoning..

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria We thinking about the effect implementing Number Talks in our classrooms. Success Criteria: We will be successful when we can use conversations to help us reflect on the final Number Talk project.

Disclaimer Core Mathematics Partnership Project University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013-2016   This material was developed for the Core Mathematics Partnership project through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Center for Mathematics and Science Education Research (CMSER). This material may be used by schools to support learning of teachers and staff provided appropriate attribution and acknowledgement of its source. Other use of this work without prior written permission is prohibited—including reproduction, modification, distribution, or re-publication and use by non-profit organizations and commercial vendors. This project was supported through a grant from the Wisconsin ESEA Title II, Part B, Mathematics and Science Partnerships.