1. Mindset Activities for the Secondary Classroom
Kasey Ward
Davenport Middle/High School
Bell Work: Find this document in your packet.
What do you notice? Wonder?
This is an exciting time to be a math educator. I remember my math classes as a kid and it was not exciting. I still puzzle over what made me become a math teacher, because what I was good at wasn’t really considered math in my school… but here I am.

2. Objectives
We all want students to be successful users of math, but to do this they need to know what math really is and how our brain learns math. 
In the session I will share activities and resources that I use to kick off the school year with the right mindset… a math mindset.
Define maths, math mindset, lessons/activities, WIM and others
They can’t just learn it from anybody or off the streets

3. The beginning of the year is that golden time for me
The beginning of the year is that golden time for me. It is before students are asked how many points it is worth and when participation it high and off track behaviors are low, nobody is worried about or defining their math grade by missing assignments

4. Pretest
This is my pre-test. I give this to students as bell work and homework. I leave it very open. I look at the data as a whole.
Try it… I am not going to collect it.

5. Canned answer from my teacher pleaser, but very narrow…Numbers only
Canned answer from my teacher pleaser, but very narrow…Numbers only? Calculating only?

6. Tracked… they know some people do a higher math and some people go to a lower math. It becomes part of their identity. It has to be addressed.

7. “at some point” but not now?

8. I think math is just basically a lot of numbers and symbols all mixed up.
I don’t like math
It is a lot of numbers.
All mixed up

9. Just calculating

10. OPEN! Way of communicating, flexible, made connections

11. Logic

12. Math in it’s own way is like a language
Math in it’s own way is like a language. A language that can be spoken in many ways such as scientific math, geometric math, algebraic math, but all in all math is a language and like any language it is taught to be understood and spoken.

13. So What… My students see math as narrow, disconnected, uninteresting, and hard. They have been tracked so they may have gotten the message that they are not a math person and believe other myths. Some students are starting to see it as MATHS, and need to be pushed further. Now What… I can’t just tell them what math really is and how their brain works. I have to give them real experiences to see and feel it for themselves.

14. Facts that dispel myths about math, growth mindset, WIM, more than one hit to use more of their brain

16. 3 weeks now

17. Mistakes transform your brain

19. My First Task for Students
At your table you will find a set of cards. If you follow the pattern of putting a card down, putting the next card at the bottom of the deck, putting the next card down, putting the next card under the deck…. Then a secret message will be revealed.
Take your brain back to student on the first day mode.

22. My First Tasks for a 2nd Year or 3rd Year
Shapes – convincing
4-4s – productive struggle, priming for new learning, creativity

23. WIM 2 – Day 1 Dot/Number Talk Individual think time
Fist on chest for thinking, silent thumbs up for one solution, more fingers for more solutions
Give 10 more seconds than what I think
“Who would like to share their solution?”
“Who would like to defend a solution?”
“Do anyone have any questions for _______?”
A student from another class did this _________, how do you think he saw that?
If no one wants to share… “Turn and talk to…”

25. POWERFUL for setting the tone and showing that math is open (many ways to/ no “right” answer), visual (dots), creative (many ways/relate to real life)
Shows flexible thinking
Helps me learn names (more practical)

27. Strategy Posters
Addition
Multiplication
Subtraction
Division

28. Number Visuals & Making 36
Patterns, primes, near primes, no hexagon?, SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM, no answer key, what do you wonder about, I wondered about 4, always something new, math teachers thought they found a mistake but then dug deeper

34. Group Work Norms T-chart (homework)
Collect the group ideas on a poster
Compare and analyze posters
Make a class list of norms
Participation Quiz
Give examples on t-charts, homework for think time, collect ideas in a different way (respectful, responsible, ready), gallery walk to reflect, make poster

35. Word Cloud/Mindset Questionnaire
Numbers Math About Me

37. Math Based Evidence (MBE)

40. Promoting Growth Mindset

43. Mathematics is chosen to be plural to reflect all the many parts of mathematics like drawing, modeling, calculating, asking questions, communicating, …

44. Increase the Math Chatter

45. Increase the Math Chatter
Instagram
Posters in Hallway
Puzzle of the Month

46. Further Info: youcubed.org On-line Teacher Courses
Mathematical Mindsets
How to Learn Math for Teachers