How To Incorporate Number Talks in Distance Learning

Number talks have so many positive benefits, and they became a regular part of my classroom practice last year. I loved listening to my students' reasoning. The class time spent talking about and comparing strategies was well worth it.

However, when we shifted to distance learning, number talks were left by the wayside. As I consider next year, I know that I want number talks to be part of my teaching....whether online or (hopefully) in person.  Here are some ideas of how I plan to use number talks if we go back to distance learning next year.

Ways to Use Number Talks with Distance Learning

A Game That Students Love + Growth Mindset = Win Win

Gimkit was one of my kids' favorite things to do last year. I loved how engaged and excited they were.  You can check out this blog post if you want to know more about all the reasons that I love Gimkit.  As much as I loved it, there was definitely a learning curve for me.

At first, I thought I would use Gimkit similar to how I use Kahoot.  However, I quickly figured out that it didn't work the same way for me as a teacher. In a Kahoot, I would immediately know what questions the kids were getting right and what questions they were missing.  We could talk as we played about misunderstandings that needed to be addressed.

11 Awesome Math Halloween Activities Your Class Will Love

Halloween is a tricky time in middle school.  Some kids are disappointed to find out there are no longer going to be Halloween parties at school, but most kids are still excited that it's coming! If you're wanting something fun to do on Halloween, but know that you need to keep your class learning, here are some fun Halloween ideas for a middle school math classroom.

Gimkit: You and Your Students Will Love It

       Does your class love Kahoot?  Now is the time to learn about Gimkit!  Gimkit was definitely a new favorite last year, but I found there was a learning curve to figure out how I liked to use Gimkit.  Here are some of the reasons why I really love Gimkit.

Number Talks Modeled Multiple Ways: A Sure Fire Win!

    If you are ready to start using number talks in your secondary math classroom, it's time to start thinking about how you will represent different strategies as students describe them.  Personally, I like to use a variety of strategies including equations and visual models such as number lines and the area model.  I feel that seeing the connections between different models can be very powerful for student growth.  Here are a few reasons why I like using different representations of student strategies during number talks.

Expert Planning Tips So You'll Love Number Talks

     Number talks are beneficial for many reasons such as increased student engagement and number sense.  The idea of a number talk is that you give students a problem to solve mentally.  After giving time to solve the problem, students share their strategies.  In my experiences (which you can read about here), students have lots of strategies and they are excited to share them.

     If you're ready to start with number talks but not sure how to get started, here are a few things to consider.

The Truth About Why You'll Love Number Talks

       Have you heard about number talks?  Are you on the fence about using number talks in your secondary math classroom?  Maybe you think they might be ok, but you just don't think you have the time.  Or maybe you don't know what a number talk is.  Here are a few reasons to convince you to start using number talks in your math classroom tomorrow!