Status & Mindset Interventions

In her book Strength in Numbers: Collaborative Learning in Secondary Mathematics, Ilana Horn writes: “Judgements about who is smart based on prior achievement or social categories violate a fundamental principle of equity and are consequential: learning is not the same as achievement” (2012, p.20). The resources below were curated to help you redefine "smarts" in math, disrupt status divisions, develop growth mindsets, and foster a collaborative math community.  

Anticipatory Planning

How often does your planning for math involve searching for the "best" problem and then thinking about how you want to teach the problem? It's safe to say this is how most of us approach(ed) lesson planning. The problem with this approach, however, is that it is teacher focused and neglects to consider how students might perceive and respond to the problem. Conversely, anticipatory planning focuses planning efforts on imagining how students might respond to a problem and using that information to plan questions that will push and clarify student thinking and build understanding by sequencing and connecting approaches students are already using.

 

If you've ever tried to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom and it fell short of your expectations, it's likely because the key factor, anticipatory planning, was missing! The template below can help you prepare to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom. Grab a planning buddy and give it a try! 

Anticipatory Planning

How often does your planning for math involve searching for the "best" problem and then thinking about how you want to teach the problem? It's safe to say this is how most of us approach(ed) lesson planning. The problem with this approach, however, is that it is teacher focused and neglects to consider how students might perceive and respond to the problem. Conversely, anticipatory planning focuses planning efforts on imagining how students might respond to a problem and using that information to plan questions that will push and clarify student thinking and build understanding by sequencing and connecting approaches students are already using.

 

If you've ever tried to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom and it fell short of your expectations, it's likely because the key factor, anticipatory planning, was missing! The template below can help you prepare to facilitate constructivist math learning in your classroom. Grab a planning buddy and give it a try! 

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    Low Floor, High Ceiling Problem Structures

    Low floor, high ceiling problems give all students access to the problem and can be extended to high levels. The resources below have examples of these problems, tips for modifying problems for access and challenge, and structures that can be used to increase access and challenge. 

    Agency Openers

    This 10-15 minute activity encourages students to engage with abstract math problems in a way that facilitates collective sense-making and builds from what they know. Multiple solutions, ideas, and questions are generated through student-facilitated discussions, emphasizing that everyone has something to contribute  and there are different ways of being “mathematically intelligent”.

    Star Rubric for Differentiated Feedback

    Assessments should align with and reinforce the core values held in a classroom. This is a strategy for teachers to provide students with differentiated feedback on assessments, such as quizzes or tests, through extension questions that challenge students where they are and push them in their understanding.

    Modifying Problems

    This document contains helpful guides for creating or modifying problems to increase access and challenge. 

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