The EERTI Math Circles Year 2 that I have been attending this year is focusing on math talks. I have enjoyed it! Other than getting lost while trying to get to the first meeting, my time there has been very...enjoyable. Informational. Stretching. Professional. Helpful. Number Talks, by Sherry Parrish, is our text. The whole concept is giving me permission to slow down and stretch students' thinking...after listening and sharing so I actually know what they are thinking in the first place! Had I really taken the time to talk about math so much before? No. I have been in a panicky rush to get through the lesson, fitting "everything" in. The idea of math talks seems to be going well for the kiddos, too. I think they are enjoying the think and share times. What I have determined most important is the need for a safe environment where students trust me and each other. I tell them I am their safety net. They don't have to be afraid to fail; I will help them get back up and be successful. (I used the analogy earlier in the year of circus trapeze artists letting go and making the connections and their safety net to catch them.) I've been stressing how we are each others' safety nets, too. Fostering a safe zone where attempts are honored and progress celebrated is going to make math talks even better!
I'll try to post a chart of one of our math talks next time and give a few more details.
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