Math talks, Number talks, meaningful math discussions

Math talks are short activities (around 10-15 minutes) designed to provide opportunities for the students to make connections in mathematics and explain their thinking to their peers. There are questions/problems/pictures that encourage students to think of different strategies and realize that there is no one way to solve a problem. There are many ways to see and understand mathematics. Math talks help students see the flexibility in math and promote a positive attitude towards math as they help students see themselves as valued math thinkers. In the words of one of my students “Math talks make math interesting.”

A math talk can be a problem asking for one solution, a problem that has many answers, or just a visual or a story that allows the students to make their own observations. It could be a problem solved the wrong way with a misstep.

Below are some more benefits of using math talks in your instruction.

Takes the focus away from the teacher and allows students to listen and learn from their peers.
Encourages students to think like mathematicians and use mathematical language to explain their thinking.
Reinforces mental math strategies.
A great opportunity to revise different concepts and show the connection between them.
Creates a safe space to make mistakes and take risks.
Allows the teacher to identify misconceptions.
Gives the students the opportunity to make observations and find connections in mathematics.

Here are a few things to remember when doing a math talk.

Once you have posed the problem allow the students enough thinking time. Some students will come up with a strategy or a connection faster than others. Ask the students that are ready to note down their idea/strategy and keep thinking about other ideas. This will give the rest of the students more time and will keep the faster students thinking.
Set up small group conversations. Students can work in pairs or groups and discuss a problem before having a class discussion. Explaining their thinking in a smaller group is easier for many students. (I sometimes ask students to explain their partner’s strategy)
Record all the answers (right or wrong). They will be surprised by how much they can learn from a wrong answer.
Remind students to use sentence starters like “I agree with, I disagree because I would like to add, I am wondering, I saw a different way, I am not sure about”
Remind students to use respectful language and avoid sentences like “this is so easy”

Math talk activities might look like pictures, arrangements, puzzles, word problems, a solved problem, comparing two solutions, and much more. Before you choose a math talk make sure that you have a defined goal. What do you want to achieve with this math talk? Clear misconceptions? Remind a strategy? Make sure that you discuss the wrong solutions/strategies as well. Explore where the solution went wrong. Ask students to find the missteps. I love to create wrong solutions and once they figure it out ask “why is this wrong”. There is great learning in these discussions.