We’re not just making kids better at math, we’re making sure our kids can tackle ANY problem… we’re making better people. Am I right?
Problem Solving is the key to integrating SEL into math lessons. Problem solving gives our students the opportunity to practice the skills like- decision making, self awareness & self management while also interacting with peers through collaborative problem solving and building their social awareness and relationship skills.
Let’s jump in and learn more about SEL in math!
In This Episode about SEL in Math:
- empowering students in the math classroom
- a realistic plan for teaching social emotional learning in math
- practical application in the classroom
Equity Based Math
Equity based math means growing deep mathematical understanding and humans in our community. Sometimes when we think about social emotional learning and equity things get dicey, emotions are high and opinions differ. I’m always going to keep it real with you here on Honest Math Chat and serve up what I believe and have experienced to be the most powerful ways to help all students develop positive math identities.
A positive math identity that encompasses a positive disposition towards doing mathematics, growth self efficacy and a deep understanding of mathematics.
In my own classroom I have used the practices I’m going to share with you today to develop students who truly believe they are mathematicians and have the skills, mindsets, and understanding to prove it.
As teachers it is our duty to not just input information into our students, but to help them develop as citizens of a worldwide community. They need more skills, behaviors, and mindsets than just how to compute. They need social and emotional competencies.
SEL in Math
CASEL says that integrated SEL is key to ensuring we develop well rounded humans. They say that a school exceeding in integrated SEL is doing this, “SEL standards and goals are clearly embedded in academic learning and students regularly share their perspectives on how social and emotional competencies connect to what they’re learning. Teachers actively engage students in co-constructing knowledge and making meaning of content through classroom discussions and collaborative structures. Teachers use intentional strategies to foster student ownership over their learning, including connecting their perspectives and experiences to instruction.
That literally gives me chills… because that is exactly what we’re trying to do in our math classrooms am I right? Word Problem Workshop allowed me to create an opportunity everyday for my students to co-construct knowledge and make meaning of content through discussions and collaboration… just like their definition describes. Further, in Word Problem Workshop the goal is to be student-centered where students feel empowered to take ownership over their learning and connect their mathematical reasoning to others’ perspectives.
We’re not just making kids better at math, we’re making sure our kids can tackle ANY problem… we’re making better people.
Problem Solving is the key to integrating SEL into our math lessons
Problem solving gives our students the opportunity to practice the skills like- decision making, self awareness & self management while also interacting with peers through collaborative problem solving and building their social awareness and relationship skills.
This all sounds good right? Like you want to jump in because you know this work matters, but then you remember you have SO many things you’re trying to do this year on top of the fact that behaviors are out of control at times and most of the time it’s a struggle to just get everyone looking and listening during math.
I completely understand. I really do. Let’s not forget that I taught for 15 years in Chicago Public Schools, in some of the most historically marginalized communities. I understand it’s hard to reach kids and make math relevant when trauma is prevalent and school doesn’t always feel like a safe place for our students.
Which is exactly why I have a fire inside of my burning to change the communities we create inside of our classrooms, specifically in math. Because math requires most of us to step out of our comfort zone and take risks we can usually avoid, math is the perfect place to develop communities that are inclusive and trauma informed, where we address the mathematical growth of our students AND the social and emotional growth.
So, let’s break down a realistic plan for teaching social emotional learning in math.
Step 1– Choose a few “character” words that align with your schools’ framework or goals. For example, if you’re using CASEL as a school you can choose words that relate to social awareness which might be collaboration or courage. Responsible decision making might be integrity or risk taking.
Step 2– Once you have the word you want to focus on. Develop a few ways you would describe what that looks like in your math classroom.
For example, courage could be. I face my fears. I’m willing to do something even if I’m scared. I have courage when I: to speak in class, participate, ask a question when I don’t understand.
Step 3– Make a plan to TEACH those to your students. This plan might include a math game, a read aloud, a video. The goal is to introduce your students to this focus area and help them see the importance. I find that happens best through an experience.
Step 4– Debrief the experience. You knew I was going to say debrief, right? I LOVE a debrief. Go back to episode 86 because that’s what I’m talking about in that episode and it’s honestly my favorite way to help students learn… learn from their experiences through reflection in a debrief. I do it everyday in Word Problem Workshop and basically everything else I teach.
So, plan a debrief. What did they learn about courage in that book or playing that game? Was it hard to step into the middle of the circle and be silly in that activity? What did the main character do when he was scared?
Use this discussion to build out your own version of what it looks like to show courage in math anchor charts. Don’t forget you already did this, you have ideas to include. So, you can guide your students to noticing those things in the activity.
Step 5– Reflect regularly and give students feedback by “noticing” their courage. Provide time during and after math for students to reflect on their courage. They could turn and talk or write it down to give examples of what they did. A powerful teacher move is to notice students. Just simply saying, “I see Clarence is taking a risk right now to participate. That takes courage.” This helps feel seen in their efforts as well as builds their definition of the trait in the context of the classroom.
Now, Let’s Peek into my Classroom
Launch– students are making sense of the problem, retelling the problem and preparing to tackle something challenging that they might not understand.
- If we continue on with the courage example, you can see that students might be unsure and worried about the impending problem. They have to choose to participate when they are unsure. A student like Treyquan who gets worried about reading the problem may show courage by volunteering to do the retelling of the problem.
Grapple– this is the productive struggle time. Where students work alone on the complex problem for 7 to 8 minutes. They must have courage, integrity, self monitor, the list goes on.
- My student Jamar shut down EVERY DAY during this time for about a month. He’d crumple his paper, scream, put his head down, ask to go to the bathroom, etc. But I kept on prepping him and the class before grapple time that it was an opportunity to practice courage. I usually do this one toward the start of the year. Then, one day he didn’t throw is paper on the floor, instead he put his name on it. I honestly think he just forgot what we were doing and it was a habit. But DANG did I call it out. I NOTICED that child’s courage and effort loud and proud for all to hear. He looked embarrassed, but there was that twinkle in his eye. He knew I wasn’t giving up on him and I provided it in that moment. He felt seen and proud. That was all he needed in that moment to get over the speed bump and have courage to give the problem a try.
- Obviously that is just one example, but you know… we do this kinda thing everyday. Giving students a NAME for what they are developing inside of them is empowering. They are able to take that feeling and say, wow when I show courage I feel good. I’m going to keep doing that.
Debrief– During this time a few select students share their mathematical thinking and we discuss it to develop a math understanding. This is the BEST time of the day. However it takes a lot of skills on the part of the students for this to be a student-centered and driven discussion. Students must self monitor their listening, thinking, and body. They must attend to the students’ examples and the discussion. Students must deal with the disappointment of not being picked to share or to share their thinking. They have to collaborate in turn and talks. Students must seek the perspectives of others, accept their ideas as theirs, add to their own understanding based on others’ perspectives. The LIST GOES ON!
Reflection– John Dewey says we do not learn from experiences we learn from reflection. So, I embed reflection into word problem workshop. We take what we learned from the discussion and we apply it to a new problem. We reflect on that learning and demonstrate it. However, we also take time to reflect on our courage, integrity, partnership, leadership, etc. Having a set aside time where students know what to expect for reflection is key. This way they are self monitoring their courage through out the workshop and are ready to share an example they saw in themselves or maybe one they saw from a friend.
So, at this point you may be thinking. “Sounds great, how do I do that?”
It’s two part. First, Word Problem Workshop is the core. Having a rigorous student centered routine is the foundation for SEL work.
Once you have your word problem workshop in place and students are regularly interacting with rigorous deep mathematical thinking tasks and discussion then you’re ready to layer in the SEL component. It will not only build your students capacity it will build a positive, inclusive community within your math classroom.
If you’re ready to join Word Problem Workshop Teacher Training it is open for one more day, until Tuesday 11/21 at 7
Mentioned in this episode:
✏️ Word Problem Workshop Teacher Training – Sign Up
🎙️Episode 86 – Math Problem Solving with John SanGiovanni
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