Resetting Math Classroom Norms

As we start the new year we often want a fresh start. We set goals and help students reflect on what they want to accomplish in this new year. However, resetting math classroom norms is often what we need in the new year.

The winter holiday season is a lot and often the month of December ends up feeling a lot different than the other months of school. By the time students return in the first weeks of January, it’s been a long time since they had a “normal” school day. With that big break of time, it is essential we do some revisiting of norms before we hop back into our normal routine. 

Listen to even more about this on the Honest Math Chat Podcast

 

But Why Should I Be Resetting Math Classroom Norms?

Resetting math classroom norms will help your students be more independent in taking ownership of their learning. The ultimate goal is that our students are invested in their learning, right? We want our students to be motivated to learn, take initiative, and engage with their learning activities. Therefore, it is our job to create the conditions where this type of learning can happen. By creating strong norms and using them to guide everything in your classroom you’ll be able to create a community that provides the perfect container for your students to be independent leaders of their learning. 

By Resetting Math Classroom Norms Will Help Students By…

• Remember their role in the classroom 
• See how collaboration will help them learn more 
• Conduct themselves in the classroom 

What Norms Do We Set?

When resetting our norms in the new year you’ll want to look back at the norms you established in the beginning of the year. Those math classroom norms are important because I know you spent a lot of time establishing them and reflecting o them. Your students also remember those norms. Start with those norms. They may include “mistakes are important” and “thinking matters more than answers”. Math Norms Blog Post

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Grab these math norm posters here.

Norms are positive statements that help guide our students toward the behiavors that are beneficial and productive. These statements can be referred to during class, guide individual conferences with students, and used to talk with parents. 

However, in the new year you may need new math norms. Remember the math classroom is our special place. The place where we are simultaneously responding to our students math trauma while also building positive math identities. We want to encourage our students to build a growth mindset about math, while also challenging them daily to step out of what is comfortable. Our math norms must support the work we do in our math classrooms. So, as your math classroom is changing in the new year you may need to add more math norms. 

For example, maybe your students are now comfortable with grappling and getting uncomfortable in math. However, they tend to have ownership over their answers and are resistant to sharing their ideas with their peers. Then, you might need to add more norms around participation in math discussions.

How Can I Reset Norms in January?

We just want to jump into content because it feels like FOREVER since we’ve actually taught them anything.

I know. But please, trust me that if you spend the time ensuring your classroom community is healthy and strong, then you’ll be able to teach your students WAY more. Have you ever heard of the phrase “go slow to go fast”? The idea is that spending time “going slow”– laying a solid foundation of the classroom community will allow you to “go fast” later. It’s like, you know make sure your car is in good running order, the gas tank is full, and you have everything packed properly in the car so that when you take off on your road trip you will be able to GO instead of stopping for car troubles or to get the things you need that you forgot.

Spend time being proactive– by establishing the classroom community with norms, a clear vision, and teaching students HOW to collaborate, participate, and engage… so that you don’t have to stop your teaching to be re-active. 

Does this sound familiar? You’re teaching your math lesson, wrapping up the math warm up when you tell students to take out their materials turn to page 45 and share their strategy for the problem you solved  yesterday with the person sitting next to them. You send them off to get started. Then all of a sudden you have students get up to sharpen pencils, ask to go to the bathroom. Some students just simply slide their paper inf ront of their partner without speaking. Others are having a conversation about a game they played at recess. 

You have to bring everyone back together to remind them of HOW we have a conversation with a partner- how we participate. You go through a list of the things we don’t do. You may even have to take a point away or mark down the class score. 

But what if there was a different way?
What if you could TEACH students before hand how to do all that and you don’t have to stop the class mid-work time because they already know what is expected of them. What it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to collaborate, share, complete work, move int he classroom, get out materials, etc. 
So if that has been you (because it’s DEFINITELY been me, lots of time)…. You can change it by resetting your classroom norms.

 

Engaging Math Discussions FREE Guide

If you’re a teacher looking for ideas on how to engage every student in your classroom then you need this guide!

Grab your copy http://www.monamath.com/discussions

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Reflecting on our math stories can help us analyze how we got to where we are in math. Our past experiences, current mindset about teaching are all part of our math stories.

Our Math Stories: Past, Present, & Future

Let’s start by reflecting on where’ve we’ve been, our past. What memories do you have of math class? What happened in math class that helped you learn or what caused you to not understand math? These experiences are so essential to understanding our own journey and translating that into how we show up in our math classrooms today.

How are our math stories formed?

Take a look at this quote about teachers, and all adults in America. The education system we graduated from taught us math in ways that in most cases were damaging. Rarely did we engage in discourse, sense making tasks, or grapple with complex problems. We learned rules, were timed, and pressured to perform calculations error free. Few of us grew up solving real world problems that allowed us to apply math to our everyday lives.

Quote from Why Do Americans Stink at Math? by Elizabeth Green

We know our system is flawed and progress has been made in the past decades toward change. I’m curious to know what you are working to change about the education system or your opinions on what needs to change. I’d love for you to leave a comment below with your thoughts!

In NCTM’s book Principles to Action they start off with noting the progress made and celebrate. Some notable points include, The percentage of 8th graders scoring proficient or above on the NAEP rose from 15% in 1990 to 36% in 2013. On the same test fourth graders proficient or above scores rose from 13% in 1990 to 42% in 2013. However, as noted in Principles to Actions, these are impressive increase due to the hard work of educators in the United States, but when compared to more diverse range of test takers we are far from where we need to be.

If you’re looking to create a student centered math classroom, then you need this free ebook!

5 easy steps to start your student centered classroom. Click the image below to grab your copy!

How do our Math Stories show up in our teaching?

Let’s take a look at how our math experiences (aka math stories) translate into our teaching careers.

Quote from Why Do Americans Stink at Math? by Elizabeth Green

This quote accurately describes a big part of my own math story. You see, when I started teaching math to 1st & 2nd graders I brought along all the misconceptions and lies I had been told about my math capabilities. I was told how good of a reader and writer I was through out school. I quickly learned that my talking and questioning that was welcomed in social studies class had no place in math. I wasn’t fast at my multiplication facts and still used my “count by songs” to solve 7 x 8, even on my first day of teaching. I wasn’t a math person, I was a reading and history person. To top it off, I was completely at peace with that. So, when I went to teach math I didn’t have the same sparkle I had with reading. I used the curriculum. I taught the script and walked my students through completing the worksheets. It was working for me… but not my students.

You can read more about my teaching journey with math here. 

Changing Math Without Addressing our Math Stories

Here’s the deal, we know that we are coming out of a broken system. Thanks in large part to the work of NCTM and the researchers we have guidance on how to develop math classrooms that strive for sense making and conceptual understanding. We are seeing shifts in curriculum and we’re submerged into this “NEW” way of teaching. However, the oversight in these shifts was the teachers. Yes, we have professional developments and trainings, but they often focus on the program or curriculum and little on addressing the fact that this is new math to us, too.

So, what was learning math like for you?

In research from Rachel McAnallen (2010) she found that 33% of elementary teachers report having math anxiety. They describe the anxiety stemming from traumatic memories such as…

• timed tests – feeling nervous and sweating
• teachers expecting them to solve at the board and being unable to do it correctly and getting ridiculed.
• getting big red Xs on all of their math papers & never remember actually getting any help to understand.

What would you add to this list?

For me it was the pages and pages of math problems that I had no idea how to do. So, I would flip back in the text book and find the example and just copy it subbing out the numbers from the problem.

How do our math stories play out in our classrooms?

We know, as the above quote illustrated, that how we were taught is what we default to when we teach. I urge you to reflect on the practices in your classroom and consider how those practices are writing your students’ math stories.

As you plan for next year consider…

What is your math mindset?

What is your math vision for your classroom?

What is a mathematician in your class? (What do they do? say? feel?)

Implement a Student Centered Math Classroom!! Get started now with this free ebook! http://www.locallearnersandco.com/ebook

Maybe you’re ready to make some changes?

Releasing in May of 2020 is a new pd series just for you! We will take the math stories to a new level, diving into our students’ math stories & use them to create a vision for math in our classrooms. This training addresses strategies to develop mathematicians that are empowered and engaged. I would LOVE for you to join this work!

You’ll walk away with 3 ready to use activities with your students, a fresh mindset, and inspired to inspire your students to love and understand math!

In fact, it’s a 3 part series!

I’d love to have you on the wait list for this series. I know it is going to bring value and clarity you’ve been looking for as a math teacher.

Part 1: Mind over Matter

Part 2: Creating a Community

Part 3: Strong Start: A step-by-step guide to your first 4 weeks of student centered math!

Join the waitlist! 

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Lesson 1: What does a Mathematician Look Like?

Build a positive math mindset by dispelling misconceptions

Do you know what your students think of when you say mathematician? Do they think of themselves?
The first step to ensuring students see themselves as math people is to be sure they don’t have a misconception that all mathematicians are old dudes that look like…. this dude.

So, the best way to make sure of that and make sure they see themselves as a mathematician is to ASK THEM!

This is my most EPIC lesson to do just that. But… Why is it EPIC?
Because it is:
*Low/no prep
*Quick
*Engaging & FUN (involved drawing and talking!)

Here it is… Lesson Plan for “What does a mathematician look like?”

Grade Level: Any & All!! Adults – Kindergarten

Objective: Help students develop the understanding that they are EACH a math person & dispel misconceptions about what a mathematician is.

Materials: Graphic Organizer- Grab it here & A picture of each student printed.

Duration: 15-25 minutes (really, however much time you have you can make this work!)

Procedure:
1. Ask students to draw what they think a mathematician looks like. Encourage students to add thought bubbles, speech bubbles and clothes to express the persons whole identity. You can use the prompt, ”What does this person say/do/think?”
2. In small groups have students share about their drawing.
3. Move to a whole group share. I suggest you listen into small group discussions and choose 3-4 students to be prepared to share with the whole group. Select these students based on parts that you want to highlight. Such as, misconceptions about mathematicians- they are boys, they are fast & smart, etc.
While you facilitate this conversation you can ask questions such as “I see you have a speech bubble that says, “I’m as fast as a calculator. Do you guys think you have to be fast to be a mathematician?”
They all might say yes. In that case, you can tell them some of the greatest  mathematicians were slow thinkers. Then, you’ll need to think about ways to SHOW them these misconceptions are wrong- through tasks, biographies of mathematicians, etc. (That’s for a later lesson). Be okay with the students having misconceptions and voicing them. Keep them in your mind and start preparing a plan for addressing them!
4. After the discussion, print and attach a photo of each student.
5. Display on a bulletin board. Share with parents. Make this a big thing! Help your school see that each of us is a mathematician!!

Lesson #2: What is a Mathematician?

Build a collective definition to lay the foundation for a positive math mindset

Alright, now that you have dispelled any misconceptions on mathematicians now it’s time to think about what a mathematician IS. We need to write a new definition that we all agree on.

This leads so perfectly into forming your classroom math norms, if you haven’t done that already. If you have, great time to revisit them!

Here it is… Lesson Plan for “What is a mathematician ?”

Grade Level: Any & ALL!

Materials: Graphic Organizer to make a web. Grab it here

Objective: Help students develop the understanding definition of what a mathematician is, contextualized for their grade level.

Duration: 15-20 minutes (really, however much time you have you can make this work!)

Procedure:

1. Ask students to describe using words what a mathematician is on their web. You could contextualize this for your grade level– What is a 3^rd grade mathematician? What do they do/say/think?

2. Next, ask students to share in a small group (at their table). Listen into these conversations. Ask probing questions about why they think that or if others agree. Refer back to your conversation about “What Does a Mathematician Look Like” if needed.

3. Bring the students together as a whole group & create an anchor chart where you are working on a class version. Ask students to share something they wrote on their web. Check with the class for consensus or input and then add to the anchor chart.

4. This could be an ongoing formation of a definition- just have them keep it in their math folder. Then, each time something new comes up in math- add it!

• Solve a problem in small groups– Add “Works with others to solve problems”
•   Find a pattern in models– Add “Looks for patterns”
•   A student discovers the lights are in an array– Add “Observes carefully.”

5. Celebrate when you notice students embodying these definitions of a mathematician. 6.Use this definition to form your math norms. Don’t have any? It’s all good, now is the time to start! Well, after this lesson. I talk all about my math norms here. Or grab the ones I use here.

Ready to try it? Grab the Graphic Organizers right here for just $2

Still wondering or want to see this in action?

Reach out! I’m here for you. I’m happy to answer any and all questions, any time!

locallearnersandco@gmail.com

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