Tool Kit Text 8

5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions, by Mary Kay Stein, Margaret Smith

Discussion is a form of literacy. Being able to verbalize thoughts is just as important as writing, even more so in today’s workforce. The authors of this book outline their five components of coordinating classroom discussions, how to set goals, select tasks, anticipate student responses, and how to make students accountable for their statements. Last spring I was privileged to have Dr. P. Holt Wilson for a Middle Grades Mathematic Methods Course at UNCG in which we routinely practiced the five steps: Anticipating, Monitoring, Selecting, Sequencing, and Connecting. It was helpful because we were not only asked to develop lessons plans following this model, but we were actual classroom participants experiencing this model.

The teacher selects tasks associated with the concept, and in groups, the students work to solve problems on that concept prior to “being taught” the information they need. In other words, the students are constructing their learning. The teacher, having anticipated (step 1) student responses, monitors (step 2) the groups and records which anticipated response each group is exploring. Based on the observed solution methods, the teacher selects (step 3) specific groups to report their solution to the class in a specific order, or sequence (step 4). Finally, connections (step 5) among all solutions are noted, so students see solutions from multiple perspectives.

This process is very effective for differentiating and meeting all students at their level of learning. Students build on their existing knowledge, not on that of the teacher’s. It also values diversity among possible solutions, which may lower the anxiety levels of all students. As an established classroom practice, and frequently changing the organization of the groups, this format aids in developing a sense of community among students while exposing them to multiple approaches to a single problem.