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Empowering ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çto learn together

A social, collaborative math classroom: It sounds like fun, but does it mean that ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çare just … talking the whole time? 

Not at all. The point isn’t to have ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çsocializing the whole time, but rather to have them engaged in and contributing to the larger conversation every step of the way. This kind of instruction makes space for multiple strategies and empowers ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çto articulate, defend, and revise their thinking.Ìý

Situating productive discussions in compelling contexts

What does instruction designed to engage social, collaborative learners look like? But what does problem-based learning mean, and what does it look like?

Teachers:

1. Pique students’ interest with a realistic (or wacky!) scenario.
2. Ask them to tinker and explore.
3. Scaffold as necessary up to a big reveal.
4. Provide opportunities for ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çto talk about what they’re observing and consider potential solutions.

In a math classroom, this approach to learning supports making math accessible for all students.Ìý

Building a social, collaborative classroom

When you open the door to a social, collaborative classroom, you’re likely to see and hear ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çengaged in discussion. And it won’t just be chit-chat—it will be productive discussion, perhaps prompted by a teacher practicing asking questions that support ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çthinking and understanding. That teacher might even be following the five practices created to do just that.Ìý

The book 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Classroom Discussions by Peg Smith and Mary Key Stein contains techniques designed to enable social, collaborative instruction. Those practices are: 

1. Anticipating students’ solutions to a mathematical task.
2. Monitoring students’ in-class, real-time work on the task.
3. Selecting approaches that ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çwill share.
4. Sequencing students’ presentations strategically.
5. Connecting students’ approaches and the underlying mathematics.

These five practices are integrated explicitly into the Teacher Edition of Amplify Math. They inform its design overall, guiding teachers in engaging ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çin math. In fact, applying the five practices doesn’t just help ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çabsorb information—it can help foster a classroom community where interactions are equitable and where ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çfeel they belong.Ìý

Check out to learn how math educators can use the five practices to fuel positive, resonant classroom interactions. (Presented by Kathleen Sheehy, Director of Professional Development, Amplify; and Sean Nank, Professional Development Design Specialist, Amplify.)

Integrating technology into the math classroom 

Incorporating technology in math education also enhances the ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çexperience. When ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çwork only in workbooks, they have to share everything they record.; when they work online, they can draw, type, and drag to outline their thinking—and they can also immediately share their work with others.

It can be challenging to implement engaging, discourse-rich math lessons, but it doesn’t have to be. Digital lessons can be especially powerful in their ability to surface ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çthinking and spark interesting and productive discussions.Ìý

Using technology powered by Desmos, delivers digital lessons that get ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çthinking, talking, revising, and celebrating their ideas. As ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çwork in the interactive slides, new functionality may appear. They will often be asked to justify their actions and thinking.Ìý

Amplify Math is based on Illustrative Mathematics K–12 Math™, an extensively field-tested and highly rated curriculum. The program contains relevant problem-based learning examples and lesson plans, along with lessons based on compelling current and historical narratives. Built on proven teaching strategies, Amplify Math makes productive discourse easier for teachers to facilitate, and more accessible for students.

Amplify Math: How it works

Warm-up (5 minutes)

Each lesson begins with ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çdiving into the math and interacting with each other during a Warm-up task. Every lesson includes an automatic, differentiated Warm-up called a Power-up.Ìý

Activities (30 minutes in middle school; 35 minutes in high school)

Students dig into 1–4 tasks and share their observations and reasoning. The teacher uses the strategy of sequencing and selecting to promote more math talk.Ìý

Summary and Reflection (5 minutes)

The teacher helps ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çconnect their ideas with the overall mathematical picture of the lesson, unit, and course.Ìý

Exit Ticket and Practice (5+ minutes)

The lesson concludes with ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çcompleting an embedded, formative Exit Ticket. Additionally, teachers can assign practice problems for ¹ú²úÂ鶹¾çto work on outside of class.

To dive into more professional development for math teachers (all free), stop by .Ìý