Number Talks Peggy Halter Mara Wansong John Mitchell Urban Math Institute 23 Jan 2016

What Is It? “Number Talks” is an interactive way to teach mental math by using students’ pooled knowledge to present strategies. It is a six-step daily process taking a short amount of time best used parallel to the math curriculum, but not necessarily as part of the lesson.

The Process 1.Teacher presents the problem. Problems are presented in many different ways: as dot cards, ten frames, sticks of cubes, models shown on the overhead, a word problem, or a written problem such as 5 – 2 or or 45% of Students figure out the answer. Students are given time to figure out the answer. To make sure students have the time they need, a system of hand signals are used to communicate solutions and strategies. 3.Students share their answers. Four or five students volunteer to share their answers and the teacher records them on the board. 4.Students share their thinking. Three or four students volunteer to share how they got their answers. The teacher records the student's thinking. 5.The class agrees on the "real" answer for the problem. 6.The steps are repeated for additional problems. Usually 4/day is sufficient

Example 1. Teacher presents 6 x 8 on the board and waits for silent student responses 2. Students signal that they have an answer and one or two strategies to prove their answer. 3. Teacher select a few students to share their answers without comment or judgment, and records them on the board. (i.e. 48, 40, 48, 50) 4. Students share how they got the answer (strategies) and the teacher records/illustrates the students’ thinking. (i.e. Using 5’s facts, memorization, etc.) 5. The class agrees on the real answer and learns from the presentation of various strategies and from false leads. Mistakes are embraced as part of the learning process. 6. The process is repeated for gradually more difficult, but related problems.

What Does It Look Like? Here is a short clip of what a Number Talk looks like.

Benefits Teaches Mental Math strategies Teaches cooperative learning Safe Environment for exploration of math skills Daily practice of mental math

Potential Challenges Students must learn the procedures. Teacher must monitor total participation and inclusion.

Summary Six Step Process to Reinforce Mental Math and Math Literacy Best used as a daily “Do Now” or activity parallel to, but not part of the curriculum.

References Parrish, S. (2010). Number talks: Helping children build mental math and computation strategies, grades K-5. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions. Math Perspectives Number Talks Overview website

Questions?

And Now For a Little Demonstration…