1. Dive Deeper into Number Talks
presented by
Robin Taylor
ELA/Math Instructional Coach

2. Outcomes What and Why Number Talks? Solution Strategies
Student Discourse Strategies
Teacher’s Role
Resources
Troubleshooting

3. Partner Share What is your current practice with Number Talks?
Discuss with a table partner.

4. What is a Number Talk? Discussion about numbers
Picture
Number sentences
Student-led, Teacher-facilitated
Short & Sweet

5. Why Number Talks? Builds conceptual understanding
Builds procedural fluency
Accuracy
Efficiency
Flexibility
Increases student discourse

6. Why Number Talks?
Gives students time

7. Why Not Timed Math Fact Tests?
“What is important is to deeply understand things and their relations to each other. This is where intelligence lies. The fact of being quick or slow isn’t really relevant.”
-Laurent Schwartz, Fields Medal Winner
“It is the duty of all teachers, and of teachers of mathematics in particular, to expose their students to problems much more than to facts.”
– Paul Halmos, famous mathematician and educator

8. Why Not Timed Math Fact Tests?
Current Research:
High Performers vs. Low Performers
Math Anxiety – High Performers & Female Students
Memory in Children
High Performers vs. Low Performers – Gray & Tall, 1994: High performers rely on number sense, low performers rely on counting on/back strategies or memorized math facts
Math Anxiety – 2013 Univ. of Chicago study by Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine & Beilock: working memory becomes blocked in high pressure math situations, where there is an expectation of speed, and this is more likely to affect the performance of female students and higher performing students
Memory in Children – 2014 Stanford study: children gradually switch from manipulative strategies of math to math fact memorization as their memory shifts from the hippocampus to the neocortex – the hippocampus helps to build neural connections in the neocortex, based on exposure

9. General Procedure Teacher writes problem or shows picture.
Students think about solution path and answer, and then signal.
Teacher calls on students, takes notes, and facilitates.
Class collectively responds and discusses new learning.

10. Video Clip of a Number Talk

11. Addition Solution Strategies
Counting On
Doubles Plus One
Doubles Minus One
Make A Ten
Breaking Each Number into Its Place Value
Compensation
Adding in Chunks
Making Friendly Numbers

12. Subtraction Strategies
Counting Back
Adding Up
Using a Related Fact
Adjusting One Number to Create An Easier Problem
Keeping A Constant Difference

13. Multiplication Strategies
Repeated Addition or Skip Counting
Making Benchmark or Friendly Numbers
Partial Products
Doubling and Halving
Breaking Factors into Smaller Factors

14. Division Strategies Repeated Subtraction or Sharing/Dealing Out
Partial Quotients
Multiplying Up
Proportional Reasoning

15. Strategy vs. Tool Strategy: Action (Verb) Tool: Object (Noun)
Student thinking
Tool: Object (Noun)
Number line
Fingers
Ten frame
Rekenreks
“That is a tool you used. What strategy did you use with the tool?”

16. Mini Number Talk
Find a partner that matches your teaching level (primary or intermediate). Decide who is Partner A or B.
On the handout, choose a problem to focus on.
Table Partner A: Solve the problem using one strategy.
Table Partner B: Take notes/facilitate on the handout.
Switch roles, using another strategy.

17. Student Discourse Strategies
Signals
Partners

18. Student Discourse Strategies
Anchor Chart of Strategies

19. Student Discourse Strategies
Sentence Frames

20. Student Discourse Strategies
3 Ps: Purpose, Prompt, Product
Monitoring & Feedback
Ownership
Positive Response

21. Teacher Role Facilitate/Question. Set the tone. Follow a progression.
Break down assumptions.
Look for a deeper reason.
Make errors into opportunities.
Presenter: Distribute Teacher Talk/Question stems.
Facilitator/Questioner: no new direct teaching
Set the tone: always be positive or neutral, validate all ways of getting to an answer but shift to efficiency
Follow a progression: start with simpler problems to get to the choice strategy, then add in harder problems
Break down assumptions: ask why questions
Look for a deeper reason: ask if it works all the time, search for a student explanation
Errors become opportunities: applaud mistakes as chances to learn, teach students to revise answers

22. Positive Mindset…

23. Resource Handout TK-1st: Math Talk by Forsten & Richards
K-6th: Number Talks by Parrish
4th-10th: Making Number Talks Matter by Humphreys & Parker
Online problem strings & videos

24. New Learning Whip-Around
What is one new idea you will incorporate in your next Number Talk?
In my next Number Talk, I will ________.