“Math is one of those things that people decide in elementary school that either they’re good at it or they’re bad at it.”
This common misconception about math class motivated Kendall McAdams, an Algebra II teacher at Ithaca High School (IHS), and several of his colleagues to step away from the traditional classroom approach.
Two years ago, Katie Morgan, another IHS math teacher, shared Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, which guided their thinking around what math instruction and learning could be.
The text endorses several reversals of principles typical to a math classroom: vertical writing surfaces (instead of horizontal desks), randomized, small working groups of two or three students (instead of individual work or teacher-assigned groups), and non-permanent writing on whiteboards or chalkboards (instead of pen and paper). When Morgan implemented these tenets of a thinking classroom, she saw significant improvement in student discussion.
“Students, who in the traditional setting zone out or are constantly on their phones, are now taking the lead in their group work, asking questions of their peers, and even using math vocabulary in the context,” Morgan said. “It is truly inspiring to see the students take that initiative.”
To ensure random groupings, McAdams uses a deck of cards with correlating cards taped to groups of desks. Students have grown accustomed to entering the classroom, choosing a card from the deck, and getting to work. “The moment you get kids working in this format, they are automatically engaged,” McAdams said. “I hardly have to teach - they are inventing and discovering the math - they truly are mathematicians.”
Both teachers reflected on the traditional approach to teaching math “There’s usually no agency from the kids - they’re passively listening - no one asks, ‘I wonder.’” By using white-erase boards and markers, students are encouraged to make mistakes that are easily wiped away. The non-permanence of practicing with erasable boards encourages the trial and error process. In small groups, student leaders emerge and provide peer support throughout the learning process. The structures of support provided by the ‘thinking classrooms’ model closely align with the district’s Learning Forward approach to academic and social-emotional learning.
Students in McAdams and Morgan’s classes have largely adapted to the new ‘thinking classrooms’ model, which each teacher employs several times a week. “The moment you get kids working in this format they are automatically engaged,” McAdams said, “although some students are unhappy with not being able to ‘hide’ in the back of the room anymore, the expectation is that they’re in groups collaborating together, with a few exceptions for students with accommodations.” The teacher takes on the role of facilitator - circling the room to support and assist students where necessary. At the close of the lesson, the teacher reviews the essential skills of the day with the entire class to provide further clarification.
While the model is working well so far for Morgan and McAdams, there are still challenges and adjustments they continue to consider. McAdams looks forward to trying out different evaluation methods since standardized exams (which the entire department uses) stand in stark contrast to the dynamic nature of daily classroom instruction. “There are more layers to the structure of the thinking classroom that I have not explored yet…around homework, notes, assessments, and review” Morgan reflected. “I hope to explore these eventually and bring those ideas to my department. I hope to continue to see it evolve as more teachers try it.”
LilJedalh’s book may be geared towards math instruction, but Morgan notes that this work has started to evolve into other subjects. “I have joined a few Facebook groups for ELA, social studies, and sciences to see how these practices are implemented in other subjects. I want to eventually bring this to the whole school in a training to encourage teachers in other subject areas to try these methods and witness the power of the thinking classrooms.”
“Math is not for people who are good at it or bad at it; if you can navigate your life, you can do math,” McAdams said. “The ‘thinking classrooms’ model is providing students with much-needed reassurance.”
