Math Talk Script
It’s hard to imagine anything more distasteful than “scripting” instruction. Does anything suck the life out of a classroom more than those old “Saxon”-type math programs that attempted to tell you what to say and when to say it? Understanding that’s the perspective I’m using to approach the topic, let’s free our minds to explore how having some questioning strategies in your pocket can be a productive thing.
For context, let’s quickly review the basic principles from the last two articles. First, we need to consider our talk ratio. In short, students must speak about their mathematical thinking much more than we speak to them about what they should be thinking. Second, there are proven and successful ways to encourage this—like short, open-ended questions that put students in the position to experience success with a response that isn’t binary (“right” or “wrong.”)
Now is when we mix in the magic of collaboration. Discourse in the math classroom is the cousin of collaboration; one isn’t as effective without the other. The best math talk is structured to create opportunities for students to discuss their thinking with you and each other.
There are all kinds of things you can do as a facilitator to maximize small-group work. More on that another time... For now, I will share my “go-to” question set that works with any small group of students at any age across all demographics. It’s a three-parter.
Question One (to Student 1): “Can you explain your thinking?”
You might remember that question from the “Questioning Strategies…” article. It’s a powerful five-word opener that enables students to discuss what they’re doing at any given moment. Here are some tips to get the most out of the question:
We will assume that students are engaged in a reasonably “high-level task.” (More on that later too…)
Look around the room for a student who is engaged and producing something. It honestly doesn’t matter what they are doing—as long as they are doing something that they can describe and that is at least roughly related to the task at hand. Remember that, at this point in the process, the binary concepts of “right” and “wrong” aren’t your priority. Your only concern right now is to get the ball rolling within one small group of students.
Ask the student the question and let it hang there. Wait time is an amazing thing, and almost every teacher I’ve ever worked with doesn’t take adequate advantage of it.
Be ready to encourage the student with additional, open-ended prodding. “Can you tell us what you’ve written here…” “Can you see if Student 2 understands what you’ve written…”
Question Two (to Student 2): “Can you tell me what Student 1 just said?”
This question has been one of the biggest game-changers for my teachers and coachees. When your first student responds to Question One, drop this little nugget on the student sitting next to them. The most likely outcome is that the student was not listening. Let’s unpack that.
Summarizing is a learning objective in and of itself and a muscle that gets exercised in other subject areas. When students can’t effectively repeat or summarize another student’s thoughts, it is rarely because they lack the skill—it’s nearly always because they weren’t listening.
The reason they weren’t listening isn’t completely their problem. The “culture” of most math classrooms has developed over time to value one voice over all others. In fact, we tend to devalue student voices in the name of “classroom management.” Students are frequently taught - directly or indirectly - to value the teacher’s voice at the expense of each other’s or their own.
So don’t be surprised when this question fails on the first try. Rather, use it to evaluate your instructional culture and revisit the classroom norms that have allowed productive discourse, collaboration, and listening to erode.
When the student does not respond — or responds with “I don’t know…” or “I wasn’t listening…” — put aside judgment or correction and offer them this:
“You can ask Student 1 to repeat themself.”
Remember before when I said this was “game-changing?” This is where the game changes. When I guest teach as a coach, I use this technique in whole groups, and teachers are always amazed at the positive effect. A lot is going on here. To begin, the teacher establishes the importance of the student’s voice by stopping and allowing it to be heard again. Simultaneously, the person not listening has created a bit of an inconvenience. All of this works together to reinforce the idea that it’s easier and more acceptable to listen in the first place! I swear - it works. I’ve seen entire classrooms change their behavior in a single class session.
Question 3 (to Student 3): “Do you agree with Student 1?”
Now is the time to “close the loop.” Looking for agreement is a powerful move that can and should be used in all group-size settings. This simple question opens many opportunities. The desired response is choice-based versus binary. It is analytical and open-ended. It encourages higher-level thinking.
Again, don’t be alarmed when you have to prompt a little. Before your climate is developed, you will likely get binary responses. Be ready, at all times, to follow a shallow response with “tell me WHY.”
