Some students just don’t talk and it seems like this year I have a class of learners that don’t want to participate. I wanted to find ways to increase participation in class, especially in math. This led me to make these math discussion prompts.
To build this routine and make students familiar with using them, we do a morning math problem. All students come to the carpet with a white board and pen, work to solve a problem, and then a student helper leads us through the question. I pass out prompt cards so that each student has a question to ask the student teacher. For some learners, they don’t even know what to ask. I find having that card in their hand helps even the most reluctant student. I am confident that through continued practice, these questions will become a part of the class culture and language.
My next plan is to provide table groups with these cards as a way to go over classwork or homework problems.
If I want to create a classroom where math talk is an expectation, I have to provide the scaffolding my students need to make that independent practice a reality.
