My New Mathematical Mindset

I'm really sad that I came across this book, Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler, after 8 years of teaching because I think of the past 8 years and how differently I could have been teaching math. However, the past is in the past and while I may not have been teaching math the best way, I did make sure my students enjoyed math even if they felt they "weren't good at math".

After reading this book I have come up with my list of things I will do moving forward in my math instruction:

• I will tell my students on the very first day of school that they are all mathematicians and everyone of them will enjoy math at some point this school year. I will no longer allow them to say "I'm not good at math" or "I'm not a math person".
• I will establish the seven math norms created by Jo Boaler in my classroom to help set my expectations of them as math students in my classroom. (see my posters here)
• I will no longer use programs that encourage fast recall of math facts.
• I will use low floor, high ceiling tasks that will push all students to work at the highest level.
• I will no longer assign meaningless homework, but rather have students reflect on what they learned that day.
• I will push my students to create a visual representation of problems.
• I will allow my students to explore first rather than teach methods/procedures.
• I will ask my students to reason and critique others by convincing themselves, convincing a friend, and convincing a skeptic.
• I will teach students to work together by establishing group norms and roles.
• I will make sure my students know I am not necessarily looking for an answer, but rather how they get there (and that there are often multiple ways to get there).
• I will provide constructive feedback and take the focus off of the grade.
• I will give assessments for learning that will allow my students to see where they are now, where they need to be, and provide feedback for ways to close the gap.
• I will slow down and go deep into math topics rather than rush through them to keep on pace with the curriculum guide.
• I will provide real-world context for math problems when appropriate.

While this list seems long, many of the things I am already doing some form of it in my classroom, this list is more to hold me accountable as I begin looking at my lessons in the beginning of the year.

Next up on my reading list is the Mindset Mathematics, Grade 5 by Jo Boaler, Jen Munson, and Cathy Williams!