Making Number Talks Matter: Developing Mathematical Practices and Deepening Understanding, Grades 3-10

Making the transition to student-centered learning begins with finding ways to get students to share their thinking, something that can be particularly challenging for math class. Authors Ruth Parker and Cathy Humphreys introduce. Making Number Talks Matter: Developing Mathematical Practices and Deepening Understanding, Grades 3-10, taking the readers into classrooms where their Number Talks routines are taught. Parker and Humphreys apply their 15 minute lessons to inspire and initiate math talks. Through vignettes in the book, you'll meet other teachers learning how to listen closely to students and how to prompt them into figuring out solutions to problems. You will learn how to make on-the-spot decisions, continually advancing and deepening the conversation. Making Number Talks Matter includes: Sample Problems: Filled with a range of Number Talks problems, 10-15 minute warm-up routines that lend themselves to mental math and comparison of strategies Navigating Rough Spots: Learn how to create a safe environment fortrickyor challenging student discussions that can arise when talking through problems and sharing ideas Responding to Mistakes: Ways to handle misconceptions and mathematical errors that come up during the course of Number Talk conversations Making Number Talks Matter is filled with teaching tips for honoring student contributions while still correcting errors, and teaching concepts while nudging independent thinking. Whether you are an elementary, middle school, or high school teacher, through daily practice and open conversation, you can build a solid foundation for the study of mathematics and Make Number Talks Matter.

Cathy Humphreys is currently a doctoral student at Stanford University, where she studies mathematics teaching and learning. She has taught grades 2-12 in the California public schools for thirty years, has worked as an instructor for the Mathematics Education Collaborative and for Math Solutions, and has served as a mathematics coach for the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative. She is thecoauthor, with Jo Boaler, ofConnecting Mathematical Ideas (Heinemann, 2005).

Ruth Parker is a former classroom teacher and has spent over 20 years leading professional development for math teachers in grades K-12. She is currently the CEO of the Mathematics Education Collaborative, preparing the next generation of mathematics teacher leaders for Washington state.

She received her master's degree and her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. "Nothing is more satisfying than watching my students develop a sense of agency, a curiosity about new mathematical ideas, and an awareness that they have mathematical ideas worth sharing," Ruth says of her love of teaching.

Ruth loves to hike, especially in the Pacific Northwest, and playing with her grandchildren.