Thinking Together: 9 Beliefs for Building a Mathematical Community

Want students to understand―really understand―and retain the math they’re learning? Focus on building your classroom community first.

In Thinking Together, veteran teachers Rozlynn Dance and Tessa Kaplan explore nine beliefs that lead to a powerful community of learners. When students are part of a classroom where they feel valued and included, they are more likely to take risks, ask questions, and grow exponentially as mathematicians.

Rozlynn and Tessa tell us, “We must create a kind, caring, trusting community of learners who feel comfortable tackling the unknown, taking risks, and making mistakes.” This book doesn’t pretend teaching is simple―instead, it celebrates the potential in the everyday messiness of learning together. Each chapter includes:

• opportunities to reflect on your practice through an exploration of beliefs such as “Mistakes are great!” and “It’s not just about the answer”
• practical guidance for building your classroom community through student-centered strategies and classroom examples
• “When Things Don’t Seem to be Working” sections for troubleshooting common challenges and adapting to teaching that doesn’t go as planned.

An environment fine-tuned for learning creates conditions in which your students can thrive as mathematical thinkers. Thinking Together will help shape your beliefs about what it means to be a learning community and provide support for building those beliefs into your classroom.

Rozlynn Dance is a first grade teacher in Federal Way, Washington with more than a decade of elementary classroom experience. She has worked closely with colleagues developing curriculum and providing mathematical professional development for K–5 teachers.

Tessa Kaplan is a K–6 Instructional Coach in Shoreline, Washington who is passionate about helping young children truly believe in themselves as mathematicians. She has 10 years of classroom teaching experience in public schools in Brooklyn and Washington State.