There were too many challenges to count during the emergency virtual instruction period. Some issues were a factor of time, some were a factor of money, and some were not easily defined. The question I was asked most often by overburdened teachers was: How do we build number sense during distance learning?
SHORT ANSWER: We must focus our small group instruction on reasoning! Jo Boaler, Stanford University defines number sense as “interacting with numbers flexibly.” And flexibility requires reasoning. Period.
Ways to Build Number Sense & Reasoning Virtually:
I have worked hard to get even my youngest learners to see that mathematics is about putting numbers/shapes together and taking them apart in different ways to best suit your needs at the time. We do this as young as kindergarten and it begins with number talks . Reasoning skills are also developed without numbers. Consider “Which One Doesn’t Belong?” and other open-ended activities.
- Schedule at least one small group/meeting per week with leveled groups with the primary purpose of NUMBER REASONING. (Ideas below!)
- As early as 2nd grade, learners can explore ideas in small groups virtually on a shared document, without a teacher (eventually).
- Assign small tasks for students in pairs or small groups virtually, and follow up by having them compare and contrast their work with another group.
- Example: “Compare your Number of the Day slide with Erik and Ava’s slide. Post three things you noticed in Google Classroom.“
- Within your leveled groups, teach some lessons using predictable patterns. You can do this with a Kahoot (Search Math Viking for some great options!)
- You can do this with simple games, like “Beat the Teacher” where learners must figure out how to use patterns to compute mentally in order to say the answer before you type it. Download a free template below with some sample games!
We learn by taking things apart and putting them back together!
Thinking about and talking about numbers as flexible quantities is an ESSENTIAL building block for developing any understanding of units (place value). Number composition/decomposition and the infinite number line are big ideas that can slip through the enormous cracks of virtual instruction.
Make reasoning about numbers a daily part of math class.
Making deeper, more lasting connections about mathematics has been the focus of NCTM and the academic elite for decades. They brought about big changes at the earliest instructional levels. … and then the Corona hit the fan. PLEASE! DON’T STOP NOW! Whatever you do, find a way to do it with reasoning! Remember: The more we give students, the more we take from them.
These Number of the Day templates were designed to allow for some exploration and reasoning. They are simple to differentiate by offering a choice of numbers, and so much fun to use with your own, “Mystery Number of the Day!” The feedback on the printable versions was so tremendous, I had to figure out how to carry that over to the computer. Honestly, many tasks still demand freehand, so my students use both. I couldn’t love these more. (Read about “Number of the Day” here.)
“Our number of the day was 238 and their’s was 5,422, so both of our numbers added up to 13 when you totaled up the digits. Also, both numbers were even so they were multiples of 2, but they picked a 4 digit number and we picked a 3 digit number, so that was different.”
“When we broke the number apart, we both broke apart our numbers into tens and ones for our first example! So ours was 23 tens and 8 ones. Theirs was 542 tens and 2 ones.
“Their number was way bigger so they had a lot more ways they could break apart their number. Next time we are picking a bigger number.”
We MUST focus our small group time on reasoning! Here are some more options: Check out the links below. I am sure you have tried Splat, Esti-Mysteries, Open Middle, Estimation 180, 3 Act Lessons and Same But Different and Mash Up Math…
BUT have you tried Tell Me Everything, Math Pickle, Math Spy, Convince Me That, SolveMe Mobiles or Speed Dating Number Talks? Many of these are as easy to use via Zoom, as they are in the room!
What have you found that worked with your virtual math groups? Let’s work together here and share our best ideas! Let’s chat about it over on the Math Viking Facebook page.
