Course Description

This course on number talks will provide educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate meaningful math dialogue in the classroom. The course will cover key strategies for incorporating daily routines to solve problems using mental math and critical thinking skills. Number talks are short instructional routines about a particular problem that have been crafted to evaluate and demonstrate the key foundational ideas of mathematics and solve them using mental math. The end goal is computational fluency for students. Number Talks help students notice relationships with numbers and operations to build fluency and number sense.

In this course, you will explore the reasons why using Number Talks ensures rigor and high expectations for students through fostering and encouraging students to have meaningful discourse about numbers using this instructional routine that is equitable for all students as it allows students to see and discuss multiple ways of solving the same problem resulting in a deeper understanding of the math and their own ideas.  This supports student ownership of their learning. This instruction includes opportunities for students to use critical reasoning, take mathematical risks, and grasp a growth mindset to learn from mistakes.

Throughout the course, educators reflect on their teaching practices and develop a plan for incorporating number talks in their classrooms. The goal of the course is to empower educators to become confident and competent teachers prepared to engage students in meaningful math dialogue.

Essential Questions

• What is the most efficient way to intentionally engage students in high-quality dialogue about mathematical concepts and reasoning?
• What is the relationship between number talks and developing students’ identities as mathematicians?
• What role do number talks play in developing students’ math reasoning and fluency?

Danielson Teacher Framework Course Alignment