Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions

by Elham Kazemi, Allison Hintz

Math teachers know the first step to meaningful mathematics discussions is to ask students to share how they solved a problem and make their thinking visible; however, knowing where to go next can be a daunting task. In Intentional How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions , authors Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz provide teachers with a framework for planning and facilitating purposeful math talks that move group discussions to the next level while achieving a mathematical goal.Through detailed vignettes from both primary and upper elementary classrooms, the authors provide a window into how teachers lead discussions and make important pedagogical decisions along the way. By creating equitable opportunities to share ideas, teachers can orient students to one another while enforcing that all students are sense makers and their ideas are valued. They examine students' roles as both listeners and talkers, offering numerous strategies for improving student participation.Intentional Talk includes a collection of lesson planning templates in the appendix to help teachers apply the right structure to discussions in their own classrooms.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development, Mathematics

168 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2014

Reviews

[Sarah Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book at a reading conference. Although it doesn't make this claim I was hoping the strategies would translate to reading but they don't. I found the description of different mathematical discussions helpful. I am excited to use the discussion formats in my classroom next year. I hope that it will give me more purpose in my math discussions. I was a little disappointed in the book because I was hoping it would give me more guidance on how to set up my classroom to be more discussion friendly. It did have some tips for how to get discussions going but not as many as I had hoped. That is the reason I gave it four instead of five stars.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh okay, THIS is what we're supposed to be doing during math conversations! I wish this had been part of my initial CGI training. There are six discussion structures in the book, but I frankly didn't understand one of them so I think it's maybe because it doesn't apply to the youngest kids. (It was the only chapter without a K/1/2 example.)

1) Open Strategy Share is the one that I was already doing. Present a problem, have kids solve it, and then share and discuss the different ways they arrived at a solution.

2) Compare and Connect can naturally follow and Open Strategy Share. Take 2 different approaches and have kids think through how they are similar and different, why they both work, and possibly if one is preferred in a particular situation.

3) What's Best and Why? links easily to Compare and Connect as students look at 2-3 strategies for problem solving and discuss which is most efficient and why.

4) Define and Clarify will be SO HELPFUL in my TK class as I prompt kids to think about how to record their counting collections, introduce tools like a number line or hundred chart, and notation for equations.

5) Troubleshoot and Revise - YES. The throughline of the book is setting and living norms in the classroom that make risk-taking and mistakes okay, as well as talking openly about them. Troubleshoot and Revise is a discussion strategy to make that work visible and explicit as students discuss something confusing or when a strategy doesn't work when they think it should.

6) Why? Let's Justify is the discussion structure that confused me. It seems to be an elementary-friendly way of having students develop proofs for strategies or rules. I found even the example vignettes hard to follow and am not sure it applies in a TK classroom. Will have to do more research on this one.

Overall, I liked this book because it gave me a clear way to structure my math conversations and a path to getting better at supporting students in thinking deeply about math. There are lots of sentence starters I can use as a teacher and the planning guides in the appendix will certainly be helpful. The text leaned a little too heavily on classroom vignettes and I wish there had been more examples by grade level of strategies that would be useful to discuss with each structure.

Definitely recommended as a foundational text for CGI math instruction!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving Mathematical instruction from a focus on computation and memorization has been a goal for Math teachers for many years now. Getting students to “think mathematically” is what Intentional Talk is all about. The authors provide discussion structures that encourage students to compare, connect, justify, clarify and revise their thinking through lively discussions with their peers. There are many examples of these strategies included in the book and planning templates in an appendix.

[David Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great focus on elementary intentional talk. By the time we get to secondary, that productive math discussion seems to evaporate unless someone has a perception different than the norm. There are great suggestions on how to approach being respectful and careful in exploring this divergent minority opinion. Good read for elementary teachers!

[Reagan Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! This book is a great read whether you’re a new teacher or a veteran teacher. I will definitely use this in my role as an instructional coaching and will refer back to it frequently.

[Meghan Briscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great teacher resource! Happy I’ve read it.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read with lots of really great ideas if you teach elementary math.

[Erica Sonzogni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not and currently do not consider myself to be a "math person". That being said, last year I was moved to a second grade all subjects position whereas previously I had only been in the older grades solely teaching Language Arts. Due to my position move, I felt I needed to brush up on my math skills since they had been dormant for close to 7 years. The class I took that utilized this text was great. This book gave me many simple strategies that I could use during our math discussions. Even though I would not create an additional plan for my discussions (like the books suggested and even game templates to help with the process), I have already begun incorporating the techniques naturally and they are making my math discussions even deeper and more fulfilling for my students.

[Embracing the Spectrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific book for helping teachers learn how to facilitate meaningful mathematical discussions with their students! I thoroughly enjoyed the book with the vignettes and the planning templates included. Wonderful!

[Mandy Robek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for fostering math discussions on our classrooms. Classroom scenarios make the strategies come to life. Detailed models of planning templates. Names what many of us are doing making our work more intentional.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas for number talks and guiding students to explore and discuss mathematical concepts.

[Deanna Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It goes along with the classroom discussions book well.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great ideas for structuring math conversations. I'm not sure I have the depth of content knowledge required to lead some of the types of convos they talk about, but the premise is strong.

[Tracy Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on developing math talk in the elementary classrooms. Excellent strategies for incorporating math talk and supporting all learners.