How to Teach Deep Mathematical Thinking

Narrow, rigid math has “turned students off for generations,” says renowned researcher and Stanford mathematics professor Jo Boaler.  Yet teachers often don’t have much choice when it comes to math curriculum—what’s mandated by a school or district is what they need to teach. That’s where *rich tasks* can be transformative, Boaler argues, because they invite the type of reasoning and problem-solving that get kids digging in and taking risks.  In this episode of School of Practice, we’ll chat with Boaler—who’s spent decades studying math teaching—about how to choose, adapt, and improve math tasks; the power of reasoning and visualizing math questions; and the impact of tiny tweaks, like asking students: “Can you prove it to me visually?” Related resources: Learn more about this episode 5 Ways to Encourage Deep Mathematical Thinking Are We Teaching the Math Kids Need? Rough Draft Thinking Can Make Math Class More Inclusive Should More Time Be Spent Learning Math Facts? 7 Ways to Balance Joy With Rigor in Math Class If You’re Not Failing, You’re Not Learning Research: Productive Failure in Learning Math (2014) How to Build a Healthy Math Identity (video) 6 Unproductive Ways to Learn Math Basics—and What to Do Instead Math-ish YouCubed: Moving from Maths Anxiety (video) YouCubed: Math-ish in the Classroom YouCubed: Jo Teaching a Visual Dot Card Number Talk YouCubed: Fluency without Fear YouCubed: Wise Investments, Big Returns: Prioritizing Teachers for Districtwide Mathematics Success