Highlights from last night's #connectedTL slow chat

Q1:  What's an example of a useless math question?

• Lame question: "Any questions?" Better: "What questions do you still have?" Best: "What question might someone ask?"
• Unproductive Struggle: T says you can only do it 1 way--my way, even if another path works better for Ss

Q2:  How can Ts transform classrooms into "empowerment centers"

• We can turn Ss into content creators! Empower them to value the journey, not just the destination! 
• Provide time and space to explore, create and discover on their own & with one another with opportunities to share
• cultivate growth mindset culture, embracing struggle, PRAISING perseverance, & giving opportunities for Ss to teach Ss & T

Q3:  How can teachers make the mistake/learning process real for their students?

• Model, model, model. they can see right through an imposter, so just fess up and admit you don't know everything
• Perfection isn't the goal. /Growth/ is the goal. /Risk-taking/ is the goal.
• Ts need to model recovering from mistakes so Ss can see that.
• Ss need to have opps to fail, opps to struggle, opps to be successful, over time, not a prescription, sequenced
• Must create a culture where a wrong answer isn't the end of the process - Failure as First Attempt, but certainly not last
• Process over product. Say out loud, "I don't care if it's right. How did you get there?"
• make them aware of this productive struggle process & praise the hell out of it when they bust through.

Q4:  How can math teaches make students' voice more prominent?

• when my Ss were reluctant to contribute I loved asking for "wrong" answers/approaches/ methods Always jumpstarted the convo
• Don't repeat them when they're quiet.
• "Maria, louder and slower. We can't hear you up front."
• Provide open ended prompts where Ss explain thinking, Ts provide opps for Ss to share out in multiple ways

Q5:  How are @timsmccaffrey's "Tail-les problems" a shift in math curriculum?

• @ddmeyer
• In a word, ambiguity.  Students aren't sure what the problem will ask, so they're letting their own curiosity go wild.

Q6:  How do we build confidence in math (especially with low-performers)?

• embrace mistakes. “Ooh that’s a good mistake..we can learn from that!” 
• Celebrate every wrong answer.
• Give props for "wrongest" answer (risk-taker). Let groups revise and present together.