3 Activities to Support Student Voice in Math

Every mathematician should have the opportunity to be heard within their math community. Some mathematicians communicate only when they know for certain that they have the right answer—which hinders their communication skills in math. It’s important for the math classroom to provide students with time to communicate more than just recalling information or answers. Shifting away from that mindset and helping students see the power of using their voice to gain perspective and feedback from their peers will only benefit them in the future.

We’ve observed that providing intentional times for learners to converse around math topics can help promote student voice in the math classroom and build their confidence. Below are three activities we use to empower mathematicians to use their voice during math class.

1. Math Around the Room

The Math Around the Room activity is structured to allow students the chance to move around the room and talk about the math problems they see displayed. It’s best for problems to be posted in vertical spaces in a way that gives students space to huddle around a common math problem.

Mathematicians individually solve, share their answer aloud, and then justify their work to the other students in the group. We’ve seen this activity really get kids talking. They start asking things like, “Why did you solve it that way?” or “How did you come up with that answer?” Students could travel with partners, or they could discuss the problems with the other mathematicians who are standing around the same math problem.

We have seen this activity work well at the start of the unit to get students talking about what they know regarding a specific math standard and also a useful tool at the end of a math unit to act as a review. As students finish discussing a math problem, they can move to the next problem hanging up in the room. This activity promotes perspective taking, collaboration, and confidence in justifying thinking. 

2. A Grand Mathematical Conversation

During a grand conversation, mathematicians arrange themselves in a circle, ready for a mathematical discussion. The teacher is on the outside of the circle to give mathematicians control over the conversation. This format focuses less on turn taking and more on listening and sharing intentionally. You might set students up for success by reviewing what could come up in their discussion, such as answers, strategies for solving, or tricky/confusing parts, and display some sentence stems for students to use when they share.

Conversation should flow organically, and students can be coached to balance their own talking time with listening time. They can also be on the lookout for peers who want to jump in, or those who haven’t contributed yet, and then invite them into the conversation by asking, “What do you think?” or “Do you have something to share?”

A grand conversation positions the students’ voices at the center, giving them ownership over the answer, the strategies, the confusion, and the success. It builds confidence as students speak to the group and they make connections with each other, noticing what is the same and different about the way they think and communicate that thinking. We’ve found that students are thoughtful in how they express their thinking, mindful not to dominate the conversation, and attentive to inviting others in.

3. Mathematician of the Month

Teachers share a famous mathematician’s story monthly and encourage students to reflect on how the mathematician’s voice had a positive impact on society. This is an opportunity for students to notice how mathematicians use their voice in their work. It reminds students that all voices start in the classroom. For this activity, you’ll want to include a variety of mathematicians, with diverse stories and backgrounds, from all over the world, from the past and present.

Begin by introducing the mathematician’s story with a book, a poem, or a video clip. Then, invite students to discuss what they noticed about the mathematician—how they used their voice and what they stood for. If time allows, students can share what they’ve learned, reflect on the importance of using their voice through writing or drawing, or explore issues that the mathematician cared about. While reading Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13, by Helaine Becker, illustrations by Dow Phumiruk, students saw the importance of Johnson’s work as a mathematician in the U.S. space program. Then, they explored their own passions and were encouraged to “find the math,” building confidence as they realized how often they use math beyond the classroom.

All of these activities promote perspective for young mathematicians in a math community. By building their perspective, we’re helping their confidence grow and strengthening their flexible thinking. Some math students feel that their only purpose for speaking in the math classroom is to share their correct answer without any mistakes. Others refrain from participating—worried about being wrong. The goal is to help students find comfortable and authentic ways to speak up and participate in math conversations, making them feel and believe that math is for everyone, not just a select few.

The activities above provide purposeful practice for students to use their voice in a flexible way. Try one of these routines in your classroom, and you’ll see how students take ownership of not only the answers and strategies, but also their identities as mathematicians.