NUMBER TALKS
I love love love Number Talks (yes, triple love!) because the process fits so perfectly with what I believe about learning. Here are just a few of the reasons I love it so much:
- Often, the most effective instruction occurs in short powerful burst
- Instruction should always focus on essential learning that transcends beyond the scope of a single problem
- Students should do nearly all of the talking and thinking, not the teacher
- Good instruction should always explore multiple methods and solutions
If you attended our county professional development session on Tuesday, I hope you left eager to give Number Talks a try with your students. Below are a few resources for you to explore because one of the best ways to learn about Number Talks is to watch it in action and read more about it. I'll also post the information that we gave you at the session, too, so you can have a ton of great information to get you started on your journey (or to carry you to the next Number Talk destination on the journey you have already started).
Also, Ms. Parrish made a detailed video of one of her professional development sessions. You can watch that here. This 75-minute video does a nice job of helping lay the foundation for beginning Number Talks in your classroom.
Sherry Parrish has one of the most popular books on the market on Number Talks. It is so popular that when we ordered copies for our county, they were on backorder, so we're still waiting for them to arrive .... In the meantime, you can check out this article that Ms. Parrish wrote for NCTM or even explore the first chapter of her book for FREE.
During our own staff development, we shared a video of a primary teacher's Day One Number Talk session. Oftentimes, when we watch a video of an instructional strategy, it is obvious that the teacher has worked to master the skill. Truthfully, that can be frustrating because we're left to wonder, "How did they even get started?" So here is a teacher from Henry County demonstrating how she got started on Day One of the process. She also posted videos of Days 2, 3, and 4, as well. I think you'll find it to be a great use of your time to see the early stages of the process in action.
Slides from our Recent Professional Development
