“I do” or “You do”?

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By Margaret Williams, MCTM VP Elementary

Please take a moment to answer this question:

What are your beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics?

We hear a lot this phrase a lot “I do–we do–you do” in discussions around elementary pedagogy.  I get a little uncomfortable imagining how this plays out in the math classroom, as it brings back memories of my own elementary experience where math meant listening to the teacher explain a procedure followed by students practicing in silence.  

Robert Berry, President of NCTM, recently blogged:

While “I do—we do—you do” might be effective for supporting proficiencies and practices in other content areas, I argue that “I do—we do—you do,” as practiced in many mathematics classrooms, focuses on doing processes and procedures with little understanding of how and why they work or the appropriate use of different processes and procedures and how they can be applied in varied mathematical situations.

Berry suggests that by flipping this mantra around, teachers can make students’ math experiences more inquiry-based.  The following link will take you to the blog post:

Thinking about Instructional Routines in Mathematics Teaching and Learning

As we embark on 2019, I’d like to challenge each of us to be more mindful of our beliefs in our daily actions.  

  • Reach out to colleagues to discuss instructional practices.  Perhaps bring Berry’s post to an upcoming PLC/collaboration.
  • Videotape one of your lessons or even a part of a lesson.  
    • Watch it by yourself.  
    • What do you notice?  What do you wonder?
    • What are the students doing?
    • What are you doing?
    • Where are the ideas coming from?
  • Listen more, talk less.
  • Enjoy yourself.

Happy New Year!