Town Hosts Problem-Solving TLC Workshop

As part of our collaboration with Reimagined Teaching, Town hosted educators from across the city to highlight the work we have been doing around 3rd grade Math problem solving. Attendees explored how we use rich, non-routine tasks, and how these tasks can be used to develop our students capacity to problem-solve, think critically, and engage in productive struggle. 

In the afternoon, participants had an opportunity to visit Evelyn Driscoll’s 3rd grade classroom where they watched our students engage in a challenging mathematical task. After the classroom visit, teachers reflected on how children owned the learning and how empowered they were to think, question, and disagree with each other. The visiting teachers were amazed by how children collaborated and how supportive they were of each other as learners. They also commented on the beautiful learning culture that’s been developed by Ms. Driscoll and noticed how powerful a coach-teacher partnership can be (participants had watched Ms. Collins plan the launch of the problem and co-teach the lesson with Ms. Driscoll). 

Here’s some highlights from participants’ observations about Town students’ ability to engage in high-level learning. They saw students

• genuinely puzzling and being okay with not knowing.
• be willing to try the task even when the problem “felt tricky.”
• engaged in a whole-class discussion where they listened to each other, built on each other’s ideas, and were willing to change their thinking in light of new information. 
• empowered to advocate for their own needs during work time (“I need to be by myself for a minute because you’re talking too much.”). 
• respectfully collaborating and exhibiting the kind of emotional Intelligence that enabled them to inquire into their partners ideas and feelings (“I noticed you haven’t said anything yet. Are you feeling okay?”).
• a classroom culture where making mistakes is the norm and a fundamental part of the learning process.