Number Talks and Three Different Ways

As we get older and we have been doing math for quite a while, it's easy to just "think of the answer" when you have to solve a math problem. We are taught to "think in our heads" or "just know it". But do you ever stop to think, "how did I actually come up with the answer?" The answer doesn't just pop into your head- you actually used a strategy to solve the problem, even if you do it without realizing it.

In Grade 3, we're pushing for this kind of thinking- conceptual thinking. Thinking about why or how is this the answer, rather than "this is the answer". One way of doing this is through a strategy called Number Talk. A Number Talk is exactly that- when you discuss a number (or an operation, later on) and think of all the things that come into your head when you think of the number. What do you know about this number? This strategy helps students in a number of ways: it reassures them that they all have some background knowledge they can use (even if it's just "this is a 2-digit number"), it makes them expand their thinking beyond "getting the answer", and more importantly, it pushes them to communicate this thinking- to make it visible.

Here's an example of what a number talk looks like. You can see that we came up with basic descriptions: it's a number, it's even, etc, but we also started to think about the number in a deeper way: what are its place values, what two numbers can you add, subtract, multiply or divide to get 36. The cool thing about a Number Talk is that everyone can contribute, regardless of their understanding level.

An extension of the Number Talk thinking strategy, is another simple one called "Three Different Ways". As the name suggests, it asks students to solve a problem using three different strategies. Again, this pushes students to think beyond just "getting the answer" and really explain their thinking. This is definitely a challenge for some of the students who are not used to showing their work or explaining their thinking, but it's a great way of challenging everyone to dig a little deeper and expand their thinking a bit more. 

Check out an example of a student using the "Three Different Ways" strategy to solve a math word problem:

Do it at home!

I encourage you to try a number talk with your child at home! Pick any number and try to come up with as many things about it as you can. If you're up for it, try the "Three Different Ways" strategy as well. Write down a math operation (60 + 43, for example), and ask your child to show you how to solve this in three different ways (or more!).