At an education conference, I once heard a speaker pose the question, “Would you want to be a student in your classroom?” As a math coach and former math teacher, I kept turning this question over in my mind. 

What can we do, as teachers, with our reaction to this question? If we think the answer is “no,” how can we turn things around? If the answer is “yes,” how do we keep the answer yes? What are the small things we can do to amplify what we want students to know, understand, be able to do and experience in our math classrooms? 

Considering the elements that make math learning feel engaging and supportive for our students, I wanted to share five thoughts on what our students want from our time together.

Students want to feel safe failing forward. We need to build a positive culture that honors mistakes as a part of learning and growing. Students feel better about failing forward when they know they have a soft place to land. One of my favorite quotes from Nelson Mandela encapsulates this… ”I never lose. I either win or I learn.” Failing isn’t a loss, it’s an opportunity to learn!

Students want their growth to feel seen and celebrated. We know that fluency is a pillar in learning math. My school uses a program called XtraMath to build numeracy skills, and we celebrate every step of students’ growth. I give out “brag tags” after students hit certain milestones – little necklaces with charms that highlight the basic fact that they have been fluent in. Students seize on these as thrilling evidence that we’re invested in their progress. When they hit a new milestone, students will approach me excitedly asking, “Ms. Singleton, did you see my progress?” I love it! I am connected to all the classes in my building, so when the students pass a milestone, their progress is shared with me, and I provide the tangible incentives, printing their certificates as well as bringing them their “brag tags” for quick class celebrations.

Students want a say in the learning process … this is how they own it! Embracing student voice and choice works wonders regarding student investment in our classrooms. I like to provide a menu of tools students can use to make sense of their learning. I advocate for offering many ways students can demonstrate evidence of their learning and invite them to co-design assessments – from digital portfolios, real-world applications of math learning, or displays and newsletters. I also encourage students to serve as peer tutors, and it’s transformative when they can offer insights to one another and connect around math. This looks like ongoing check-ins from interest surveys and quick polls, including questions like, “What’s working? What’s not working? Where are you getting stuck?”

Students want to be ENGAGED! When math feels fun and engaging to our students, they want to learn. Building positive math cultures can include creating interactive bulletin boards where students collaboratively add their thinking. It can look like physically acting out math moves in “geometry calisthenics.” It can look like a project-based learning task to design a dream home. Taking the extra time to build moments of laughter and joy into the classroom goes a long way. 

Students want to see that we’re learning, too. As math educators and lifelong learners, we must constantly add to our math repertoire. When we don’t feel confident or our students consistently stumble over an area of our curriculum, we need to spend time honing our craft. I encourage my fellow educators to start small and focus: Pick one area at a time and seek out resources or coaching to grow your practice so you can feel more confident when introducing essential math concepts to your students. And, of course, draw on that student voice: Ask students what they like about your class, what instructional practices work well for them, and where they struggle. That type of input always helps me build my skills as a reflective educator and see my own glows and grows. It also helps remind students that we’re all in this together.