Mailbag: Building Thinking Classrooms, number talks & more with Zach Groshell (Ep 44)

What this episode covers

Dr. Anna Stokke and guest Dr. Zach Groshell answer listener questions in a special mailbag episode. They cover strategies for managing varying levels of math proficiency in the classroom, critique the Building Thinking Classrooms approach, and discuss whether number talks should be prioritized for developing math fact fluency. This discussion provides practical insights and critiques on current educational practices to help teachers improve math instruction. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 02:44 Listener Question: Differentiating Direct Instruction 05:52 Zach’s advice on differentiation 10:10 Listener Question: Building Thinking Classrooms 11:20 Are multiple access points effective? 15:14 Critique of Building Thinking Classrooms 19:03 Does research support using BTC? 20:53 Is everyone doing it wrong? 22:17 Observing BTC in action 23:46 Defining thinking and why mimicking is important 27:30 Permanent vs. non-permanent learning surfaces 29:04 The practicality of mini whiteboards 31:34 Advice from Anna & Zach on whether to use BTC 36:20 Listener question: Number talks and math fact fluency 37:53 Critique of number talks 40:09 Using effective methods for building math fact automaticity 42:19 Advice on mental math strategies 44:18 Using instructional time efficiently 46:21 Conclusion and book description RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES Ep 10 Maximizing learning through explicit instruction with Zach Groshell https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-px8h6-1443528 Ep 36 How to build automaticity with math facts: A practical guide https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-3ny3k-17323a9 Ep 2 Evidence-based teaching strategies with Paul Kirschner https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-zgw6i-13b33df Ep 3 The Science of Math with Amanda VanDerHeyden https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bksbz-13c732d Ep 23 Red flags in education research with Ben Solomon https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cp5xt-156072c Ep 29 Math fact crisis: strategies for improving numeracy with Brian Poncy https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-u9y84-165d773 Ep 30 Math Fluency matters with Brian Poncy https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-pj6z6-166741e Ep 41 Supporting students with math difficulties with Sarah Powell https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-ciqgm-17def6b EPISODE TRANSCRIPT https://www.annastokke.com/ep-44-transcript MUSIC Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it Website: www.annastokke.com X: @rastokke LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social