Allison Dyer

4/6/20
Rough-Draft Talk in Mathematics Classrooms

Chapter By Five
Response Guide

1. Summarize the key points & respond

These texts introduce the concept of rough-draft talk in the

mathematics classroom. In this concept, all mathematical thinking
is posed as some form of a draft. Initial thinking about a topic or
concept would be considered a rough-draft, whereas thinking that
has been altered, extended, or refined would be considered a
revised-draft. In such a framework, mathematical thinking might
never be considered a “finished-draft,” as there is always room to
further justify or extend thinking. The purpose of this concept is to
encourage students to share their thinking at all stages so that
everyone in the classroom may build off of one another’s ideas.
Thus, all mathematical thinking is valued as it can serve as a
stepping stone toward furthering understanding. The goal is
evolution of thought and positive student mathematical ideas--not a
“correct” answer.

The concept of rough-draft talk serves to rehumanize the

classroom by positioning all student contributions, in any form and
at any stage, as valuable to the learning of all. Therefore, more
students will feel safe to contribute to classroom dialogue, which
will lead to expanded learning for all members of the classroom.
The three guiding practices for rough-draft talk are: “foster a
culture supportive of intellectual risk taking,” “promote the belief
that learning mathematics involves revising understanding over
time,” and “raise students’ statuses by expanding on what counts
as a valuable contribution.” Such principles can be implemented
by: labeling talk as rough-draft so that students know to engage in
nonevaluative idea sharing, providing frequent opportunities for
revision so that students may continue to develop their thinking,
and strategically calling on students in order to highlight their
contributions and position all students as mathematicians.
2. Quotes & responses

a. “Revising your thinking isn’t fixing a mistake; it’s taking

your ideas and refining them, extending them, connecting
them, justifying them in different ways.”

Often, even adults and teachers may neglect to value the

importance of revision. Math classrooms traditionally value
correct answers over deep thinking, and such a mindset can
easily get ingrained. I like that this definition of revision
leaves space for growth, even if one does not alter their
original premise. There is always room for strengthening the
justification or understanding. For example, during this
week’s math problem, I came up with a generalized equation
that appears to match the findings of my peers. However,
through observing Kathy’s thinking, I was able to gain
insight regarding the connection of natural number sums to
Pascal’s Triangle. This allowed me to revise my thinking by
extending the conception of my rough-draft. Though my
“answer” did not change, having the opportunity to revise
my thinking allowed me to see a connection to another
mathematical concept.

b. “Sharing thinking at any stage helps everyone keep

learning. We talk to learn. We revise our thinking to
continue to learn. Our thinking is always evolving.”

This statement really helps to connect and sum up ideas that

I have been exposed to in other courses. Many of my
courses have expressed the importance of talking through
ideas, as this helps students to formulate their thoughts. I
have learned that this process is especially important for
emerging multilinguals and some students with disabilities.
Further, my Education Psychology course exposed me to the
merits of Constructivism as a means of learning. Finally, my
Secondary Methods course emphasized the importance of
critical thinking as a means of exercising and therefore
strengthening the brain. Prior to this program, I did not
necessarily understand the importance of dialogue within
math classrooms. Talking through ideas tends to be
 associated with humanities courses instead. As mathematics
teachers, I think it is so important for us to understand and
value the role of dialogue and its role in the evolution of
thought.

3. Questions for discussion & reflection

a. I recognize that rough-draft thinking can represent a mindset

or lens through which to view student contributions.
Regarding specifically tagging discussions as rough-drafts
and providing opportunities for revising drafts, how often
would it make sense to explicitly implement these practices?

b. During the video presentation, Jansen noted that we should

be cautious about whose thinking and which ways of
expressing thought are being positioned as rough-drafts
versus revised drafts. How can we ensure that we are being
equitable in how we are presenting ideas? Similar to the way
that many teachers think they are calling on boys and girls
equally when they are actually calling on boys more
frequently, could our own biases limit our self-evaluation?
How can we evaluate this positioning of thinking
objectively?

c. In the example of raising status, Jakeel seems quite willing

to share his point of confusion in front of the class. The
classroom must have felt like quite a safe environment to
facilitate such risk-taking. Early in the school year when
students were not yet comfortable with rough-draft talk, I
imagine that such an effort to raise status could have had the
opposite effect. Do students need to be reasonably
comfortable with rough-draft talk and risk-taking in the
classroom before we make such efforts to raise status?
Should we initially focus on raising status in ways that
require less risk-taking by the students?
d. How can we best ensure that we are making the practice of
rough-draft talk accessible to emerging multilinguals and
students with disabilities? It seems beneficial to have
students talk with a partner first in order to help students
find the language to explain their thinking. Does doing so
 defeat the purpose of rough-draft thinking by having
students revise their thinking prior to sharing with the class?
Should all students be sharing their rough-draft thinking to
the whole class initially with extra talking time provided to
students who benefit from extra processing time? I guess I
am trying to figure out how rough-draft thinking would tie
in with other strategies we read about this week.

4. Connections across readings

Early in the semester, I frequently used the term “misconception”

in relation to math. We have talked about this term briefly during
this course. I suppose this term could be viewed as a more positive
and impermanent alternative to the term “wrong.” However, the
idea of rough-draft thinking has helped me to see why the term
“misconception” could be unproductive or even harmful. Such a
term does not value all contributions and instead frames some
thinking as incorrect or unworthy. From the perspective of rough-
draft talk, however, such stages of thinking are instead positioned
as valuable insights that can help to further learning. By reframing
these ideas, we emphasize that ideas do not have to be complete or
“correct” to help further understanding.

These texts connected to prior class discussions and readings

around the concepts of mathematical assets and raising student
status. Such texts have discussed how teachers can raise student
status by modeling for students how to recognize and appreciate
diverse mathematical assets. I had curiosity regarding effective
ways to encourage students to authentically value and appreciate
all assets. Rough-draft talk seems to present an opportunity for
developing authentic appreciation among students, as all students
will become accustomed to sharing undeveloped thoughts.
Therefore, students can actively see how rough-draft thoughts of
others act to further their own thinking.

5. Classroom application

I did in fact see implementation of the “Which One Doesn’t

Belong” activity during my practicum experience. I was previously
unaware of the activity and pleasantly surprised to see students
explaining their varied thoughts regarding why each of the options
could be justified as the option that does not belong. It was new for
me to see a problem posed that had so many paths for varied
thinking as opposed to limited “correct” answers. I like the idea of
this activity as a way to engage students while encouraging them to
employ rough-draft talk.

I love the concept of rough-draft thinking and intend to implement

the process and mindset within my teaching practices. This
presents such a great opportunity to help build mathematical asset
recognition, from students as well as teachers, into everyday class
practices. Similarly, this also helps to build status promotion into
class practices as well. I also appreciate how this concept helps to
reframe the value of all thoughts, which helps build student
mathematical identities and encourages students in lifelong
learning.