The four keys to a math intervention strategy that empowers students

Math instruction has not been easy for teachers. They have all too often been asked to create their own materials, deal with shifting standards and to cover very ambitious curriculum pacing schedules.

And for students? If their teacher doesn’t love math and convey excitement about the math, how can students be asked to embrace it? Add in the impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and it’s clear how critical it is to build solid foundations in math for students, early in their educational careers.

At SpringMath, we’ve worked with K-8 organizations of all shapes and sizes. Many of us have also spent significant time in education.  While not everyone agrees on the correct approach to math instruction there are some basic principles that can be agreed upon. We’ve outlined 4 of them here.

1. Putting empathy back in math

The best classrooms approach math with empathy — teachers should take a judgment-free approach to student struggles. An important theme in research on how people learn is the common failing of many curricula, programs, and teachers to successfully take the perspective of a novice learner when designing instructional programming. As a result, the tactics used by teachers are not well-aligned with the needs of novice learners. Novice learners need explicit instruction, guided support with a gradual release, lots of modeling in how to think and problem-solve, and structured motivation and encouragement. High quality instruction at the students’ instructional level will accelerate progress and help students feel successful.

Extra credit:

Focus on progress: Use language that emphasizes putting forth a good effort and making progress each day rather than focusing on a specific score or target.
Provide motivations for students and celebrate achievements: Teachers know their students best and how to motivate them to succeed. This is a part of any effective instructional program. When your class hits a milestone be creative in your celebration with your students.

2. Use evidence-based tools and strategies

The right mix of tools, resources and intervention strategies drive student math achievement. It’s incumbent on districts to do their homework from the get-go and select math resources that are evidence-based and that have documented examples of success.

Extra credit:

Information overload: It’s not just you — so much information and material exists on math instruction strategies that research shows it’s difficult to distinguish between real and pseudoscience. Our recommendation? Work with a partner you can trust to vet, verify and stand behind solutions that will work for your district and students. Paul- should we plug NCII here as an exceptional and credible source?
Back to school: For a course content on math intervention, we found these modules and learning plans the most helpful based on what’s currently available.

3. Make math a family affair

Getting a student’s family involved in math learning can be a difference maker. “Math nights,” either virtual or in-person, are a great way to start engagement — teachers can even encourage the fun to happen at home. 

But the teacher/educator relationship around math should also include smart, actionable data on student progress that can be shared with parents in ways they can easily understand. Don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for practice materials that correspond to the skills your student is working on in school. We understand that time after school is scarce and many other valuable endeavors occur during those brief after-school hours. So, we believe that math learning primarily should occur at school; however, families should have access to their students’ math growth and learning. Additionally, board and card games that can be played for fun have benefits to students in the context of a fun family activity. General “math talk,” which can occur during routine life activities like grocery shopping, driving, and such, convey strong benefit to students. Did you know that children who heard more “math talk” experienced more robust math learning at school (Klibanoff, R. S., Levine, S. C., Huttenlocher, J., Vasilyeva, M., & Hedges, L. V. (2006). Preschool children's mathematical knowledge: The effect of teacher "math talk." Developmental Psychology, 42(1), 59–69)? Finally, game-like apps that can be played when a child might otherwise be waiting (e.g., for a sibling to finish soccer practice) can be a fun, low-cost, and easy way to embed some extra math practice that doesn’t feel like work to the student (check out www.factfreaks.com for free and fun games that can be played on a phone).

Extra credit:

Close the math gap: This guide from Harvard suggests several strategies for bringing in more math learning at home, like using more “math talk.”
Family function: Need even more reasons to get parents and guardians in the math game? This resource contains both further ideas for math at home, and also has the sources to back them up.

4. Boost math confidence

The best recipe for boosting math confidence is to be successful at math. Teachers can promote this by providing students with activities that match the proficiency of their students. For example, if a student is just learning a new skill, provide a lot of instruction and immediate corrective feedback. If they are building fluency, provide them with many opportunities for practice on materials where they can be successful.

Extra credit:

Culture of confidence: Help students avoid frustration by not providing tasks where they have to “figure out” new solutions unless the student has already mastered the fundamentals. Provide frequent, constructive feedback to students as they are learning new skills. Working with peers is a proven method that is highly efficient and builds relationships within the classroom.