Don't I Just Need to Know the Answer?

Many of your students do not love needing to explain or expound on their mathematical thinking. However, consideration, cooperation, and concentrating on the contributions of others are learned skills. How do we develop these dispositions in a math classroom? We will also examine how these dispositions lead to a thinking classroom and help you and your students find value in productive struggle.

Dr. James Carlovsky graduated from Martin Luther College in 2002 with an elementary and secondary degree in Math. He is married to Kathryn Knickelbein, and they are blessed with five children, aged 12-21. He completed his Ph.D. in Math Education from the University of Minnesota in 2019, where his study was particularly interested in moments of student thinking in the classroom. He gained teaching experience as a principal and upper-grade teacher at St. John's, Sparta, to serving as the Curriculum Coordinator, math instructor, and coach at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, WI. He currently serves at MLC as a Professor of Mathematics and Instructional Technology, as well as the chairman of the Math/Science Division and the Masters of Science in Education Division.