Social Emotional Resources

At the start of every single class period, students participate in a daily circle. The questions are low-stakes and accessible for all students. This is a proactive way to build community, to check-in with students, and to show all students that their voice matters in the classroom. Circle questions can be routinized - for example, we always have the same circle after the weekend or break: "One thing I did over the weekend was...". While it may seem daunting to take time out of a class period to do a circle, I can assure you that it provides students an opportunity to regulate before the class by having a routine that is not rooted in mathematics. Very often, students have negative experiences in math classrooms. By starting the classroom with a check-in, students are able to know what to predict every day and are not already stressing because of the content. I have found that students are quick to work after circles because they feel valued and respected in the space. I also notice more students volunteering and sharing math content because they are practicing public speaking in the circle every day. 

At the start of the year, I take approximately 4 weeks to build norms with students, develop a growth mindset, and practice routines and "doing math" in a new way. This is something that may terrify teachers who feel the pressure of pacing guides to jump right into grade level content. However, I have found that taking the time to build these practices helps immensely once you get into the grade level content standards. 

Students first practice immediately working in random groups at white boards, as they do a non-curricular task. They then use this experience, combined with previous math classroom experiences, to co-construct observable expectations related to class norms. We continue to refer back to these daily, and will rely on them throughout the year to maintain rigor and perseverance in the classroom. 

Students watch a video daily from YouCubed (Jo Boaler's math website) that builds their understanding of a growth mindset. Then, we take time to practice working in random groups of three at whiteboards by doing fun, non-curricular tasks. Eventually, we do tasks that build on prior knowledge and help to prep students for the grade level content. But this sets the expectation that all students are expected to be active participants in the classroom, and shows them how to do that in this new collaborative fashion.