Our focus was to use provocations in math for students to explore and to promote mathematical thinking that is relevant and tangible for them to understand. We want to provide students with different materials to express their creative thinking through exploring and engaging with peers.  The topic we chose to focus on was measurement.

What are the ways students can communicate their experiences with peers? 

Why do we need to measure?  What connections do the students have with measurement? 

We thought allowing students to “play” with materials first before expecting them to use it to learn helped to focus on the learning.  For example, before we introduced the provocations, the students would have already explored and become familiar with the materials which made the learning more meaningful.

We learned that giving students time to collaborate and to reflect as a group at the end of an activity fostered more meaningful discussion.  It also gave the opportunity to focus and highlight the key points. Going forward, we want to allow more opportunities for students to showcase their thinking.