Upper School Teacher Roxie Hood attended the Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference last week in Starkville. This year’s theme was “Rolling the Dice on Deep Mathematical Thinking,” and over 300 educators gathered to talk about exploring new strategies, taking calculated risks in their pedagogy, and deepening the mathematical journey for every student in Mississippi. Sessions ranged from individual lesson content to best pedagogical practices, from owning the AI moment to how to effectively use groups to maximize learning.
Hood presented a session titled “The Power of Showing Your Thinking” where she shared with fellow educators the importance of consistently asking students to make their thinking visible. Asking students to make their thinking visible is less about showing rote calculations and more about asking for something that justifies an answer, such as a diagram, picture, or written explanation. Many students initially perceive this as extra work, but it’s about more than just learning to articulate their thinking. Hood pointed to studies that show that offloading numbers and steps onto paper can reduce cognitive overload and free up working memory to focus on the actual problem-solving instead of just holding onto numbers. External representations for math problems can even unlock knowledge and skills that internal representations leave unavailable, she said. When students learn to show their thinking on paper, it makes it easier for teachers to address misconceptions and even award partial credit. It’s a win-win for both student and teacher!
