Math Fellows Launch Classroom Partnerships to Deepen Student Thinking

On Monday, December 15, a significant instructional milestone was reached as Math Fellows began partnering with classroom teachers to examine and better understand students’ mathematical thinking. This initial phase of collaboration generated strong interest, with 30 teachers volunteering to participate in the first round of partnerships. Following two years of highly specialized training in effective mathematics instruction, this marked the Math Fellows’ first opportunity to engage directly in classroom settings. During these collaborations, Fellows worked alongside teachers to observe student reasoning, pose purposeful questions, and support meaningful problem-solving experiences.

The primary focus of this initial partnership cycle is to deepen understanding of how students conceptualize and articulate their mathematical thinking. By identifying patterns in student reasoning as well as common misconceptions, teachers and Math Fellows are better positioned to design instructional strategies that promote conceptual understanding, strengthen mathematical communication, and develop confident, capable problem solvers.

Trained through accredited universities, including UCLA and UC Irvine, the Math Fellows have already contributed to measurable gains in student achievement. The expansion of this collaborative model to additional classrooms represents an important step in extending these successes and fostering high-quality, engaging mathematics learning experiences for a broader range of students.