How does what we believe as teachers impact our students and their learning? What about their beliefs about themselves as learners and doers of mathematics? In this episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie explore these ideas and more from the perspective of continuous improvement and growing awareness as educators. They share stories from their own experiences where naming a fundamental belief about teaching and learning mathematics provides a powerful reminder of habits, actions, or decisions that work against our fundamental beliefs. 

As former classroom teachers, Joanie and Curtis know how challenging it is to meet the needs of a full class of students, and working to be a better teacher from day to day and year to year. They talk about shifting the thinking from doing something more to doing something different when a teacher wants to make a change in their classroom to better align their practice with their beliefs.

And of course, students’ beliefs are part of the mathematics achievement equation, too, so our hosts share some ideas about how teachers can help bolster students’ beliefs in themselves and in their abilities to learn mathematics.

• Learn more about students' mathematical identities in this book: https://www.nctm.org/Store/Products/The-Impact-of-Identity-in-K-8-Mathematics--Rethinking--Equity-Based-Practices/
• Learn about supporting equitable outcomes in your math classroom in this book: https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-See-Framework-Equity-Classroom/dp/1951600800
• Joanie mentions this book where she explored ideas of developing students’ social and academic capital: https://www.amazon.com/Heterogenius-Classrooms-Detracking-Science-Groupwork/dp/0807752460 

Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing [email protected]. Be sure to connect with your hosts on Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.