Discipline: Professional Resources

Copyright: 2022 & 2024

Grade(s): K - 12

Delivery Method: Print

Imprint: Heinemann

Author(s): Jennifer Lempp, Erven Tyler Jr.

Math Workshop

Math Workshop: Five Steps to Implementing Guided Math, Learning Stations, Reflection, and More is an essential resource for any teacher, school, or district looking to shift or enhance how math is taught. It includes lesson plan examples and templates that will help you visualize and implement a math workshop model in any classroom.

Successfully implement the transformational math workshop model of instruction through five accessible, manageable steps:

  • Step 1: Understand Math Workshop
  • Step 2: Prepare Your Students for Math Workshop
  • Step 3: Decide Your Math Workshop Structure
  • Step 4: Facilitate Your Math Workshop
  • Step 5: Reflect on and Refine Your Math Workshop

Educators are invited to embrace Math Workshop as their own personal “instructional coach,” first exploring what Jennifer Lempp refers to as “three buckets” that need to be in place for a highly successful math workshop:

  1. Classroom Arrangement
  2. Routines and Procedures
  3. Mathematics Community

Guidance for Getting Started with Math Workshop

The resource then offers “Twenty Days to a Classroom Culture That Works,” which includes 20 minilessons that support the communication and practice of expectations surrounding the workshop model. From there, it explores three classroom-tested math workshop structures, providing practical ideas for routines, focus lessons, guided math groups, learning stations, and reflections so you can get started with math workshop in your classroom today.

Streaming Video and Reproducibles Included

The streaming video clips invite you inside K–5 classrooms for a seeing-is-believing look at math workshop in action. Seeing clips of actual teachers and students engaged in math workshop is the next best thing to observing the model in a classroom.

Templates, tools, and ideas are included and also available for download.

A workshop approach to math instruction can be a real game changer when it comes to engaging, challenging, and supporting every student, whether they need extra support or additional challenges.  

Jennifer Lempp and Skip Tyler provide the “what, why, and when” of math workshop, and then outline five steps to implementing this approach with middle and high school students:

  • Understanding Math Workshop
  • Preparing Students for Math Workshop
  • Getting to Know the Components of Math Workshop
  • Choosing a Workshop Structure for What You Need
  • Refining Your Math Workshop

Math Workshop 6-12 shows teachers how to establish student-centered learning opportunities that promote collaboration, classroom discourse, and productive struggle with rich tasks.  Classroom video allows you to see math workshop in action, while editable online resources support your teaching with templates and guides.