Embracing Math Talks Outdoors

 

“The book of nature is written in the language of Mathematics.” 

Galileo

The children were gathered around a zinnia in the garden. Right in the middle was a fuzzy bee covered in pollen. I stood back and listened to their conversation. 

"Wow! Look at those cool wings! They are as big as his body!"

"I like his hairy little legs. He holds onto the flower when he walks."

"Look at all the pollen on him. It covers his entire body!"

"I wonder how much food he all day."

Spending time outdoors in nature is vital for children's mental and physical health and well-being. In our kindergarten program we are usually outside for one or two hours each day. We engage children in a variety of play-based, inquiry-based experiences. Each day we also encourage children to freely explore the yard. I love to step back and observe their play. The observations they make, and the questions that they ask, are filled with rich math potential. Many times we have had a deep math exploration as a result of their observations and wonderings about the natural world.

Many educators are familiar with Sherry Parrish's Number Talks - a strategy where children participate in daily math explorations designed to help them play with numbers. Children are introduced to a problem and asked to visualize what is happening, while using previous math knowledge and experiences to perform a quick calculation. Children are encouraged to share their ideas with one another. As the math conversation occurs children learn from their peers as they explore different ways the math was solved. This daily practice helps build confidence and fluency in math as students reflect upon their ideas, gather feedback from others, and acquire new ways of interpreting and solving math problems.

In the July 2021 issue of Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK to 12 Jo Boaler writes about how educators can leverage 'data talks' to help students delve into analyzing and understanding data more fully. Similar to a number talk, data talks encourage children to notice and wonder about different representations they see (e.g., bar graphs, line graphs, collections of objects). Boaler posits that data talks will help children visualize and make sense of the information they notice emerging in different data, helping them to grow as critical consumers of information.

Like number and data talks, educators can embrace the power of math talks outdoors to help children recognize, understand and appreciate the authentic and integrated ways that math exists in nature. 

Math talks outdoors can happen in two ways: 

Preplanned - educators who wish to engage children in an exploration of a specific math concept (e.g., patterning, symmetry) can guide children to an object or experience outside that demonstrates this in real life. Perhaps an educator is hoping to spark an interest in symmetry, or needs additional assessment opportunities for this topic. S/he can guide the class to the garden where they can observe symmetrical flowers and engage in a conversation about what they see, think and wonder. 

Spontaneous - educators carefully observe children's conversations and interactions outdoors. As children notice and wonder about a specific phenomena (e.g., how fast the wind is blowing, the shadow a leaf is creating on the ground), educators scaffold and support the mathematical inquiry. Educators listen to the questions children ask, and help them conduct research into finding an answer. The research into the question or wondering can happen briefly, or extend over time, as additional resources and information are used to deepen the mathematical exploration and understanding. As math ideas emerge, educators can 'notice and name' these in the context for children (e.g., "The distance around a tree stump is called the circumference. We can measure it in many different ways. Let's find the stump with the biggest circumference in our yard.").

Math talks outdoors will inspire children to look at their world through a mathematical lens. Seeing math concepts in authentic contexts will help children understand the relevance math has to their lives and the world around them. Abstract mathematical ideas can become more concrete and easily understood and internalized by children. Some of our richest math inquiries have sparked as a result of the children's curiosity about the world around them. 

Some tips for getting started:

• Uses the see/think/wonder routine where children are asked to state what they see in a particular situation or object, share what they think about this situation or object, and share a question or wonder they might have. (I see circles forming when the rain drips into the puddle. I think these are happening because the rain is falling from the sky quickly. I wonder why some circles are bigger than others.)
• Record children's conversations and take photos of their explorations for future reference. These can be brought to a whole group meetings for further discussion, or reviewed at a later date for assessment purposes. 
• Look for interesting objects and events in your school yard in which to draw children's attention. Use a 'notice and name' strategy where you share your observations and connections with children in order to pique their curiosity and spark an investigation.
• Connect math concepts and vocabulary when exploring outdoors. Help children see the math in the natural world, and practice using the proper terminology (e.g., The way the tree branches are positioned  is called a fractal pattern.")
• Bring outdoor math talks inside by using artifacts and photos with children during whole group discussions. Similar to outside experiences, ask children to observe an object (e.g., feather, shell) or photo (e.g., of a child jumping off a stump) and make mathematical observations and connections.

Like number and data talks, the possibilities for learning by regularly incorporating math talks outdoors are limitless. Invite children to share their ideas, connections, and questions with one another, as they appreciate the beauty and joy that math outdoors has to offer.