UCLA

This study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the implementation process and impact of a six-week number talk intervention during the advisory period with sixth-grade middle school students in a large urban school district. The sample consisted of 22 students in one sixth-grade advisory class. The quantitative portion of the study utilized a one-group pretest and posttest design to measure the effects of the intervention on the development of students’ number sense. The qualitative portion of the study, which included classroom videos, student work, and a teacher journal, examined process data on the implementation of number talks to determine in what ways number talks can be implemented with middle school students to support the development of number sense. There were three teacher practices identified as being important in implementing number talks in a way that supported student learning: 1) examining students’ written work during and after the number talks as a means of formative assessment, 2) using visual representations to support students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and relationships, and 3) focusing on one mathematical idea for a set of number talks. Results of the quantitative analysis showed that there were statistically significant increases in the overall mean score on the number sense assessment and the mean score on the equivalent expressions subtest of the assessment which was closely aligned to the content of the intervention.