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Critical Thinking in Middle Grades Mathematics

Jeremy Combs
Piedmont College
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Critical Thinking in Middle Grades Mathematics

Math education is changing. Students are engaging with higher level math skills

in earlier grades, new standards encourage students to explore and seek understanding

at a different level, and students are making real world connections with the concepts

they are learning in the classroom (Woods, 2013). Discoveries made by neuroscientists

in the past 10 years have proven that the brain can grow and change through effort and

practice and the mindsets of both students and teachers are critical in this process

(Boaler, 2013). Modeling critical thinking and teaching students how to think is

paramount for students to engage and learn at this higher level and to fully achieve their

potential in mathematics.

The Common Core State Standards have increased rigor, as well as placed an

emphasis on student’s developing a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.

Instead of simply getting the correct answer, students are encouraged to make

inferences and draw conclusions from different problems (NCTM, 2020). Students are

also taught to seek multiple ways to solve problems. Teaching and learning math this

way has caused frustration from parents, since it is drastically different from the way

many of them were taught. Teachers have also expressed frustration at the lack of

training and implementation of the new standards (D’Souza, 2018). Regardless, the

changes in math curriculum and instruction is highlighting the need for students to be

able to think critically in mathematics and the benefits it has for their long-term

education.

Even how students are assessed on their math knowledge and understanding

has changed significantly in the last decade. In addition to the typical multiple-choice
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questions on standardized state tests, such as the Georgia Milestones End of Course

Measures, there is now a number of technology-enhanced items. These can include

questions where a student must input correct values with their keypad or even construct

graphs. Constructed-Response questions have students solve problems and provide

an answer, while Extended Constructed-Response questions may have them explain

the steps for solving, provide justification for their answer, or explain their answer within

the context of a problem. For the 8th grade math test specifically, 15%-25% of the test is

Depth of Knowledge level 3 (GaDOE, 2020). According to Webb’s Depth of Knowledge,

Level 3 is “Strategic Thinking” where students solve non-routine problems and must be

able to provide evidence to justify their thinking (Aungst, 2014). Studies show that

assessing students with higher order thinking skills has a significant effect on their

ability to think creatively and learn mathematics (Widana, 2018).

The understanding of what it means for a student to have “number sense” or

“digit fluency” has also changed considerably. Math education in the past has always

placed a high level of value on students memorizing math facts, such as multiplication

tables, for fast recall in problem solving. However, when compared to other subjects,

such as English Language Arts, this seems errant. In English, a student’s ability to

understand a novel or poem, does not come from their ability to memorize words, but

instead focuses on how the words are used in context of specific written works.

Although memorizing facts is necessary in all subject areas, math seems to be the only

subject that places an emphasis on speed and recall and tests students under these

timed conditions (Boaler, 2019).

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There has always been a myth that certain people’s brains are wired in a math

way or that some people have a predisposition to excel at mathematics; this is false and

has been disproven by brain research. Recent discoveries in how the brain works show

that the brain is not fixed from childhood but can grow and change. Neuroscientists call

this change in the brain “Neuroplasticity,” since the brain is adaptable like plastic

(Sentis, 2012). Having a fixed mindset or a growth mindset, or in other words what a

person believes about their own potential to learn, has a profound effect on what people

learn (Talks, 2016). Knowing that everyone is capable of learning and growing their

brain, can fundamentally change how lessons are created and implemented.

Psychologist and Stanford University Professor, Carol Dweck proposes that

when students make mistakes in mathematics, their brains form new synapses. When

students analyze mistakes and think critically about why that may have occurred,

additional synapses are formed. In the past, mistakes may have been viewed as

demonstrative of a student’s ability level, whereas now they can be viewed as a

powerful opportunity to help students grow and learn (Boaler, 2019).

Modeling critical thinking in the classroom is a crucial first step in developing

deeper understanding in a math classroom. Since critical thinking is a skill that can be

taught, a teacher may propose a question to the class and then take them step by step

through the problem demonstrating the critical thinking processes at each step.

Researcher Ebiendele Peter states, “Further critical thinking activities should be based

on structure that includes four elements; “ill structured problems, criteria for assessing

thinking, student assessment of thinking and improvement of thinking (Peter, 2012).”

Presenting students with ambiguous problems with no correct answer, such as

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comparing the websites of rival retailers Wal-Mart and Target, allow students to explore

their own perspectives. When teachers apply specific questions in the form of a

framework to these types of activities, it adds an additional layer to the critical thinking

process as well. The teacher then models how they assess the student’s thinking in

that specific task. When students see how their thinking is assessed, they begin

eventually to assess their own thinking. Finally, activities should include some sort of

recap with a discussion on how thinking could have been improved in this task and for

future tasks (Peter, 2012).

The idea of using ill structured problems was also studied by researchers Lars

Leader and James Middleton. Their conclusion was that using these types of problems

in math class leads to changes in a student’s thinking disposition. They suggest that by

focusing not just on problem solving, but a student’s attitude toward problem solving in a

period of 2-4 weeks could have an impact on their critical thinking skills. They also

stated that for students to grow, they needed to have a stake in their learning. By

providing a sense of community in the classroom and providing authentic learning

opportunities, a teacher can help students become more invested in their learning.

Finally, activities that were intentionally designed to provide students with multiple

perspectives on problem solving were the best at promoting critical thinking. Students

that may be more oriented toward numbers, may provide a unique perspective to a

student that is more visual or symbolically focused (Leader & Middleton, 2004).

There are many additional ways to teach critical thinking in the classroom

through modeling and activities. One way is by adjusting existing processes, such as a

warm-up activity, to focus on critical thinking. 8th Grade Math Teacher, Leah Alcala,
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does this with an activity she calls, “My Favorite No.” Ms. Alcala has a math problem on

the board and hands out index cards to each student, which are collected immediately

afterward. She sorts the problems into correct and incorrect answers and chooses the

incorrect answer that is her favorite and puts it up on the screen for the class to see. As

a class, they analyze the answer. The class looks for steps that are done correctly to

help the confidence of the student whose answer was chosen, then they discuss what is

not correct and how to fix it. This type of activity helps students to collaborate as a

class, to analyze their work at a deeper level, and to think critically about Math

processes and problem solving. (Midwinter, 2015)

Another way to encourage students to think critically during warm-up times is to

use Number Talks. Number Talks are a mental math exercise that gets students to

solve an abstract math problem. When answers are shared with the class, students can

defend their answer for the group, explain their problem-solving processes, as well as

witness different solving strategies. An example of a “Number Talk” would be giving

students a problem, such as 18 X 5. There are numerous ways to decompose these

two numbers and create other simpler problems that can be used to efficiently get the

answer mentally. For example, many students may recall that 12 X 5 = 60, 18 would be

6 additional 5s, and 5 X 6 = 30, since 60 + 30 = 90, then therefore 18 X 5 = 90. Other

students may see that 18 5s is the same as 9 10s, so therefore the answer would also

be 90. There are numerous ways to look at a problem like this and discover new ways

to arrive at the correct answer of 90. When students collaborate, share ideas, and talk

about problem solving, they learn to analyze and think more critically (Boaler, 2016).
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Like Number Talks, using Visual Patterns is a good way to help students think

critically. Visual patterns show a series of three pictures of objects and then tell the

student how many of those would appear in step 43 of the pattern (Nguyen, 2020).

Students must then come up with a formula to figure out how many objects would occur

in any number of the sequence. Again, by there being a level of ambiguity to the

problem, students must think critically to first discover the relationship between the

pictures in the pattern. In a simple pattern with boxes, some students may see each

line of a box as a toothpick which would be part of the pattern, while others may see

only boxes themselves and therefore count differently. The fact that even the pattern

itself can be open to interpretation, leads to a more robust discussion afterward as a

group, which is to the benefit of the entire class. During the class discussions, students

are encouraged to explain their thoughts, ask questions of other students, and describe

their problem-solving techniques. Again, by taking a simple process such as a warm-up

activity and changing the types of questions that are asked, students engage in critical

thinking at a much deeper level.

Using technology is a powerful way to increase critical thinking in the classroom

by creating relevant, real world opportunities for research, data collection, and problem

solving. The internet provides tools that can be used in the classroom for study that

would be “impossible, unmanageable, costly, or inefficient without the Web,” Evan

Glazer says in his book, Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills

in Mathematics (Glazer, p.2). His book provides over 100 projects or experiments that

students can use the internet to conduct in their classroom. The focus is on using a

student’s conceptual framework and their prior math knowledge to think critically and
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problem solve. The appeal of this book is that the author went to great lengths to avoid

using resources that can be found in a typical math textbook or math lesson. This

almost ensures that students will be challenged in new ways by something they have

not seen before.

In addition to the resources and activities provided, Evan Glazer states many

other uses for the internet in the math classroom to facilitate critical thinking in his book.

Students have instant access to real time data in almost any field imaginable for

research and analysis. From stock prices, to weather forecasts, to sports statistics, it is

all available from numerous sources and is updated regularly. Collaboration can literally

occur in a way unlike ever before, students can communicate with other students or

professionals from all over the world without leaving their classrooms. There also are

not limitations on having physical copies of a textbook. Information can be shared on

multiple screens at the same time and shared digitally without the need for traditional

paper. Entire virtual environments can make learning come alive and lead to more

diversity, since the perspectives come from a variety of sources instead of the

perspective of the textbook author (Glazer, p.5).

In conclusion, after reading numerous articles over the past several months

regarding critical thinking in math education, many commonalities were found in various

research. First, all seemed to agree that the way math is being taught and the way

students are expected to learn has changed with each new set of standards and will

continue to change. Students are expected to be able to problem solve, analyze, and

justify their thinking, as opposed to simply memorizing facts. Research in neuroscience

has disrupted the myth that people are born with the ability to do and understand math,
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and some are not. In fact, most of the articles I have read discuss the importance of a

teacher fostering a growth mindset in their classroom as the first step in promoting

critical thinking. Finally, many of the articles or websites gave specific strategies or

activities a math teacher could incorporate into their classrooms to promote critical

thinking.

The implications of this research can be challenging for many teachers. With the

number of standards that need to be taught in each math course, it is often difficult to

avoid teaching skills in a procedural way that is void of critical thinking. Teachers may

scoff at taking 15 minutes of class time to do a Number Talk or some other critical

thinking task. However, the research across the board cited these types of activities as

having a significant impact on the cultivating of critical thinking principles and the

students’ overall understanding of math concepts. The implications for me personally

are that I am going to collaborate with other teachers in the content area at my school,

in order to redesign our processes and reevaluate what we want students to produce to

demonstrate understanding, all to promote more critical thinking in the classroom. I will

put an intentional focus on modeling critical thinking for my students and teach them the

critical thinking process. I want to foster a learning community in my classroom where

everyone is not just learning math but thinking about how they think about math.

In looking at the authors themselves and their underlying assumptions. I found

many websites and articles, not used in this paper, that were clearly trying to sell a

product or service. From curriculum that was intended to be purchased by a classroom

teacher or even an entire school system to implement, to a consultant who would come

lead professional development on fostering critical thinking. It was easy, in most

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instances, to differentiate between authors whose purpose it was to sell a product and

researchers who are passionate about the field of critical thinking and math education
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References

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Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/webbs-depth-knowledge-increase-rigor-

gerald-aungst.

Boaler, J. (2019, May 24). Fluency without Fear. YouCubed.

https://www.youcubed.org/evidence/fluency-without-fear/.

Boaler, J., Chen, L., Williams, C., & Cordero, M. (2016). Seeing as Understanding: The

Importance of Visual Mathematics for our Brain and Learning. Journal of Applied

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Boaler, J. (2013). Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping

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D'Souza, K. (2018, June 18). Why parents struggle with Common Core math: "The

diagrams are absolutely insane.". The Mercury News.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/06/17/common-core-did-parents-get-left-

behind/.

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mathematics. Greenwood Press.

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Leader, L. F., & Middleton, J. A. (2004). Promoting Critical-Thinking Dispositions by

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13. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2004.11658174

Midwinter, Andy (2015, March 14). My Favorite No. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srJWx7P6uLE.

NCTM. (2020). Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

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Nguyen, F. (2020). Visual Patterns. http://www.visualpatterns.org/.

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mathematics problem solving skills. African Journal of Mathematics and

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Sentis (2012, November 6). Neuroplasticity. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ELpfYCZa87g.

Talks, Tedx (2016, May 22). How you can be good at math, and other surprising facts

about learning. (YouTube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3icoSeGqQtY.

Widana, I. W. (2018). Higher Order Thinking Skills Assessment towards Critical

Thinking on Mathematics Lesson. International Journal of Social Sciences and

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