Math Buddies with the Middles
In the Middles, we love math. It may not be every child’s favorite subject, but we are intentional about bringing joy and fun to mathematical learning. We do this both through the way we adapt lessons to maximize movement and engagement, as well as through solving math mysteries, creating art with math, and by playing math games.
This year, we’ve teamed up with the Mups to bring even more joy and fun to our math learning. As progressive educators, we know the benefits of multi-age classrooms and building connections across different grades. We also know that playing math games can be key to unlocking mathematical thinking and taking the pressure out of learning new ideas. Keeping these things in mind, the Middles and Mups teachers teamed up this year to create Math Buddies. The Middles now spend the last part of our Friday afternoons in the Mups classrooms, playing math games and learning from each other.
The teachers began by creating Middles and Mups pairings. We have a 34:22 Mups to Middles ratio, so many Middles have two math buddies! When creating Math Buddy pairings, we kept many different facets of learning in mind. Some students were paired to maximize social connections, others by the speed they do math, others by mixing confidence levels, and others by complementary learning styles. When we first started planning, we thought we would test out the idea of Math Buddies for a few Fridays in the fall. If it went well, our plan was to keep going until Winter Break and then reassess. We assumed the Middles would learn math games and teach them to the Mups each week.
After our first few weeks, a few things became clear to the Middles. First, Math Buddies was a resounding success, with many Middles repeatedly naming it as their highlight of the week! Second, the Middles quickly learned to adjust their expectations of how much math a Mup can do. One 4th grade Middle shared, “Maybe I underestimated some of the Mups. They’re just so good [at math], and I’m surprised how good they are!” Another added, “They’re just one grade under you, and sometimes they’re even better than you at some things!” After a few weeks of the Middles teaching math games to the Mups, the Mups taught the Middles a new game. It’s been exciting to see both students taking on the role of teacher and learner.
In the Middles, students have learned to manage their own patience as well as find creative ways to help other students understand a concept. When asked what has surprised them about Math Buddies, the Middles shared:
“What shocked me is one of my buddies goes super fast but gets distracted, and the other goes slower but doesn’t get distracted.” Another explained that, “sometimes my math buddy thinks the answer is one thing and I think it’s something else, so we do the math out and they end up being right!”
In the Middles, it’s not just math that students are learning on Friday afternoons. One student shared, “I like math buddies because you can do a lot more but sometimes you get stuck and have to wait for the other math buddy to catch up and you work on your patience.” Another student reflected, “I like playing fun math games with other people. And I’ve learned that I really enjoy teaching younger students math”. Students also shared that they like playing with children they don’t get to see every day and that Math Buddies is a good way to make a new friend while doing math.
