Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Use of Number Strings: Creating a Math-Talk Learning Community

This article presents the results of an exploratory study detailing 4 teacher candidates’ initial implementations of a number string protocol in which they presented sequences of related problems to 3rd graders. We detail how the teacher candidates were taught the components of the protocol in their methods course and describe the math-talk (student-participation) levels that occurred during their 1st number string experience with their students. We coded the lesson transcripts for math-talk levels, which range from teacher-led to student-driven, and provide examples of the number strings and excerpts from the teacher candidates’ reflections to illustrate our results. Results indicate that number strings are a supportive structure for beginning teachers as they facilitate math talk.