By Derek Pipkorn, posted August 31, 2015 –

Did you know that a high school teacher named Krazy George Henderson allegedly invented “the Wave” in 1981? Throughout the year, I like to think of the math classroom as a group of students doing one giant Wave. At the start of the school year, the teacher is like George, at the end of the aisle, cheering on the crowds to join in. After a few attempts at building the Wave, participation slowly progresses and George can take a step back. There will be some who only put one hand in the air and some who stay in their seat, but eventually nearly everyone is standing up, with both hands in the air, without George’s guidance.

As math teachers, we deal with similar circumstances in our classrooms. The George in all of us does everything we can to build a community of learners. In our quest to build mathematically proficient students, our classroom community (aka the Wave), is going to be one of our strongest allies in this endeavor. Just as participants doing the Wave work together, so will our students as they productively struggle and take risks with the mathematics in our classroom.

I’m looking forward to day 1 with my Honors Geometry class, as this will be my first opportunity to start the Wave and help my students experience a little bit of failure. I’ll then gauge their current level of geometry knowledge. Browsing through our textbook or even projecting the Common Core’s geometry standards, like the one below, will hopefully draw a few gasps from my class.

Prove theorems involving similarity

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.SRT.B.4

Prove theorems about triangles. Theorems include: a line parallel to one side of a triangle divides the other two proportionally, and conversely; the Pythagorean Theorem proved using triangle similarity.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.SRT.B.5

Use congruence and similarity criteria for triangles to solve problems and to prove relationships in geometric figures.

I’m truly expecting to see that look of “I have no clue what this means; should I even be in this class?” This is where I’ll begin to channel my inner George and start the Wave of productive struggle throughout the first few weeks. Eventually, my classroom will be willing to complete the Wave without me by encouraging their peers to collaborate and find success through taking risks.

As you look forward to the start of the school year, how will you prepare your classroom for the Wave?

Throughout this series of blog posts, I hope you took interest in my take on productive struggle. I’ve seen firsthand how allowing students to explore and take risks has helped produce a classroom of mathematically proficient students. I highly recommend obtaining a copy of Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All, as it will transform the way you think about math instruction.

Derek Pipkorn, dpipkorn@mtsd.k12.wi.us, is the middle school math specialist for the Mequon-Thiensville School District in Mequon, Wisconsin. He is a member of NCTM’s Classroom Resources Committee and a Board Member on the Wisconsin Math Council. Pipkorn can be found tweeting at @mrpipkorn.