Talking Isn’t Teaching: Helping Students Truly Learn Math
Maybe you’ve heard the popular comparison that students are like plants. Each one grows differently, at their own rate, and with unique needs. As teachers, it’s important to remember that, but also to keep in mind that there are some things all students need to grow, just like all plants need water and sunlight.
That’s what I want to focus on today: the conditions we can provide in our math classrooms that help every student thrive.
What Is Real Learning?
When we think about teaching, we have to ask: what is learning?
Learning happens when the brain makes connections between neurons. In fact, your brain actually grows in size and thickness the more you learn! But not all learning is equal.
Quick learning, like memorizing a phone number, fades fast.
Deep learning, the kind that comes from struggle, problem solving, and persistence, creates strong neural connections that last.
That’s the type of learning we want for our students.
The Problem: Talking Too Much
So why don’t we let students do more of this deep learning and productive struggle in math class? The answer I hear most often: time.
But when I polled 1,400 teachers on Instagram, 91% said their students learn the most when the teacher is not talking. Yet research and if you observe many classrooms, you’ll find teachers are still talking at least 50% of the time.
Rethinking a Typical Math Lesson
Take the distance formula, for example. A “traditional” lesson might start with notes, a formula, then “I do, we do, you do.” Students may get the right answers on an exit ticket, but a month later, they forget. That’s “easy come, easy go” learning.
Instead, we could start with a problem with locations marked on a coordinate grid and ask, “What’s the distance between the park and the school?” Students may struggle, but that struggle leads to deeper thinking. Over time, they’ll surprise you with what they can figure out.
Another example is dividing fractions. Rather than telling them a rule (“keep, change, flip”), we can present a problem and let them reason it out with drawings, models, or manipulatives. The goal isn’t just the answer; it’s the thinking.
Five Ways to Talk Less and Let Students Learn
One of the hardest shifts as a math teacher is stepping back and giving students space to think. We want to help. We want to explain, but often, our talking takes away the chance for them to wrestle with the math. Here are five practical ways to reduce teacher talk and increase student learning time.
1. Start With the Problem
Instead of opening a lesson with notes or a formula, begin with a problem that gets students thinking right away. For example, in a geometry lesson, show a real-world map and ask students to find the distance between two points. Without giving them the distance formula upfront, see how they approach it… drawing triangles, using the Pythagorean theorem, or even estimating. When students start with curiosity and context, they build meaning before memorizing.
2. Use Group Work to Spark Thinking
Collaboration encourages thinking and engagement. Try putting them in random groups so no one gets stuck in the same role every time. In groups, students explain their reasoning, defend their ideas, and hear multiple perspectives. This peer-to-peer talk is often where the real “aha!” moments happen. And when they explain math to each other, they process it more deeply than if we explain it for them.
3. Circulate and Talk One-on-One
Instead of addressing the whole class, focus on spending a minute or two with each group, or even each student. While groups are working, move around the room. Ask them to explain their thinking, check in on their progress, and give a nudge if they’re stuck. These small conversations are powerful for differentiation: you can challenge the students who need enrichment and support the ones who need more scaffolding, without stopping the entire class.
4. Ask Questions Instead of Giving Answers
When a student asks, “Is this right?” it’s tempting to just say yes or no. But the better response is a question:
“Why do think that is the solution?”
“Is it a reasonable solution?”
“Can you prove it another way?”
“What would happen if…?”
This keeps the cognitive work in the students’ hands. By questioning instead of confirming, we encourage deeper thinking, persistence, and problem-solving skills.
5. Save Notes for the End
Notes are important, but they’re really powerful as a reflection. Once students have struggled, discussed, and built understanding, then bring the class together to summarize what they discovered. The notes at this stage serve as an anchor, helping students connect their experience to formal vocabulary and procedures. This way, notes capture learning that has already happened, instead of replacing it.
Shifting Our Mindset
Too often, our goals are short-term (like an exit ticket or test scores on Friday). But real math learning lasts beyond the test. That means accepting some struggle, allowing students to problem solve, and focusing less on quick answers.
Students already have access to endless math answers online. What they need from us is confidence, curiosity, and the belief that they can do math. When we create classrooms that value thinking over memorizing, students see themselves as capable problem solvers, and that’s when true learning happens.
Final Thoughts
Every student is like a plant, growing in their own way. Our role as math teachers is to provide the right environment so each student can grow.
Want to dive deeper into learning strategies to help you teach more and talk less? Check out my online workshop: How to Teach Math Without Telling Students Everything.
I hope this gave you new ideas for your classroom. If you’d like to connect more, you can find me on Instagram at @rise.over.run or join my email list here. Let’s keep learning and growing together.
