Productive Math Struggle: A 6-Point Action Plan for Fostering Perseverance

'Guiding teachers through six specific actions—including valuing, fostering, building, planning, supporting, and reflecting on struggle—this book provides an essential plan for embracing productive perseverance in mathematics.

All students face struggle, and they should—it is how they learn and grow. The teacher’s job is not to remove struggle, but rather to value and harness it, helping students develop good habits of productive struggle. But what’s missing for many educators is an action plan for how to achieve this, especially when it comes to math.

Persevering through difficult challenges to reach new learning is the core of Productive Math Struggle. When left unsupported, struggle can become unproductive and demoralizing, negatively influencing students’ mathematical identities. The authors guide teachers through six specific actions—including valuing, fostering, building, planning, supporting, and reflecting on struggle—to create a game plan for overcoming obstacles by sharing:
• Actionable steps, activities, and tools for implementation
• Instructional tasks and vignettes representative of each grade level
• Real-world examples showcasing classroom photos and student work samples

Revolving around the idea that math is a way of thinking and understanding, and not just the pursuit of answers and procedures, this book empowers students to embrace productive struggle to build essential skills for learning and living—both inside and outside the classroom. 216 pages.