What's the difference between Puzzle Talks and Math Chats (beta)?

In-Person Delivery.

Student to device ratio should be 1:1 or 2:1.

Project Math Chat on a screen for whole class or small group discussion.

Students work individually or in pairs, then conclude with a whole-group discussion.

In-Person Delivery.

Students do not need individual devices.

Project Puzzle Talk on a screen for whole class or small group discussion.

Use the playback and annotation tools to support the discussion.

May use math mats, game mats, puzzle extensions, or manipulatives to support discussion.

Asynchronous - Pre-work and home extensions are done remotely.

Synchronous - Meet with students virtually.

Use the playback and annotation tools to support the discussion.

Students begin by playing games individually or in pairs. They develop strategies as they solve puzzles that they can articulate during class discussions.

Teachers monitor gameplay and facilitate student thinking. This provides them an opportunity to identify specific strategies, ideas, or questions to ask during class discussion. At the conclusion of gameplay, teachers engage the students in whole group conversations around 2 specific puzzles.

Students engage in whole class or small group discussions. They share strategies, communicate ideas, critique the reasoning of classmates, and evaluate their own thinking.

Teachers monitor the discussion, ask questions to prompt student thinking, explore misconceptions, and test strategies. They allow students to direct the conversation, engage students in error analysis, and build upon strategies throughout the week.

*In a virtual setting, teachers use strategies to support virtual discourse. (e.g., chat, message boards, collaboration tools, virtual polls, word clouds, etc.)

Math Chats are 25-minute mini-lessons that have a conclusion problem at the end. They focus on teaching and discussing specific concepts. Students begin by playing games individually or in pairs. The lesson concludes with a question to connect the concepts from the puzzle to word problems.

Puzzle Talks are 15-minute talks that can be extended throughout the week. They are more of a routine than a lesson. They focus on the concepts in the puzzle in a way that is open and encourages the teacher to go where the students go.

Remote Puzzle Talks begin with pre-work that students do on their own. This pre-work includes two questions to think about and a sample problem to solve.

Teachers meet virtually with the whole class or small groups to engage in Puzzle Talk conversation around math concepts. Teachers facilitate student discussions around math concepts, strategies, misconceptions, and vocabulary development.

Extension activities can be assigned for students to complete on their own.

Can be used to introduce a concept, develop a concept, assess a concept, introduce vocabulary, bridge connections between concepts, set up for a problem or task, address misconceptions, spiral review, focus on strategies

*In addition to the above, Puzzle Talks (and remote Puzzle Talks) can also be used as a number talk.

Math Chats are done in one sitting. It is more of a lesson structure.