MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL IN MATH CLASS WITH PARTNER ACTIVITIES

1/23/2024

Students thrive when they work together. Partner activities encourage them to discuss concepts, solve problems collaboratively, and learn from each other. Research shows that student collaboration in math leads to deeper understanding and greater retention of material. It’s a win-win: students develop both academic and social skills.

There are many things that are better in PAIRS, such as…

Macaroni and cheese
Shoes 👟👠
Cereal and milk 🥣 🥛
Soap and water
Twix bars (my favorite!)
Salt and pepper
Christmas and snow 🎄❄️
Peanut butter and jelly
Left and right ⬅️ ➡️
Cheese and wine 🧀 🍷

You know what else works well in pairs?!.... STUDENTS reviewing math in partner activities – they can share insights, discuss problem-solving strategies, and learn from each other; promoting a collaborative learning environment.

WHY have students work with a partner?
Just like everyone wants a best friend, because life is better when it's shared with someone else, most students want to work with a partner in math class. And there are many benefits to working together:

Enhance Engagement: Partner activities make math lessons more interactive, engaging, and adds an element of enjoyment to math class.
Improve Communication Skills: Interactive math strategies and partner activities encourage students to articulate their thought processes and explain concepts to their peers.
Increase Confidence: Collaborative learning can boost students' confidence as they receive immediate feedback from their partners and build a sense of accomplishment together.
Diverse Perspectives: Partner activities expose students to different approaches and perspectives, helping them understand multiple ways to solve mathematical problems.
Social Skills Development: Working with a partner enhances social skills, such as teamwork, active listening, and cooperation, which are valuable both in and outside the classroom.
Reduce Math Anxiety: Sharing the learning experience with a partner can alleviate math anxiety, making the subject more approachable and enjoyable for students.

And on top of all the above, students are going to level up their understanding of math! And, let's face it, that's the main goal!

HOW can students work in pairs?
Of course, if you were to ask students about their ideal way of teaming up, you’d probably get responses like, "I'll do the odd-numbered problems, and my partner can do the even ones." BUT, that’s NOT at all the approach I have in mind for working in pairs.

You need carefully crafted interactive math activities that are set up for students to team up and tackle their own challenges. Well, you’re in luck! I have a few activities that meet this criteria and support effective teaching practices. Each of them will help improve your students' math skills!

Examples of Effective Partner Math Activities
#1 My ever popular Battle My Math Ship Games! IMO this is THE BEST PARTNER ACTIVITY and math game ever! This interactive math strategy has students take turns attacking spaces and sinking ships, just like the original game of Battleship. You can print and go or have your students play digitally. Over 100 different math concepts to choose from, so you can find the exact review for your students. Perfect to enhance engagement and reduce math anxiety!

Educator's Review: If you aren't using the Battle My Math Ship resources yet...you are ABSOLUTELY missing out. The students love the game - and it evens the playing field a bit for struggling students as there is a little luck involved. My students wish there was math battleship for every topic they study. Zero prep (make a copy) and go. – Allyson B.

Learn more about this game and find out what educators are saying HERE.

#2 Take the hassle out of checking math problems with these Partner Check review activities. These user-friendly, printable worksheets are designed to promote independent learning, reinforce math skills, and give students instant feedback. Perfect for building confidence and sharing different perspectives! You can learn more about these dynamic activities HERE.

What educators are saying about these activities...
Wow! My students were so engaged. Each wanted to be the first to get them all right. I love the way they excitedly continued to the end, celebrating each success with fist pumps and "I rocked this!" Thanks for a great resource. – Jeana H.

I really enjoyed using this activity with my students. I like for them to work in partners to practice the skills we learn, but I find that sometimes one person does all the work while the other just copies/listens to the other. This activity was a great way for both people to be actively engaged in the process of practicing skills. – Danielle O’Haren

These "sets" are great! I love that there are several options in each pack--single student, partners, and triples! These are favorites with my students and good conversations arise when the answers are not the same. My students are enjoying this activity and I hope to have all of these in my tool box. – E.G.

Self-Check Partner Activity Math - Order of Operations

#3 These no-prep, iStep activities are designed similar to iMessage. Each sheet includes a problem to solve and text bubbles for verbal steps and student work. Great math partner activity that is interactive and collaborative. Perfect review activity for after an assessment or early finishers! Extra benefit is that it improves communication and social skills! You can learn more about these activities HERE.

Partner Activity - Communicate Math with Words

#4 These Mathbook activities are designed similar to Facebook. Each sheet includes space for a student profile picture, name, date, emoji, an “I can” statement, a math problem to solve, and space for the teacher or a peer to put their profile picture and write a positive comment. Students demonstrate their comprehension in an interactive and collaborative way. You can learn more about these activities HERE.