In the realm of math education, the practice of making student thinking visible is as old as Socrates and Pythagoras and is engrained in the classic directive to "show your work." Teachers encouraging students to show their thinking is familiar, reliable, and a staple of math education—even if not always acknowledged in math technology. While this foundational idea has long helped students and teachers, it often lacks representation in digital tools, which tend to focus more on answers than the thinking behind them.

Dr. Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) philosophy focuses on encouraging students to think. Making student thinking visible, emphasizing its crucial role in genuine understanding within the learning environment is a wonderful by-product of a thinking classroom. In a recent conversation with Magma Math, Dr. Peter discusses the essential value of visible thinking in math education, underscoring how technology can support this practice. When designed to complement rather than replace traditional methods, technology enables students to intuitively show their work, just as they would on a whiteboard or worksheet, while teachers gain optimized access to these insights.

A Thinking Classroom is well supported by innovative tools that enhance visibility into student thought processes. Here are ways that Magma specifically enriches the learning and teaching experience and examples of how these can impact student learning.

Effortless Observation of Student Thinking

Magma simplifies the process of observing students, a core principle of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) that enhances both teaching and learning. Traditionally, teachers observe students’ work on whiteboards or review paper assignments to gauge understanding—a process that captures only brief moments of student thought. Magma advances this process by allowing teachers to view all of their students’ work at once to look across their class, as well as to replay each student’s work, giving them an in-depth view of individual student understanding as demonstrated in mild, medium and spicy questions.

Intervening at Just the Right Time

Teachers can view student work in real-time and see how each student approaches a problem, where they feel confident, and where they may need additional support. With these real-time observations, teachers can circulate the classroom more strategically, focusing attention on students who may have difficulty grasping the material. By observing student progress as they submit their work, teachers can intervene immediately, offering targeted guidance adding clarity to areas of misunderstanding.

Magma automatically scores student submissions, giving teachers an immediate overview of the class’s understanding of a particular concept. This real-time feedback allows teachers to identify areas that may need additional practice and address misunderstandings right away. With Magma, teachers can make the most of every instructional moment, reducing the risk of students leaving the classroom with misconceptions.

Fostering Peer Learning Through Discourse

Magma also encourages peer learning and classroom discourse. By anonymizing student responses and projecting them onto a vertical surface, teachers create an inclusive environment where students can share their approach without fear of judgment. This practice not only builds a sense of pride and accomplishment—but also showcases the diversity of approaches to solving problems.

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This visibility encourages students to learn from each other, promoting collaborative learning and critical thinking. Witnessing various pathways to a single answer helps students choose problem-solving strategies that align with what they know and understand, clarifying any misconceptions they may have had in the steps that led to incorrect answers.

Scaling Visible Thinking: From One Classroom to Many

Making student thinking visible through Magma supports both immediate and long-term growth for students and teachers. In a single classroom, Magma enables teachers to understand each student’s mastery of concepts, intervene as soon as a pattern of misunderstanding emerges, and foster a learning environment rich in collaboration and diverse problem-solving approaches.

Across a district, Magma empowers classrooms to become hubs of engagement, critical thinking, and personalized support. By incorporating the principles of Building Thinking Classrooms with Magma’s technology, districts can create more dynamic, responsive, and inclusive educational environments that foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of mathematics for all students.

Curious about bringing Magma into your classrooms? Click here to learn more about how Magma Math can help you build engaged, thinking classrooms across your district.