Productive Math Struggle: A 6-Point Action Plan for Fostering Perseverance Book Study
Do you feel like your students are constantly struggling in mathematics? Are you searching for a way to help your students turn those struggles into productive struggles that lead to an increase in student perseverance and confidence?
This book study emphasizes that while struggle is a natural and necessary part of learning, teachers should help students transform it into productive struggle-especially in mathematics. Without the right support, struggle can become discouraging and harm students' confidence and identity as math learners.
The book provides a practical, six-action framework-valuing, fostering, building, planning, supporting, and reflecting on struggle-to guide teachers in using challenges as growth opportunities. It includes actionable strategies, classroom tasks, grade-level examples, and real student work to illustrate how to implement productive math struggle. Centered on the belief that math is a way of thinking rather than simply finding answers, the book aims to empower students to persevere, develop strong learning habits, and apply these skills beyond the classroom.
NOTE: Participants must purchase a copy of Productive Math Struggle: A 6-Point Action Plan for Fostering Perseverance, by John J. Sangiovanni, Susie Katt, and Kevin J. Dykema, prior to the start of the course.
FORMAT: Asynchronous online learning
DATES: 1/11/26 - 2/16/26
FACILITATOR: Heather Graham [hgraham2207@gmail.com]
GCRTC CONTACT: Lorena Hurst, GCRTC Teacher Leadership Coach for Elementary Education [lorena@teachers-center.org]
FEE: None. Registration is required.
CTLE HOURS: 15
REGISTRATION: https://tinyurl.com/2ucn4wx9