Common Denominators

"A gifted storyteller, Lenhardt shares stories of students and teachers from the mathematics classroom that are authentic, relatable and clearly grounded in her experience as a middle-level math intervention teacher. Lenhardt digs deeply into some of the common things we hear from our students and what we say to one another that stand as obstacles to students’ engagement and sense of belonging in mathematics—prerequisites for equitable classrooms and academic success. By leveraging analogies and weaving in the research literature, Lenhardt outlines practices, structures, strategies and tools that support middle and high school teachers in building their understanding of the importance of engagement and belonging. Ultimately, Lenhardt reminds us that we teach people mathematics—human beings who need a sense of belonging to believe in themselves and experience success in mathematics. In our increasingly contentious society this message has never been more important. Common Denominators is a must read for anyone committed to creating environments that promote the success of each and every student in mathematics."

"Amazingly thought-provoking and written from a wide relevant scope, Common Denominators: Cultivating Engagement and Belonging in Secondary Mathematics begs all the right questions of a modern mathematical classroom, both of teachers and students alike. The part-whole model of what each student carries with them into a math classroom drives their success or failure. Ms. Lenhardt effectively explores empathetic paths educators can choose to cultivate trust and a sense of community. Mathematical defeatism and a low sense of belonging, if set in at an early developing age, will reach far into the secondary level for today’s students. Teachers must reach students’ hearts first if they aspire to open their minds to believing that they can find success with math. PLCs should read this as a team to reflect upon their approach with connecting students to their mathematical content!"