Description

How proportional reasoning prepares students for modeling

Over the past three months, we’ve built something intentional.

Geometry helped students see structure.
Number systems helped them understand magnitude.
Ratios helped them recognize relationships.

In this episode, we bring it all together.

Proportional reasoning is not the end goal. It’s the bridge. Before students ever graph a line or write an equation, they must see patterns in how quantities vary together. We explore how ratio thinking naturally leads to functions, why pattern recognition is the real preparation for linear relationships, and how modeling becomes possible when structure, magnitude, and variation converge.

You’ll also hear a powerful shift in thinking about what evidence of student learning should look like. When should student work mirror the teacher’s model? When should it begin to vary? Using John Hattie’s surface, deep, and transfer learning phases, we unpack how acquisition, fluency, generalization, and adaptation unfold across geometry, number systems, and proportional reasoning.

If you’ve ever wondered how to help students move from solving problems to modeling relationships, this episode clarifies the path.

Ratios were never the destination.
They were preparation.

Next up: Modeling Math.

This Week in Your PLC…

Set aside time to zoom out before you plan forward.

1. Map the Bridge
   Identify one upcoming lesson and ask:
   • Where is the structure (geometry)?
   • Where is the magnitude (number sense)?
   • Where is the relationship (ratios/proportional reasoning)?
     Make those connections explicit in your planning.
2. Define the Phase
   Choose a current unit and determine:
   • Are students in acquisition, fluency, generalization, or adaptation?
   • Does the instruction match that phase?
   • What evidence would be appropriate at that stage?
3. Plan for Transfer
   Adjust one task this week so students must:
   • Represent a relationship in more than one way
   • Explain how quantities vary together
   • Predict before calculating

The goal isn’t to add more.
It’s to align what you’re already teaching to the bigger progression.

Because when we teach for structure, magnitude, and relationship — modeling becomes possible.

Send a text

Build multiplication fluency through understanding with the Seeing Patterns, Building Power series. Two books now available on Amazon—plus check out my son’s new adventure novel, Anansi: Shadows of Myth and Mystery!

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Make Math Happen podcast! If you enjoyed today’s conversation, subscribe on your favorite listening platform, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow educators.

You can also join the discussion and connect with me directly by clicking the link to join the Math Collective. Together, we’ll keep exploring practical strategies to transform classrooms and inspire students.

Remember, new episodes drop every Sunday at 9:00 am, so mark your calendars! Until next time, keep making math happen, and I’ll catch you in the next episode.

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