Collaborate. Persevere. Take Risks.

That motto anchors Cristin Hockenberry’s math extension classes at Jefferson Middle School — and it’s a mindset that’s changing how students see themselves as mathematicians.

As the building’s 7th and 8th grade math interventionist, Hockenberry works closely with seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher Evelyn Piazza to help students strengthen their foundational skills, build confidence, and make meaningful connections through hands-on, collaborative learning experiences.

“My primary goal as a math Interventionist is to give students the support they need to close any gaps in learning and meet grade level standards while building confidence in their mathematical thinking,” Hockenberry said. “Collaborating with Mrs. Piazza allows me to target my instruction to meet the needs of our students.”

Central to that targeted instruction has been encouraging students to think — literally. Using Peter Liljedahl’s “Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics” to reinforce and extend concepts from Jamestown Public Schools’ newly adopted SAVVAS enVision math curriculum, Hockenberry’s math extension class challenges students in a small-group setting using “Thinking Boards.”

“The goal is to create an environment where students are up at the ‘Thinking Boards’ and actively thinking, reasoning, communicating, and working together to make real-world connections to what they learned during a SAVVAS lesson,” she said.

Each session begins with a key concept drawn from recent classroom instruction, which Hockenberry then extends into open-ended, real-world tasks. Students work in small groups that are randomly selected each day, encouraging collaboration and peer learning.

“This staructure encourages students to be out of their seats moving and thinking while visually representing their answers on the board through collaboration with their team,” Hockenberry said. “The goal is for students to share strategies, challenge each other’s reasoning, and support each others’ learning which will deepen their conceptual understanding of the SAVVAS content.”

The results, Hockenberry said, have been incredible: students are persevering to become problem solvers rather than worrying about getting to the right answer alone.

“This is such a different way for them to approach math,” Hockenberry said. “Their mindset begins to shift. They start taking risks, asking questions, and building on each other’s ideas. Students have been less likely to give up when a problem feels challenging because they’ve experienced the satisfaction of working through problems with their team. Instead of worrying about getting a problem wrong, students are focusing on the concept and reasoning behind the answer which ends up helping them get the answer right.”

Through this approach, students have learned to value process over perfection.

“I love watching their mindset shift and their confidence grow,” she said. “They’re learning that math isn’t just about getting the right answer — it’s about thinking, exploring, and discovering ways to get there. They’re taking risks without fear of being wrong and seeing mistakes as part of the learning process.”