Using Gallery Walks in Math

The concept of a gallery walk, where children have the opportunity to explore and learn from others' ideas, is a powerful tool for fostering purpose and agency among our young mathematicians.

When implementing a gallery walk, children are assigned the role of "gallery viewers." They are encouraged to wander around, examining and contemplating their classmates' thinking. Personally, I find it beneficial to combine a gallery walk with an investigation or a rich task that has been solved on a blank piece of paper or vertical non-permanent surface by a partnership or group of three. Using blank paper or vertical non-permanent surfaces allows children the opportunity to organize their thinking in personalized ways and use a variety of problem solving strategies and representations.

Why use gallery walks in math?

• Children can observe and gain new insights from others' mathematical thinking and organization.
• It cultivates accountability in problem-solving. When gallery walks become a regular part of the math workshop structure, it instills a sense of responsibility in children to share their thinking on paper and engage in their own learning.
• It provides children with a purposeful audience: other mathematicians who are examining their thought processes.
• It allows children to make connections between different strategies and representations of thinking used by their peers in the mathematical community.
• It reinforces the British Columbia (BC) curricular goal of using flexible, effective, and personalized strategies to analyze and solve increasingly complex problems in real-life contexts. Children can visually observe the flexible, effective, and personalized strategies employed by their classmates.

When to use gallery walks?

• Part way through an investigation if students seem stuck in their thinking or need inspiration to progress further.
• To facilitate or initiate a math sharing session after an investigation or rich task.

Providing Structure and Purpose 

When doing gallery walks, I like to give the children a purpose or intention for the walk. I usually center this around our math goals. I also try to focus intentions on the idea of Same but Different. When deciding on an intention for gallery walks, I consider the socio-emotional and mathematical needs of my learners and vary the intention responsively to their needs. Some invitations you might consider are:

• “Today, when we do our gallery walk, I invite you to look for different ways mathematicians have organized their thinking.” 
• “When you are viewing mathematicians work, see if you can find any similarities in thinking to your own.”
• “See if you can find some mathematicians who use a similar strategy to you?”

While doing a gallery walk is not necessary during every math block, incorporating this strategy regularly reinforces the sense of community among mathematicians and enhances students' sense of purpose, agency, and engagement in math!