We interviewed math teacher Daniel Lindsay at K035 who was a brightspot in student engagement and classroom belonging. In the Panorama survey, students overwhelmingly remarked on his willingness to take the time to break down concepts even outside of class time. His philosophy emphasizes shifting the focus from direct instruction to creating an environment where students actively construct their own understanding.
My job is to create the environment where children will get the knowledge, look for knowledge, appreciate knowledge.
What resonated with us was Lindsay’s view of “understanding” didn’t just mean getting the right answer — it means persistence and using all the tools in their toolbox, including Lindsay himself. He focuses much of his energies on cultivating students’ abilities to self reflect and take on teaching roles.
Being a good teacher is being a good learner.
For Lindsay, the mark of a great math class is when students learn from each other, and the answers originate from their own explorations. He sees his role not as a provider of knowledge, but as a facilitator who designs the learning space to encourage students to seek, appreciate, and share knowledge. His coach Aisha remarked that “focusing on how to teach students what it looks like and sounds like to engage respectfully with each other in mathematical habits such as evaluating, critiquing, explaining, challenging, and providing tools for students to practice this has made a difference.”