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Ravenswood Middle School math teacher Harriette Huang made a small change to her class warmup that made all the difference last school year, she said.
Instead of silently completing a worksheet, Huang asked her students to label questions they didn’t understand with a simple “IDK” – or I don’t know – before getting to work. She and the class would tackle these questions first, and on a volunteer basis, students were given the opportunity to teach the class if they understood one of the problem questions.
Students not only learned that not knowing an answer is okay, but they looked forward to the opportunity to collaborate.
This was one change of many Huang has incorporated by working with retired Arizona math teacher, Qiang Xu, and the Palo Alto University Rotary Club’s Reading and Math Pals programs, which aim to boost proficiency among low-income students.
Through this work, and new engagement tools provided by the Ravenswood City School District, Huang was able to boost proficiency in her advanced math class from 11% to 65% in just one year.
“I was shocked by the change,” she said. “Every day, they become more curious.”
Rotary is set to award Huang, who left behind a tech career to become a teacher in the East Palo Alto school district, with an award for her dedication to local students at an August 7 meeting.
The Rotary Math Pals program began working with Ravenswood teachers in 2024, when it realized that many students lacked the motivation and confidence to excel in math. According to 2023-24 state test scores, about 5% of Ravenswood middle school students were proficient in math, compared to the California middle school average of approximately 33%.
In search of a path forward, the Rotary club found Xu, a retired math teacher from Phoenix, whose students consistently achieved more than 95% proficiency, more than twice the school average, he said. Focused on play and peer instruction, Xu aims to share his methods with other teachers to make students “active learners” rather than “passive receivers.”
Rotary connected Huang and Xu in 2024, and the two have only met three times since then. Although Huang admitted she is still learning the new teaching methods, that is often the most difficult step in Xu’s three-prongued approach.
After spending years working with underprivileged students in Arizona, Xu retired early to advise math teachers across the nation. His method is simple: Unlearn, connect and be patient.
Oftentimes, curricula urges students to find the answer rather than understand the subject, he said. Xu advises teachers to let go of their old habits and what they understand about teaching.
In regard to math, Xu believes that everything is connected and that students should not learn in isolation. Addition and subtraction should be taught together, for example, and one shouldn’t be more difficult than the other.
“Everything is a system,” he said. “17 minus eight, and eight minus 17 are the same.”
Lastly, Xu advised teachers to slow down, and only deliver information students fully understand. With these methods in mind, Xu urges students to fail and to focus on the process, rather than the finished product.
“I pay very little attention to being right or wrong,” he said. “I only mind to make them think.”
Just two years into working with Xu, Huang has noticed her student’s confidence grow tremendously, she said.
In 2024, one out of nine of Huang’s students finished her advanced math class with proficiency – or grade-level understanding. But at the end of last school year, 11 of 17 of her students were proficient.
Huang credits student growth to Xu and the district, which has undergone significant curriculum reforms to boost engagement and hired new Chief Academic Officer Omar Currie. With the new partnerships in place, Huang expressed excitement over working with other educators and helping more kids grow.
“It’s going to be so powerful,” Huang said.
