Unlocking Numeracy Series Launches with a Successful Kickoff

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Teaching and Learning is pleased to celebrate the successful launch of Unlocking Numeracy, a new, five-part virtual professional learning series designed to strengthen numeracy instruction across classrooms and communities statewide.

The opening session, “Foundations of Numeracy,” a virtual workshop held on February  3, 2026, marked a strong collaboration between the Maine DOE Interdisciplinary Instruction Team and nationally recognized math educator Dan Finkel, founder of Math for Love. Approximately 40 educators participated in the kickoff, joining as numeracy teams and “partner pairs” to engage in a shared exploration of what numeracy truly means and how it comes to life in classrooms.

The workshop opened the series with a foundational conversation about numeracy, led by Finkel. He focused on designing learning experiences that transform people’s relationships with mathematics by fostering curiosity, confidence, and joy. Throughout the session, participants reflected on the hallmarks of a numerically literate student and envisioned what classrooms that genuinely teach numeracy look and feel like.

Educators engaged in hands-on activities that modeled how intentional experiences can deepen mathematical thinking. Participants explored tasks such as, “Don’t Break the Bank,” “Broken Calculator,” and “Close Calls and Bullseyes”–each designed to promote reasoning, sense-making, and rich student discourse. Teachers left the session with ready-to-use materials to begin building a numeracy toolkit, while administrators gained strategies to support and sustain a culture of numeracy within their schools.

A key theme throughout the session was mindset. Finkel emphasized that numeracy is not about perfection but about growth.

“The goal is not to instantly do everything perfectly,” Finkel shared. He said instead, numeracy opens pathways to deeper mathematical thinking, agency, and enjoyment for all learners.

Finkel also outlined essential elements of classrooms that unlock numeracy: spaces where curiosity and wondering are valued, where students care about one another’s understanding, where meaningful practice leads to visible growth and confidence, and where learners experience ownership of their work. In these environments, student thinking is diverse, choice is encouraged, and learning feels authentic.

Immediate feedback highlighted the impact of the session. One educator shared: “I really enjoyed last night’s session. Thank you very much! I went home and, over dinner, shared your activities with my 7th grader, who loves math. He said, ‘Your students will love these!’ I appreciate you teaching me new things and also reminding me of some I haven’t done in a while.”

The Unlocking Numeracy series will continue on March 5, 2026, with the next session, “Classroom Openers for Numeracy.” The Maine DOE looks forward to building on this strong start as educators across the state continue to deepen their practice and strengthen numeracy learning for all students. For more information about the Unlocking Numeracy series, click here.

Title IIA funds received from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) support the implementation of this project. The project has an award totaling $19,500.00 of which 100% is federally funded and directly attributed to project implementation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ED or the U.S. government.