Introducing The Age of Storytellers 

Uncovering the “Characters” of Mathematics

Teaching begins not with what you teach, but how you see. “Grasp the Meaning” is about developing an intimate understanding of a mathematical concept—its definitions, its visual forms, its behavior, and its relevance.

"Just like a storyteller knows their characters, a math teacher must come to know their concepts as deeply lived ideas."

What it looks like: Teachers explore multiple representations, develop narrative arcs for concepts like fractions or exponents, and connect ideas to human experience, emotion, and cultural meaning.

Seeing the Arc of the Story

Every concept lives within a broader arc. “Reveal the Horizon” invites educators to develop mathematical peripheral vision—to understand where ideas come from, what they connect to, and how they evolve across time and grade levels.

"Great storytellers know what came before and what’s coming next. So do great teachers."

What it looks like: Teachers design learning experiences that anticipate future struggles, plant seeds of insight, and highlight the long arc of reasoning across the curriculum.

Exploring the "Rules of the World"

Mathematics, like any good story, is filled with tension and contradiction. “Observe the Implications” helps educators and students explore what happens when mathematical concepts meet different contexts—what breaks, what holds, and what that teaches us.

"Dignity in teaching comes from honoring the contradictions, not hiding them."

What it looks like: Teachers model curiosity, welcome student struggle, and use conceptual shifts as openings for insight. Students begin to see that understanding grows at the edges of what they thought they knew.

Building Coherent Narratives

No idea in mathematics lives alone. “Weave Together Concepts” is the movement of synthesis—helping students and teachers connect concepts across domains, disciplines, and lived experiences.

"Every concept is a character in a shared world. The teacher’s role is to help build the map."

What it looks like: Teachers use analogies, timelines, and thematic storytelling to connect geometry to algebra, or data to decisions. Students begin to see mathematics not as fragments, but as an unfolding story.

Collaboration as a Catalyst for GROWTH

Teaching is a communal act. “Teach with Peers” reminds us that growth accelerates when we work together. When teachers collaborate, they not only refine their methods—they enrich their identities as educators and storytellers.

“You are already a storyteller. Let’s make it intentional. Let’s make it shared.”

What it looks like: Teachers engage in co-planning, reflective dialogue, and peer feedback. Through shared metaphors and collaborative sensemaking, they discover new stories, new structures, and new confidence.

Students as Co-Authors of the Story

To teach mathematics well is to listen with care. “Hear Your Students” reframes assessment and feedback as opportunities to understand the student’s story—how they think, where they hesitate, and what they believe about themselves.

"The classroom is not your stage-- it's a shared space of narrative construction."

What it looks like: Teachers tune into the emotional and intellectual rhythms of student thinking. They respond not just with correction, but with compassion, scaffolding, and invitations to deepen the story together.

A Narrative Informed by Pracice, Cognitive Science, and Complexity Thinking

The GROWTH Framework didn’t begin as a checklist or a curriculum.
It was born from a research agenda focused on one central question: How do teachers make meaning in mathematics—and how do they help students do the same?

Over two decades, the architects of GROWTH investigated how knowledge is constructed, transferred, and embodied in the classroom. The result is a framework grounded in three overlapping traditions:

Researchers like Ball, Thames, and Bass, as well as Davis and Simmt, helped shape what we now call "mathematical knowledge for teaching"—the nuanced, practice-based knowledge teachers use in real time. Their work emphasized:

• The tacit knowledge teachers draw upon in the moment
• The relational complexity of interpreting student thinking
• The pedagogical moves that signal deep understanding

These insights laid the foundation for "Grasp the Meaning" and "Hear Your Students."

Sensemaking and Complexity Theory

From the organizational lens, theorists like Dave Snowden and Max Boisot explored how knowledge moves, evolves, and resists simplification.

• Snowden's Cynefin Framework shows that not all knoweldge is explicit-- some must be revealed through narrative, interaction, and emergence.
• Boisot's I-Space Model explains how tacit, abstrt, and codified knowledge must be balanced to support innovation and learning.

This body of research shaped the "Teach with Peers" and "Weave Together Concepts" movements—where knowledge is co-constructed, not simply delivered.

Educational History and Philosophy

Drawing from thinkers like Dewey, Harari, and Labaree, the GROWTH Framework positions teaching as a cultural act, not just a technical one.

• Harari's theory of intersubjective reality explains how shared myths (like school, mathematics, justice, money) are sustained through story.
• Labaree reminds us that teacher education has long struggled to balance rigor and relevance. The GROWTH Framework restores the balance by making meaning-making central.

These ideas are the philosophical heart of the GROWTH Framework and the Age of Storytellers.

Why It Matters Now

In the Age of AI, what makes human teachers essential is not their ability to recite content—but their ability to build narrative coherence, respond to the messiness of real thinking, and guide students through uncertainty with insight and care.

That’s what the GROWTH Framework does.

It positions teachers not just as deliverers of knowledge, but as sensemakers, editors, and storytellers—a role that no algorithm can replace.