Increased Student Thinking

I am beginning to see students voluntarily verbalizing their thinking and finding their own way of doing things. It is VERY exciting! A recent example, the math program that we use teaches a strategy for adding 19 to a number. The suggested strategy is to add 20 and then subtract 1 from the sum. So, 25 + 19 would be 25+20=45, then we subtract 1 from that sum 45-1= 44. One of my 7th graders very quickly said, "Why would I need to do that? Why couldn't I just take one away from the 25 making it a 24? Then I put that 1 with the 19 to make it 20. My new problem is 24+20 which equals 44." YES! And his process made more sense to the others in the group, so we are now using Nick's method instead of the suggested book strategy. This particular student has always been very hesitant when it comes to math, but ever since he had that success, he is starting to take more risks and is always looking for his own way. I'm loving watching his thought processes!