This article discusses Experience First, Formalize Later (EFFL), an approach to teaching and learning that empowers students to build strong conceptual understanding of concepts, redefining how students experience mathematics class, and ultimately leading to more equitable learning opportunities. Traditional lecture-based models for mathematics teaching place the teacher at the front of the room giving vocabulary, formulas, and procedures needed in the lesson and then asking students to work individually on practice problems (Bature & Atweh, 2016). The EFFL model flips this upside down by asking students to generate the ideas and to construct understanding collaboratively. The teacher supports students in this endeavor by connecting various students' ideas, adding on, and formalizing what students have already discovered for themselves.