The Mindful Math Podcast

Welcome to The Mindful Math Podcast! Listen in to hear what this podcast is all about and how it can help YOU as a math educator or coach. Website: www.mindfulmathcoach.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmathcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mindful123Coach

Lesson study and problem-based learning have gained national attention over the past several years as promising solutions to American students’ lagging achievement in math. In this episode, you’ll hear from Tom McDougal, who’s at the heart of this work as the leader of Chicago’s renowned Lesson Study Alliance. Through his years of organizing public lessons and leading teachers through analysis of...

In this episode, Chrissy explains why she is making a hard edit in her business right now and how you can apply this idea to to your role in your school or district. Website: www.mindfulmathcoach.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmathcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mindful123Coach

When students enter our math classrooms several years behind, we tend to see THAT as the challenge that needs to be solved. However, in many schools, the question of how to catch kids up is ever present and something that needs to be addressed year after year after year.  When more than 30% of your students need math intervention and Tier 2 and 3 support, unfinished learning isn't the root of...

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to partner with Astrid Fossum, Senior Math Specialist at Student Achievement Partners, on a topic we’re both passionate about -- catching kids up in math. We were motivated to help middle and high school math teachers find practical and effective solutions to a challenge they face every day in the classroom: what to do when students have significant unfinis...

Today, we’re flipping it around and switching it up. Instead of being the interview-er like I normally am, in this episode I’m the interview-ee. Several months ago, Nathan Vann, host of The Teacher’s Morning Prep Podcast, invited me to be a guest on his show -- and he’s agreed to share that episode with you here, on the Mindful Math Podcast. We discussed a variety of topics, and one overarching th...

Dr. Keonna White is a leader who walks the walk. She brings her whole self to her work, and her passion, authenticity, and vulnerability shine through. She tells it like it is while showing compassion and supporting others to be their best. In this episode, Dr. White explains what leadership at all levels looks like and how to use data, questions, and candid conversations to help members of your s...

Fawn Nguyen LOVES teaching with visual patterns - and, after hearing why, you will too. She shares hundreds of them on her website, visualpatterns.org for FREE! As an experienced educator and veteran middle school teacher, she’s spent years finely honing the craft of using this warm up routine to help students make sense of math. In this episode, Fawn explains how there’s so much more to patterns...

We all WANT our students doing the heavy thinking during math lessons… so why is it so hard to IMPLEMENT? How can we stop “teacher-splaining” and instead, provide opportunities for our students to problem solve, ask and answer questions, and explore concepts? In this episode, Math and Science Instructional Coach, Karla Morris, shares two obstacles teachers face as they work to engage students in d...

In recent years, educators have worked to replace deficit-based thinking with a more asset-based approach -- as it relates to students. But have we given the same attention to using a strengths-based approach with adults in the building? In this episode, I’m sharing how knowing and using your innate gifts can help you be at your best, improve interpersonal relationships, and find more joy and ease...

We’re all familiar with the terms “culturally relevant instruction” and “culturally responsive teaching,” -- but what does it REALLY entail? In this episode, Rolanda Baldwin, Vice President of Mathematics at UnboundEd, unpacks the idea, orienting teachers to four essential components they can use to create meaningful learning experiences that honor all students in the math classroom. Listen in to...

As important and ambitious as their goals for student achievement might be, many schools struggle to make effective progress on them. Listen in to learn a 4-step process you can use to separate the factors that actually drive instructional change from those that merely measure it. Then, create an accountability structure to ensure follow-through, build momentum, and celebrate wins on the way to ac...

Is your classroom management style leading to the outcomes you’d hope for, or is it getting in the way? Nathan Vann tells the story of his hard-won lessons from his early years in the classroom, including tips for building strong relationships with students and modeling the behaviors you’d like to see. He reflects on how un-learning his “white savior” mentality helped him better support his studen...

Long before everyone’s attention suddenly turned to learning loss this year, Chrissy worked for years on pioneering approaches to address multi-year gaps in math understanding within the context of grade-level work. Now, she’s distilled what she’s learned into a powerful yet simple 5-step process that any educator can use tomorrow. And, she shares how her potty-training journey with her son showed...

In Episode 30, Adrienne Williams described the pillars of white supremacy culture and how they present themselves in schools. In this episode, Math Specialist, Megan Morin, builds on that conversation by sharing how the pillars show up specifically in mathematics teaching and learning -- and how consciousness is necessary to achieve equity in math class. Whether you are a teacher, coach, or school...

Rashaan Davis and his colleagues have turned their high school into a place where students of color see advocates no matter where they turn on campus. In this episode, he explains how he structured the careful, reflective, and ongoing equity work that has led to this transformation. Listen to learn how to experience school through a student’s eyes -- and how to address the inequities that matter m...

If someone asked what math you teach in your grade, what would you say? Would you give a long-winded list of topics that all seem equally important -- or do you clearly see through to the heart of your students’ learning? In this episode, math content expert, Becca Varon, explains how understanding the major work of your grade enables you to teach math with meaning -- no matter how compressed your...

Have you wanted to start a reward system in your classroom, but didn’t know where to start? Or did you abandon this classroom management technique because it was too much work (and MONEY) to keep up with? Either way, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to worry! In this episode, Joy Blake, an experienced educator, shares her best tips, ideas, and lessons learned about how to run an effective - an...

Do you know the math, or do you KNOW the math? That’s the question we’ll help you answer in this episode. My guest, Katy Buckland, is a teacher, coach, and school leader who knows the importance of strong content knowledge -- and also the challenges teachers face as they build it. Listen to learn how deepening YOUR knowledge will deepen your STUDENTS’ understanding. Plus, get practical tips to hel...

In this unscripted, unedited episode I'm sharing some of my biggest takeaways from the past year. 2020 provided opportunities and challenges like none other -- and with that came insights, growth, and change. Listen in to hear 5 things I learned in 2020 and how I'm taking those lessons with me into 2021. Website: www.mindfulmathcoach.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmathco...

Did you know that YOU can influence whether you have a good day or a bad day? It’s true! Your mindset, your intention, and your energy can determine the direction of your day. That’s why so many people take time for themselves each and every morning. Feel like you’re too busy for self care in the AM? I promise you’re not! In this episode, Tabitha Cee, shares her powerful 6 minute morning routine t...

Did you know that many of the things we’ve been taught to value and to strive for are actually harming us? Not only that, but they are harming students, too? As a culture, we’ve been taught that certain ways of being are the ideal - that they are the things we must embody to be successful, to fit in, or to stay safe.  However, the truth is that what we think is “normal” is actually white supremacy...

What can you do when you have too much on your plate, work is stressing you out, or your overall job satisfaction is low? Maybe the planning template for your math lessons is WAY too long or the requirements for student work analysis feels like busy work. Beyond complaining to a friend or fellow educator (which may help you feel better in the short term, but doesn’t *actually* change your reality)...

There is an art to building relationships with students, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. Maybe you’re like me and my guest, Ryan Colon, who became math teachers because of our love for the content (and not as much for the warm-and-fuzzy stuff). Ryan’s goal was to radically change her students’ mindsets around what math means to them, and she shares ways she built relationships with her...

When I ask math teachers to share their vision for strong and equitable math instruction in their classrooms, the answers are very consistent. They want to provide opportunities for students to problem solve, think critically about math, and engage in discussion and discourse. However, when I observe math classes, rarely do I see these practices in action. So what is it that gets in the way of tea...