DebateMath Podcast

Text us your thoughts! Today's playful debate takes on a discussion that's been echoing through teachers' lounges for years: Who has it harder—elementary teachers or high school teachers? Is it the elementary teacher juggling every subject, tying shoes, drying tears, and somehow teaching long division before lunch? Or is it the high school teacher navigating teenager attitudes, adva...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughtful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: W...

Text us your thoughts! This month, we're tackling a topic that's sparking heated conversations in school board meetings, parent groups, and classrooms across the country: cell phones in schools. It's a topic with no shortage of opinions. Teachers and parents often bring up mental health concerns and the impact of screen time on academic performance. At the same time, phones could be...

Text us your thoughts! In this bonus debate, Chris engages Vanessa Vakharia in a friendly debate about the best way to have a latte -- iced or hot? -You can find Vanessa Vakharia on social media @TheMathGuru and visit her website: MathTherapy.com  Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts. Don’t forget to check out the video...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughtful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: W...

Text us your thoughts! Today we debate with administrators! What do you consider the qualities of a good leader? What do you wish administrators thought about more? Or have you ever considered becoming an administrator? Maybe someone has encouraged you to take the leap or you’re considering it on your own. We’ve known very few administrators coming from math education. Why is that? And do math tea...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughtful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: W...

Text us your thoughts! Continuing our back-to-school season kick-off, we wanted to keep exploring new ways to bring debate and argumentation into your math classroom. Last episode, we shared Math Wrangles. This episode, we’re excited to share a routine called Math Court . What is Math Court? How does it work? And might teachers find them powerful for student thinking and discourse? Tune in as our...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guest to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughtful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: Wh...

Text us your thoughts! As we kick off the back-to-school season, we wanted to spend some time exploring new ways to bring debate and argumentation into your math classroom. Last year, we shared a few discussion and debate routines to help get meaningful conversations started. This year, we’re taking things a step further by highlighting how brilliant educators are building deeper activities around...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughtful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: W...

Text us your thoughts! You’ve probably heard it before—claims about how the brain learns best or teaching moves justified by neuroscience.  These ideas have shaped classrooms, professional development, and even policy. But here’s the question we’re asking today: Have we gone too far? In this Hot Seat, we’re joined by two guests who will be arguing that math education over-relies on brain-based res...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guest (Deborah) to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: Which is better: bar graphs or pie c...

Text us your thoughts! In our last Hot Seat, our guests challenged the idea that everyone is a math person. Has the idea gone too far? And in today’s Hot Seat, we’re following  up on this idea with a subtle but powerful shift in language—and mindset. What if we had a word other than mathematician or math person? Join us as our Hot Seat guest invites us to rethink not just what we call our students...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests (Vanessa & Chris) to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: Is 100 a Good Approxima...

Text us your thoughts! You’ve probably heard it before — maybe from a teacher, a colleague, a speaker at a conference, or even yourself: “Everyone is a math person.” It’s become a kind of rallying cry in math education. A statement of belief. But is it really true? Or are we over-doing it? It came from a place of countering the narrative that we often hear from students, saying “I’m just not a mat...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests (Jay & Steve) to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action! Check out their website: 21stcenturymathassessment...

Text us your thoughts! Let’s talk about state assessments. These exams carry enormous weight. They influence school ratings, district decisions, curriculum, teacher evaluations, and often, whether students feel successful or not. They’re designed to measure learning. To provide accountability. To ensure standards are met. But is that what we’re really getting from these tests? Is the way we assess...

Text us your thoughts! This month’s debate is a recording from a LIVE debate that took place at the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics ( WVCTM ) Conference in March of 2026. In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited each of our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mat...

Text us your thoughts! This month’s debate is a recording from a LIVE debate that took place at the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics ( WVCTM ) Conference in March of 2026. When students don’t have the prerequisite skills, do we hit pause? Or do we stay the course and fix gaps in real time? You’re working on solving equations, but integer operations are falling apart. Or you’re intr...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited each of our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action! You can find Pam...

Text us your thoughts! We throw around many phrases in education. And specifically in math education, we might hear people say some students are “doing real math.”  Or we hear educators looking for “authentic math experiences.”  On the other hand, we criticize “rote procedures” or “worksheet math.” But underneath all of that is a loaded question: When does math count… and when is it just pretendin...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited each of our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action! You can find Robe...

Text us your thoughts! Math has often been seen as the universal language — a foundation of science, technology, and problem-solving. But it’s also often a source of struggle, frustration, and even fear for thousands of students. So what’s going on? Is there a problem with how we teach math? Or is this criticism missing the point — overlooking the structure, logic, and discipline that make math so...

Text us your thoughts! In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited each of our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action! You can find Ed C...