Making Math Moments That Matter

As educators of mathematics around the world embrace the ideas shared in Building Thinking Classrooms, more and more students are being positioned to think collaboratively during math class instead of simply mimicking steps, rules, and procedures.  While this shift in mathematics teaching practice is a massive leap in the right direction, our work does not stop once students solve the thinking tas...

Curious about the transformative power of leadership in mathematics education? Ever felt the challenge of aligning your strategic plan when it seems like you're constantly putting out fires? Join us in this episode where we unravel the critical importance of seeking support in leadership roles and dive into a conversation with Rob Baier, Executive Director of Mathematics and STEM at Pittsburg...

As educators of mathematics around the world embrace the ideas shared in Building Thinking Classrooms, more and more students are being positioned to think collaboratively during math class instead of simply mimicking steps, rules, and procedures.  While this shift in mathematics teaching practice is a massive leap in the right direction, our work does not stop once students solve the thinking tas...

Have you ever wondered why creating a safe space for students in mathematics class is crucial? This episode of The Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast explores this question and unveils insights that will reshape the way you think about math education. In a world where educational equity is a pressing concern, ensuring that schools are safe places for students becomes paramount. This episode d...

Today we speak with Michael Finley, the academic dean for math and science at a K-12 independent school.  Michael's staff is questioning their work in building thinking classrooms and how it serves high achieving students.  Listen in as we brainstorm strategies to uncover micro moves and macro plans to build a classroom culture that allows a thinking classroom to emerge.   This is another Mat...

Today we speak with Diana Worthen, a 10th grade math teacher from Denver Colorado. In our discussion we help to shake out a common pebble in an educator's shoes: How to keep students engaged during practice time. Stick around and you’ll hear why students tend to “shut down” after a teacher led lesson; how to be more targeted with your 1 on 1 support with your students; and how to structure yo...

Join us for an uplifting conversation with Mike Lipnos, a middle school teacher and math coach from Ohio. In this episode Mike shares his experience and insights on helping teachers build ownership and agency for students in their mathematics classrooms.  We discuss how some teacher moves ultimately shut the door on students seeking higher levels of mathematics, and how young people are thinking b...

Join us in the latest episode as we dive into the world of mathematics education with Shayla Heavner, the visionary founder of MathBait™. With over a decade of experience and a prestigious Sarah D. Barder Fellowship Award for teaching excellence under her belt, Shayla has been on a mission to revolutionize math education. As a certified online teacher and master reviewer for Quality Matters, Shayl...

In this where are they now mentoring moment episode we speak again with Adam Love; Adam joined us back on episode 120 when he was as first year teacher from Myrtle Beach South Carolina.  3 years later and a wealth of ideas, teaching strategies, and many lessons learned Adam is here to discuss how to help students show their thinking in multiple ways.  This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode...

Get ready Math Moment Makers for a great “call” with Crystal Frommert, who will be sharing some great tips and strategies that we can put to use to promote productive conversations with parents - especially when the news isn’t necessarily positive.  We’ve all been there before: a student is experiencing struggles in our math class and the time has come where we must make that informative call to e...

Are you on track to hit the goals you set out for yourself, your school, your district? It’s December, which often marks the half-way point of the school year and also a great time to check your progress on your program’s action plan.  It’s quite likely that the busy-ness of school has taken you away from your intended focus on what really matters in your school or district’s math program.  In thi...

We welcome back Ryan Kinzler, an 8th grade teacher from Pittsburg. Ryan is here to fill us in on the changes he’s made in his classroom since he last spoke with us over two years ago.  He shares how the teacher moves he implemented resulted in his best year ever and then subsequently followed by his worst year ever.  In this episode we dig into the differences between the two years and help Ryan s...

“I’m not a math person.” I’m sure that is something you two have heard more than once. But have you ever heard someone say, “I am not a reading person?” It seemingly is socially acceptable to be bad at math, but there may be more to it, including the underdiagnosis of dyscalculia .  The research shows…  Dyscalculia is less well known, and there are fewer screening and diagnostic tools (Jaya, 2009)...

This week we bring on another 2023 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit speaker: Fawn Nguyen!  Fawn is on the Math Advance Team at Amplify Desmos Math . She was a math coach for a K-8 school district for three years. Before that, Fawn was a middle school teacher for 30 years. Fawn was the 2014 Ventura County Teacher of the Year. In 2009, she was awarded the Math Teacher Hero from Raytheon. In 2005, sh...

Join us for a lovely chat with Kendra Jacobs about mathematizing our world around us and bringing it into our classrooms.  Listen in and learn the one simple thing you can do in your classroom to get students to enjoy mathematics instead of despise it.  Kendra is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, facilitating ‘Teaching Children Numeracy’ and ‘Numeracy for Diverse...

On today’s show, we’re bringing on Sunil Singh, a colleague, friend, and fellow Ontarian from the math education world for a second time.  Sunil, the author of three books (Life of Pi, Math Recess, and Chasing Rabbits) with his fourth on the way (Sonic Seducer), joins us to share his unique insights into effective teaching and learning of mathematics.  In this episode, Sunil highlights the signifi...

In today's episode, we had the privilege of sitting down with author, speaker, educator, Rick Wormeli. Rick is a true trailblazer in the field of education, and he brought a wealth of wisdom and experience to our conversation. In this engaging discussion, Rick delved into some thought-provoking ideas that challenge conventional teaching practices in mathematics. He passionately emphasized why...

Pam Harris is here and she’s changing the way we view and teach mathematics. She is a mom, a former high school math teacher, a university lecturer, an author, and a mathematics teachers educator.  In this session Pam is going to share how and why you need to use problem strings to get your students thinking and making connections among strategies. She’s also sharing insight into her 2023 Make Mat...

On this episode we speak with Jason Garner, a veteran 5th grade teacher of 15 years. Jason joined us on episode 127 and we’ve brought him back to provide an update on his journey.  After spending the last two years being more intentional in his problem based lessons Jason seeks guidance on how to help students stick with problems a little longer when they lack the prerequisite skills needed to suc...

In this episode, we’ll dive into a conversation with Dr. Kristopher Childs, a Mathematics Educator, Presenter, and Speaker from Orlando, Florida. Kris joins us for an insightful conversation about shifting professional learning opportunities for districts, schools, and teachers.  Join in and you learn what truly engaging mathematics professional learning needs to look like, why equity is just a bu...

In this episode we bring back Shawn Hershey, a math interventionist teacher and department chair from Pennsylvania. Shawn joined us back in episode 223 and we discussed how to strengthen his math team. This time around Shawn is seeking advice on how to create alignment across his school’s K-12 grade bands. He has seen individual pockets of success in his school but knows that if his teachers are w...

Today we speak with Robert Barth, a high school math teacher from the South side of Chicago. Robert shares his experience with teaching with the original flipped classroom model and how he’s morphed it over the years to incorporate Peter Liljedahl’s work on Building Thinking Classrooms and the Make Math Moments “Real” Flipped Classroom approach incorporating teaching through task.  Listen in as Ro...

We welcome Lisa Marentette onto the podcast to discuss how to transition from 9 years in the Kindergarten classroom environment into the grade 2 classroom.  After so many years in the Kindergarten classroom, she wonders what changes she needs to make to the structure of her mathematics program to “fit” the grade 2 classroom environment and how she can ensure that all students leave her class well-...

In this episode we bring back on the podcast for the third time the godfather of the Thinking Classroom Peter Liljedahl. We spoke with Peter way back on episode 21 of the podcast about how he built the components of the thinking classroom, episode 98 on group work and how to choose tasks, and in this episode Peter breaks down the three components of closing your lessons so students walk away feeli...

In our latest episode, we dive into a topic of utmost importance: maintaining a harmonious equilibrium between achieving success and nurturing your well being as an educator. Join us as we explore invaluable insights that equip you with the tools to avoid burnout while making strides in your teaching journey. Discover the art of sustaining the energy required to be an effective math teacher. We un...