DebateMath Podcast

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...

Text us your thoughts! Artificial intelligence has exploded onto the scene with promises of personalized learning, instant feedback, and round-the-clock tutoring. Some teachers say it’s transforming how students engage with mathematics. Others worry it’s turning problem-solving into copy-and-paste, eroding reasoning, and creating a generation of students who can “get answers” but can’t explain the...

Text us your thoughts! As we’ve done in the past, we wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable to reflect on the past debates and also engage in a discussion around a central question. With all the stress put on teachers and all the content we have to teach (not to mention the greater political environment we are currently in), we want to he...

Text us your thoughts! What are your thoughts about teaching how to read analog clocks? In this month’s debate we’re diving into a question that might seem small at first, but actually gets at some big ideas about education, tradition, and the skills we think are essential for the next generation, especially in light of all the technology available. Since digital clocks can be found all over (incl...

Text us your thoughts! Imagine you had a magic wand and could add an extra 30–40 minutes to the school day. How would you use it? Would you dedicate that time to Reading or to Math—and why? That’s the debate we dove into, with two teams facing off in this live debate, answering the big question: Should schools spend more time on Reading or on Math? *This is a recording of a LIVE debate from the Ha...

Text us your thoughts! This is the seventh (and final) episode with our guests demonstrating various classroom debate routines. In this episode, we put everything together: using a discourse routine, modeling listening skills, and preparing both sides of a debate. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into a final example with us!  Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak C...

Text us your thoughts! This is the sixth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this episode, we see another example of the routine where students have to prepare both sides of an argument ahead of time: a Point-Counterpoint Debate. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Foll...

Text us your thoughts! This is the fifth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we explore a routine where students have to prepare both sides of an argument ahead of time: a Point-Counterpoint Debate. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne...

Text us your thoughts! This is the fourth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we dig further into the listening routine of Circle Debates. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social media: @zakchamp And check out the FlynnEducation...

Text us your thoughts! This is the third of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we extend the routine from the previous episodes to really encourage listening. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social media: @zakchamp And check out t...

Text us your thoughts! This is the second of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. Tune in to this very brief example, where guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into a more mathy example! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social media: @zakchamp And check out the FlynnEducation website: flynneducation.com Listened to the e...

Text us your thoughts! This is the first of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. Tune in to this very brief debate on pizza, where guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social media: @zakchamp And check out the FlynnEducation website: flynneducation.com Listened to the epis...