Math is Figure-Out-Able!

Most of us are probably teaching the way we were taught, to get correct answers to problems. But we aren't actually helping students understand and reason about the math. Which is more important? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss answer getting versus relationship building.   Talking Points: Phil Daro's research on patterns of math instruction from across the world Student success from...

Do your standards require you to teach algorithms? What then? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how they prepare their students for success on high stakes tests without ever teaching a step by step algorithm or process. Talking Points: All year long invest your time wisely helping kids learn to reason, increasing their sophistication of relationships and solving more difficult problems. Students...

What purpose has and should algorithms have in mathematics education? Are step by step What purpose has and should algorithms have in mathematics education? Are step by step procedures even to be taught at all? In this episode Pam and Kim talk about our role as teachers and what students need to think like mathematicians. Talking Points: One student's perspective What are algorithms? Why have...

Aren't addition facts cool?! By this point you've learned some amazing relationships and strategies to help your students make real sense of and automatize the single digit addition facts. But sometimes learning and applying are two different things. In this episode Pam and Kim detail how to help your students get out of counting mode and actually apply the relationships they've lea...

It's time for you to learn about the most important relationship your students need to know to automatize their addition facts: partners of ten. Partners of ten influence strategies for adding bigger numbers as well as strategies for other operations. In this episode Pam and Kim will discuss some of those influences and some games and routines specifically made to provide experience and build...

We build addition facts through relationships and fluency through experience.  So what important patterns and relationships can help students master or reason with their single digit addition facts rather than rote memorize? How can we teach those patterns and what experiences can help students automatize and become more fluent with addition facts? In this episode Pam and Kim dig deeper into singl...

Addition is figure-out-able! In this episode Pam and Kim describe some of the fundamental patterns students should learn as they get familiar and automatize with their single -addition facts.  We want students at all levels to have access to their facts so they don't bog down every time they encounter them.  Talking Points Connecting the concrete and pictorial experiences to symbolic represen...

So many people get left behind when it comes to higher math, because they never learned mathematize or to think more sophisticatedly and build complex relationships and simultaneity in lower math. Teachers often share that their students lack numbers sense or fluency, specifically lack of memorized basic math facts. That's why in this episode Pam and Kim start a new series on single digit add...

We've come to the end of another year, and we'd thought we'd leave you with some suggestions on goals you can set for your teaching. In this episode Pam and Kim highlight some transformative goals that you probably haven't considered before. How could your math class look next year or next semester?  Talking Points:  Learners setting goals around mathematical behaviors or pract...

Don't you love the holidays? We sure do! It's such a great excuse to talk math with your family! In this episode Pam and Kim describe some ways (and activities they do) to involve math in their festivities, from formal games like I Have, You Need, Guess My Number, MathStratChat, to simply noticing and wondering.  Talking Points:  Cooking and Baking  Spending Holiday Money  Dinner Games ...

As we approach Christmas and the holidays, we thought we'd talk about some of our favorite games that we love to gift others! In this episode Pam and Kim share what makes a great mathy game and list a few of their favorites that not only have numbers, but include some with strategy and logic. Also, don't forget to check out some of our Math is Figure-Out-Able merch for your own gift list...

We've got another one of our favorite routines for you today! In this episode Pam and Kim demonstrate the Relational Thinking routine, a routine that helps students understand equivalence and become more comfortable with relational strategies. Thanks to the    Cognitively Guided Instruction group for introducing us to this routine! Talking Points: Examples of the routine for all four operatio...

There are a lot of great instructional routines out there, and today we want to highlight As Close as it Gets. In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how to use this instructional routine in your classroom and how it can help your students get mathematizing with estimation! Talking Points: A routine to help students learn what Real Math estimation is through reasoning. Examples Teacher moves to intro...

Are your students dumb or smart? Fast or slow? Under achiever or advance achiever? Or are they just your students with varying experiences? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss labels, and the effect they have on you as teachers and your students. They propose a different way to look at your students so that you can provide opportunities and experiences for all students so that they continue to le...

How can we take what students already know and leverage that to make other mathematical connections? You've probably heard us mention that you should know your content and know your kids, but there's a lot of meaning behind that. In this episode Pam and Kim go in deep on how knowing your content and your kids support effective teaching practices and maximize learning for students. Talkin...

We did it! We made it to episode 73! Why is that an important milestone? Just cause it's Kim's favorite number :-). In this episode Pam and Kim take the opportunity to highlight some important milestones in the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. We're so grateful you're a part of it! Talking Points: Pam and Kim's favorite numbers Twitter followers and MathStratChat You Can...

Facilitating a Problem String is tricky business, so Pam and Kim take the time in this episode to provide some do's and don'ts that anyone can learn from. Talking Points: What is a Problem String? How long should a Problem String last? Can Problem Strings be given in a worksheet or as a bell ringer? Does everyone share during the Problem String? How do I know which students should share...

What makes Problem Strings different from other sequences of problems? In this episode Pam and Kim get into the nitty gritty on how Problem Strings work and what sets them apart. Talking Points: Defining Problem Strings The "Why or Purpose" - What sets a Problem String apart from just a list of problems? The "How" - How are Problem Strings facilitated differently from a textboo...

Problem Strings are meant to build off each other so that the math is always moving forward. That's why we've decided to build off the last episode with another Problem String! In this episode Pam and Kim find the equation of some lines using relationships and develop powerful strategies for more sophisticated thinking. Talking Points: You don't have to have lots of recent experienc...

We've talked a lot about the types of reasoning we need to help students develop, but a lot of teachers believe that there comes a point in higher math where reasoning just won't cut it. In this episode Pam and Kim tackle functional reasoning, and demonstrate that algebra can be so much more than memorized steps. Talking Points: Is using the procedure of finding slope, plugging into a fo...

In Episode 67 revisited the Development of Mathematical Reasoning (DMR) and we described how students can solve addition problems with Counting Strategies. What about the addition algorithm and multiplication and division problems? In this episode Pam and Kim explore the Development of Mathematical Reasoning even further, and discuss how important it is that we help students become more sophistica...

It's been over a year since Pam and Kim first introduced the DMR (Development of Mathematical Reasoning) and in that time they've refined their ideas even further. In this episode Pam and Kim dive deeper into the development and why it's so important.  Talking Points: It's not about answer getting, or students doing it 'their way'.  Our goal is more sophisticated thin...

Math conferences are powerful ways to improve your teaching. But it's also really easy to go to a conference and accidently miss all the good sessions. In this episode Pam talks about a few powerful leaders in the math education community that she will always go see no matter what they're talking about.  Talking Points: Karim Ani Peter Liljedahl Deborah Ball Zaretta Hammond Jenny Bay Wil...

How can we best grow as teachers? Together of course! In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the power of teachers honing their craft through collaborative experiences and conversations. Administrators, leaders and coaches will find this episode particularly helpful. Talking Points: Shared experiences help to communicate and reflect about critical moments and expert teacher moves. How coaches, teache...

Fun with Division: An Important Strategy There is so much to division! Pam and Kim go through a quick Problem String that builds a less known, but super powerful, division strategy.  Talking Points: Reasoning about division with scaling Thinking partitively vs quotitively to solve gnarly division problems with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and even polynomials. See Ep 132 and 176 for more on...