Math on the Rocks

In this rebroadcast of our Inspiring Math Minds webinar Richard Sgroi teaches us the algebra and finance connection and how we can use real world, real math, and real interest to engage our students. This is NOT consumer math. Teaching Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications is a life-long learning tool that all students should have access to. We need to think deeply about recognizing that le...

Our most controversial episode yet! Ki Karou, an EdTech product director, brings in the heat with some strong opinions…and then he defends them like heck. Listen to the audience; they had a hard time PRETENDING to be skeptical. Ki skillfully gets us thinking deeply about the role of language in learning mathematics. His ideas will grab your attention and keep you thinking for a long time. REGISTER...

In this LIVE episode, our guests Suzanne Huerta and Stephanie Williamson drop some major bombs of wisdom that sparks the audience into sharing points of skepticism. Huerta and Williamson share their profound beliefs that every student is capable of learning meaningful mathematics. All students deserve access to grade-level mathematics content and the standards of mathematical practices. Listen to...

Yeah…yeah…we had some technical difficulties as is typical with our Math On the Rocks vibe. But don't let that stop you from enjoying this live episode from Palm Springs. Dr. Brian Buckhalter, affectionately known as Dr. Buck, is the President of NCSM, the premier mathematics education leadership organization. Dr Buck shares his vision of math education that focuses on more than just speed and...

In this rebroadcast of our Inspiring Math Minds webinar Rebecca Lewis shares a TON of resources for supporting implementation of the California Mathematics Framework in your community. She highlights the framework as the GPS and high-quality instructional materials as our fuel. Rebecca shares an incredible number of resources to explore! Make sure you explore her website of resources. See the link...

In this rebroadcast of our Inspiring Math Minds webinar Peg Cagle shares her wisdom that we should stop looking for answers in math class! Yup…you read that correctly…math class would be a better experience if we give students the answers and let students focus on deep thinking instead. Peg recorded this from her classroom because she is a REAL teacher with REAL advice for REAL teachers in their c...

While Cole, Scott, and I are getting ready for our live episodes coming up in Palm Springs, we decided to record a special episode with our good friend Katie Koehn. Katie has a great story to tell about how she approaches mathematics instructional coaching with her teachers. She calls it Collaborative Lesson Design. CLD has a very specific set of agenda items, yet it also magically flexes to meet...

In this special episode of Math On the Rocks, we rebroadcast an Inspiring Minds webinar. This time our guest is Chris Shore…amongst many other things, he is the author of Clothesline Math. Learn what Clothesline Math is and how to use it in your classroom! ​​ ⁠https://clotheslinemath.com/⁠ Get the book here: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Clothesline-Math-Master-Number-Sense/dp/1493885146/ref=sr_1_1?ie=U...

In this special episode of Math On the Rocks, we rebroadcast an Inspiring Minds webinar. This time our guest is Chris Shore…amongst many other things, he is the author of Clothesline Math. Learn what Clothesline Math is and how to use it in your classroom! ​​ https://clotheslinemath.com/ Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Clothesline-Math-Master-Number-Sense/dp/1493885146/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8...

Scott and Duane finally get a chance to catch up with each other about the math education going on in our areas. We also talk about how important it is for teachers to form informal systems of support to grow professionally and stay in the education business. Then we spend most of our time talking about the importance of providing pedagogical variety for our students. This leads to a promise that...

First we talk about the challenges of being a mathematician parent of a student taking math. We grapple with whether there is a difference between y=4x-3 or y=4x+(-3)? Can a difference in heights be negative? Or is the difference in the heights of two objects always a positive? Then we talk about the importance of your district selecting a textbook that is closely aligned with the recommendations...

Duane and Cole return from a long summer vacation and discuss how our P-2 conferences are going. This is the conference series we designed specifically for pre-school teachers up through Grade 2 teachers. Spoiler alert: It is going GREAT!!! Then we shift to talking about the impending textbook adoptions that school districts throughout California will be doing. The choice is so important and we ne...

Scott and Duane share their mathematical summer reading list. If reading a good math book brings you joy, we've got EIGHT recommendations…plus Scott drops a surprise 9th book at the end.  BTW…A huge shoutout to Justin Lanier. Find him on BlueSky at ‪@jlanier.bsky.social‬ Here is information on his online math experience in July… https://justinlanier.org/21st-century-mathematics-2025/ RESOURCES...

Tim Weekes is our guest for this webinar. Tim gets us thinking about reframing the Achievement Gap as really being an Opportunity Gap. Listen to this episode…Tim's ideas will live rent-free in your mind for some time!  RESOURCES… ✚  ARTICLE: Opportunities Denied - High-Achieving Black And Latino Students Lack Access to Advanced Math   https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Advanced-Mat...

Cole, Scott, and Duane discuss a recently published article by Michael Kirst (former president of the California State Board of Education) that lists the seven steps to improve mathematics instruction in California. The list is reasonable and attainable. Every district should consider implementing these steps TODAY. Drawing from 35 high-quality studies conducted over three decades, the research hi...

Cole and Duane discuss a recently published article about how a school dramatically improved their math scores. Lots of great ideas for YOUR school to consider.  RESOURCES… ✚  ARTICLE: tis Wisconsin school excels at teaching math. Can its approach work statewide?     https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-school-excels-teaching-math   ✚  ARTICLE: Towards an Empirically Grounded Theory of Action for Im...

Christina Lincoln-Moore is our guest this episode. She led one of our Inspiring Math Minds webinars and we are reposting it in the Math On the Rocks feed. Christina is the STEM Mathematics Unit Lead focusing on advancing equity and anti-racism within mathematics education. She is also a co-founder of Black Womxn in Mathematics Education (BWXME), fostering a community where Black womxn in mathemati...

Duane and Cole uncork a crucial conversation about why educators working with our youngest learners—preschool through 2nd grade—must embrace the title “math teacher” with the same pride they claim “reading teacher.” They unpack the regrettable disconnect that leaves many early-years classrooms brimming with alphabet charts but light on number talk, then spotlight compelling research showing that s...

Cole ask us: Do leaders TRUST their teachers to implement ambitious instruction? Do teachers TRUST themselves mathematically? Are we asking teachers to trust their parachute or trust their light switch? It is well known that teachers need to have deep, flexible, and fluent thinking about mathematics in order to fully prepare their students for higher-order learning in later grades. Providing teach...

Duane is loafing on Spring Break. Cole and Scott are working. We talk about a convergence of two things: an article about teachers needing significantly more math training than they already get AND we at California Math Council updated our mission statement to say that we are committed to providing professional learning to teachers in California. Teachers need more math training. CMC is ready to p...

Cole and Duane host a webinar the 3rd Thursday of every month in which we have a guest share their wisdom to all who log in to listen and participate. This time it was Dionne Aminata. She shares her TRUST framework that allows up to TRUST our students to do the math. Improving student outcomes begins with trust. Dionne took us on a deep dive into her TRUST Actions Framework, gaining actionable way...

We talk about the featured speakers who are already lined up to speak at our symposium in March, 2026. The we announce our P2 Conferences which is a series of conferences throughout California specifically targeting preschool teachers through Grade 2. They are indeed MATH teachers…and they deserve their own math training. Then Duane complains. Cole and Scott listen. Duane shares that he is current...

Day 1 of our symposium is over. Game Night was a major success. To debrief the day and prepare for Day 2 of the symposium, Cole and Duane chat with Nigel and Brandon. These are two brilliant mathematicians who are passionate about creating learning environments where students explore mathematics and find joy.  Duane once again brings up Chapter 2 of the California Mathematics Framework. RESOURCES…...

Nick was our guest for the March (2025) webinar. We are now releasing it as a podcast on our Math On the Rocks feed. In this session Nick leads us through… Designing mathematics experiences that place rigor at the center Making connections to the CA Mathematics Framework Considering the implications for our districts, schools, and classrooms  Nick masterfully led us through several BIG IDEAS from...

We talk about stuff the night before the symposium. We also talk about "magic" teaching that excites and engages teaching. This "magic" is not magic at all. It is a set of replicable and spreadable skills that ALL teachers can learn and apply in their classrooms to excite and energize students into becoming curious and brilliant mathematicians. RESOURCES… ✚  Future conference d...