Rounding Up

The Big Place Value Episode with Eric Sisofo, EdD ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 21 If you ask an educator to share some of the most important ideas in elementary mathematics, most would include place value on that list. But what does it mean to understand place value, really? And what types of language, practices, and tools support students as they build understanding?   In this rerelease of an...

Practical Ways to Build a Strengths-Based Elementary Math Classroom with Dr. Beth Kobett ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 20 What if it were possible to capture all of the words teachers said or thought about students and put them in word clouds that hovered over each student throughout the day? What impact might the words in the cloud have on the student's learning experience? These are the questi...

Posing Purposeful Questions with Dr. DeAnn Huinker ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 19 Educational theorist Charles De Garmo once said, "To question well is to teach well. In the skillful use of the question, more than anything else, lies the fine art of teaching."  In this re-release of an episode from Season 1, our guest is Dr. DeAnn Huinker, one of the coauthors of Taking Action: Implementing Ef...

Productive Ways to Build Fluency with Basic Facts with Dr. Jenny Bay-Williams ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 18 This summer we're replaying favorite listener episodes from the first four seasons of Rounding Up —like this one from Season 1. We'll return with all new episodes in early September. Ensuring students master their basic facts remains a shared goal among parents and educators. That said,...

ROUNDING UP: Supporting Multilingual Learners During Number Talks with Jana Dean & Heather Byington What might it be like to engage in a number talk as a multilingual learner? How would you communicate your ideas, and what scaffolds might support your participation?  Today, we're talking with Jana Dean and Heather Byington about ways educators can support multilingual learners' engagement and part...

ROUNDING UP: Understanding the Roots of Fluency with Addition & Subtraction with Kristin Frang Research suggests that supporting students' fluency with addition and subtraction hinges on understanding how children's mathematical thinking develops. So what are the concepts and ideas that play a part in fluency with combinations to 10, 20, and beyond?  Today, we'll explore this question with Kristin...

ROUNDING UP: Math Trajectories for Young Learners *PART 2* with Dr. DeAnn Huinker & Dr. Melissa Hedges Research confirms that early mathematics experiences play a more significant role than we once imagined. Studies suggest that specific number competencies in 4-year-olds are strong predictors of fifth grade mathematics success. So what does it look like to provide meaningful mathematical experien...

ROUNDING UP: Math Trajectories for Young Learners *PART 1* with Dr. DeAnn Huinker & Dr. Melissa Hedges Research confirms that early mathematics experiences play a more significant role than we once imagined. Studies suggest that specific number competencies in 4-year-olds are strong predictors of fifth grade mathematics success. So what does it look like to provide meaningful mathematical experien...

ROUNDING UP: Pacing Discourse-Rich Lessons with Dr. Mike Steele As a classroom teacher, pacing lessons was often my Achilles' heel. If my students were sharing their thinking or working on a task, I sometimes struggled to decide when to move on to the next phase of a lesson.  Today we're talking with Mike Steele from Ball State University about several high-leverage practices that educators can us...

ROUNDING UP: Building a Meaningful Understanding of Properties Through Fact Fluency Tasks with Kyndall Thomas Building fluency with multiplication and division is essential for students in the upper elementary grades. This work also presents opportunities to build students' understanding of the algebraic properties that become increasingly important in secondary mathematics.  In this episode, we'r...

ROUNDING UP: Understanding Units Coordination with Dr. Amy Hackenberg Units coordination describes the ways students understand the organization of units (or a unit structure) when approaching problem-solving situations—and how students' understanding influences their problem-solving strategies. In this episode, we're talking with Amy Hackenberg from the University of Indiana about how educators c...

ROUNDING UP: What Counts as Counting? with Dr. Christopher Danielson What counts as counting? The question may sound simple, but take a moment to think about how you would answer. After all, we count all kinds of things: physical quantities, increments of time, lengths, money, as well as fractions and decimals.  In this episode, we'll talk with Christopher Danielson about what counts as counting a...

ROUNDING UP: Enacting Talk Moves with Intention with Dr. Todd Hinnenkamp All students deserve a classroom rich in meaningful mathematical discourse. But what are the talk moves educators can use to bring this goal to life in their classrooms?  Today, we're talking about this question with Todd Hinnenkamp from the North Kansas City Schools. Whether talk moves are new to you or already a part of you...

ROUNDING UP: Exploring the Seeds of Algebraic Thinking with Janet Walkoe & Margaret Walton Algebraic thinking is defined as the ability to use symbols, variables, and mathematical operations to represent and solve problems. This type of reasoning is crucial for a range of disciplines.  In this episode, we're talking with Janet Walkoe and Margaret Walton about the seeds of algebraic thinking found...

ROUNDING UP: Developing Student Agency: The Strategy Showcase with Tutita Casa, Anna Strauss, Jenna Waggoner, and Mhret Wondmagegne When students aren't sure how to approach a problem, many of them default to asking the teacher for help. This tendency is one of the central challenges of teaching: walking the fine line between offering support and inadvertently cultivating dependence.  In this epis...

ROUNDING UP: The Case for Choral Counting with Fractions with Christy Pettis & Terry Wyberg How can educators help students recognize similarities in the way whole numbers and fractions behave? And are there ways educators can build on students' understanding of whole numbers to support their understanding of fractions?  The answer from today's guests is an emphatic yes. Today we're talking with T...

ROUNDING UP: Improving Students' Turn & Talk Experience with Ramsey Merritt Most educators know what a turn and talk is—but are your students excited to do them?  In this episode, we put turn and talks under a microscope. We'll talk with Ramsey Merritt from the Harvard Graduate School of Education about ways to revamp and better scaffold turn and talks to ensure your students are having productive...

ROUNDING UP: Exploring the Power & Purpose of Number Strings with Pam Harris I've struggled when I have a new strategy I want my students to consider and despite my best efforts, it just doesn't surface organically. While I didn't want to just tell my students what to do, I wasn't sure how to move forward. Then I discovered number strings.  Today, we're talking with Pam Harris about the ways numbe...

ROUNDING UP: I Have, You Need: The Utility Player of Instructional Routines with Kim Montague In sports, a utility player is someone who can play multiple positions competently, providing flexibility and adaptability. From my perspective, the routine I have, you need may just be the utility player of classroom routines. Today we're talking with Kim Montague about I have, you need and the ways it c...

ROUNDING UP: Same but Different: Encouraging Students to Think Flexibly with Dr. Sue Looney Sometimes students struggle in math because they fail to make connections. For too many students, every concept feels like its own entity without any connection to the larger network of mathematical ideas.  On the podcast today, we're talking with Dr. Sue Looney about the powerful same and different routine...

ROUNDING UP: Which One Doesn't Belong Routine with Dr. Christopher Danielson The idea of comparing items and looking for similarities and differences has been explored by many math educators. Christopher Danielson has taken this idea to new heights. Inspired by the Sesame Street song "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)," Christopher wrote the book Which One Doesn't Belong? In this episod...

ROUNDING UP: Understanding the Role of Language in  Math Classrooms with William Zahner How can educators understand the relationship between language and the mathematical concepts and skills students engage with in their classrooms? And how might educators think about the mathematical demands and the language demands of tasks when planning their instruction?  In this episode, we discuss these que...

ROUNDING UP: Assessment as a Shared Journey: Cultivating Partnerships with Families and Caregivers with Tisha Jones Families and caregivers play an essential role in students' success in school and in shaping their identities as learners. Therefore, establishing strong partnerships with families and caregivers is crucial for equitable teaching and learning. This episode is designed to help educato...

ROUNDING UP: What If I Don't Understand Their Thinking? with Ryan Flessner "What do I do if I don't understand my student's strategy?" This is a question teachers grapple with constantly, particularly when conferring with students during class. How educators respond in moments like these can have a profound impact on students' learning and their mathematical identities. In this episode, we talk wi...

ROUNDING UP: Supporting Neurodiverse Students in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms with Dr. Cathery Yeh What meaning does the term neurodiverse convey and how might it impact a student's learning experience?  And how can educators think about the work of designing environments and experiences that support neurodiverse students learning mathematics?  In this episode, we discuss these questions with...