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 ensure parents are in the know. Let’s reframe how we look at conversations with parents by leveraging ...
Dec 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 263
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 this episode Kyle and Jon share why we need to define our objectives (Rocks) and how to stay focused when...
Dec 04, 2023•35 min•Ep. 262
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 set himself up for another great year. This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode where we talk with...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 261
“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), but its prevalence is similar to dyslexia- 5-7% of the population (Menon et al., 2020; Price & A...
Nov 20, 2023•44 min•Ep. 260
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, she was awarded the Sarah D. Barder Fellowship from the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Fawn w...
Nov 13, 2023•46 min•Ep. 259
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 Learners’. She is the founder of Mathematizing 247 , where her mission is to inspire and empower elem...
Nov 06, 2023•30 min•Ep. 258
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 significance of rich, narrative-driven mathematical content in facilitating engaging teaching experiences. He...
Oct 30, 2023•55 min•Ep. 257
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 assigning a large number of problems might not be the most effective way to help students learn and...
Oct 23, 2023•53 min•Ep. 256
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 Math Moments Virtual Summit session: Talking About Talking. You’ll Learn: Why and when you should use pr...
Oct 16, 2023•49 min•Ep. 255
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 succeed. Join us to discover Jason’s big a-ha moments and hear the answer to this common math classroom ...
Oct 09, 2023•51 min•Ep. 254
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 buzzword in education rather than something we actually care about, and why real change needs to start ...
Oct 02, 2023•38 min•Ep. 253
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 working toward common objectives that alignment will strengthen their team and the students they work...
Sep 25, 2023•58 min•Ep. 252
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 Robert wonders how to engage students who give push back when working in groups and sharing their think...
Sep 18, 2023•54 min•Ep. 251
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-positioned to tackle the math challenges that lay before them in grade 3. This is another Math Mentor...
Sep 11, 2023•51 min•Ep. 250
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 feeling confident and connected to the learning that took place. You’ll Learn: Why it is so uplifting whe...
Sep 04, 2023•54 min•Ep. 249
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 unravel practical strategies to strike a balance between the demands of teaching and preserving your o...
Aug 28, 2023•39 min•Ep. 248
This week, California high school mathematics teacher leader Giovanni Patalano returns to continue where we left off last time. While his goal is still clear in that he strives to assist in pushing practice forward in his school and across the district, today we dig into where that work might begin to ensure that there is enough alignment across his team. Should Gio and his colleagues dig into filling the gap in the canopy of their mathematics program tree by investigating a common curriculum re...
Aug 21, 2023•35 min•Ep. 247
Today you’ll hear from Yvette Lehman, an elementary educator from Windsor, Ontario. Yvette is a Primary and Junior Division Teacher Consultant for the Greater Essex County Board of Education and if the name seems familiar then you’re right, we have referenced Yvette’s work numerous times here on the podcast as she’s also a colleague of Kyle’s and a fantastic part of the Make Math Moments curriculum writing team and presented numerous times at the annual Make Math Moments Virtual Summit. Our conv...
Aug 14, 2023•50 min•Ep. 246
This week we spoke with Lauren Sawyer, a middle school math teacher from the Chicago area. Lauren has been implementing Peter Lilijedahl’s work Building Thinking Classrooms and is trying to find the right balance between collaborative work and individual think time. In this episode we help Lauren limit the illusion of understanding students may get when students are working in groups, determining the right time to schedule individual think time in her lessons, and how she can truly assess her st...
Aug 07, 2023•51 min•Ep. 245
In this “Where are they now” Math Mentoring Moment Episode, we bring back Jeremy Sarzana, a high school math teacher at a Vocational High School in Boston, Massachusetts. Jeremy shares concerns over how to keep “flow” in his math classes when many of his students are engaging at varying levels. Stick around to hear Jeremey realize how to plan beyond the lesson of the day to ensure he’s meeting the needs of all his students. This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode where we chat with a teach...
Jul 31, 2023•48 min•Ep. 244
Today we’re releasing a replay episode where we spoke with Nick Rhodes who has been teaching online in one of the largest cyber schools in America. Nick shares his story from transforming from a rock band front man to working in accounting to teaching math to being a founding member of our Make Math Moments Academy to becoming a rockstar online teacher! Nick wonders how to adjust his assessment practices so they line up with his problem based approach to teaching. This is another Math Mentoring ...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 243
In this "Where Are They Now?" episode, we reconnect with Tom Marker, a dedicated 6th grade teacher from Ohio, who continues to inspire us with his dedication to improving his teaching strategies. We dive into another conversation with Tom where we tackle: Helping Students Break Away from Calculator Reliance: Tom explores effective strategies to liberate students from overreliance on calculators. Discover how he empowers his students to develop mental math skills, fostering a deep under...
Jul 17, 2023•32 min•Ep. 242
Join us in our latest podcast episode as we dive into an important discussion about improving mathematics instruction and ensuring accessibility for all students. In this episode, we reflect on the common tendency to focus solely on students who are struggling or behind in math, neglecting those who are "lost in the middle" or above grade level but lacking appropriate support and differentiation. We explore how we can broaden our definition of differentiation to encompass all students,...
Jul 10, 2023•45 min•Ep. 241
Today we speak with Cara Carbone, a high school teacher from Bellingham Washington. Cara is here to share a pebble in her shoe around engaging her high achieving students with rich tasks. She implements some low floor/high ceiling tasks but struggles to do this consistently due to time constraints and the large number of preps she has during the year. Stick around and you’ll hear how we help Cara reshape the resources pulled from online sources and Teachers Pay Teachers into meaningful, engaging...
Jul 03, 2023•35 min•Ep. 240
In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Amy Buchheit, an instructional coach from the Chicago area. In our chat, Amy discusses her current mathematics leader pebble related to creating measurable professional development (PD) goals in mathematics that can truly shift teacher practice and in turn, increase student achievement. One of the speed bumps educators face in implementing the professional learning they have engaged with is finding the time to do it well. Stick with us as we ...
Jun 26, 2023•36 min•Ep. 239
Without a clear, concise and well-communicated mathematics vision and a sustainable professional development plan rooted in relevant, attainable, research-based and measurable goals, your teachers will continue to work on disconnected pieces of effective mathematics instruction that can only lead to pockets of success instead of systemic change in mathematics teaching practice and student achievement. In this episode we’re sharing our webinar on What Matters Most When Designing A Successful Math...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 238
Join us for an insightful conversation with Bill McCallum, co-founder of Illustrative Mathematics and a distinguished professor in mathematics education. In this episode, we delve into important topics that will transform your perspective on mathematics instruction. Discover what makes a problem engaging for students and how to identify struggling learners through classroom observations. Explore the power of connecting mathematics to meaningful stories and the potential impact of A.I. and digita...
Jun 12, 2023•44 min•Ep. 237
In our recent podcast episode, we had the pleasure of hosting Jonathan Lind again. Jonathan is an experienced high school math teacher currently teaching at an American school in Qatar. Jonathan shared invaluable insights and practical strategies on how he transformed his assessment practices in his math class, leading to remarkable outcomes for his students. During our conversation, Jonathan delved into the following key ideas: Shifting from labeling students to using assessment for growth; Tim...
Jun 05, 2023•59 min•Ep. 236
In this episode, we hop on a call with Andrea; a middle school mathematics educator and Texas native now living and teaching in Germany. Andrea joins us with a pebble she is dealing with regarding the connectedness of the content (or lack thereof) she is feeling with certain topics at the end of the unit. She even goes as far as to describe this issue with some topics as having all of the sprinkles throughout the unit to engage students and help them achieve, but no real “cupcake” by the end. Th...
May 29, 2023•52 min•Ep. 235
In this episode we chat with Jake Hickson, the System Math Lead for the Provincial and Demonstration Schools Branch of the Ministry of Education here in Ontario, Canada. Jake and his colleagues service students who are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low-vision as well as students who have one or more identified learning disabilities. We chat with Jake about the challenges he faces as a district mathematics leader who is mentoring educators across three (3) buildings that span great distances. While...
May 22, 2023•31 min•Ep. 234
