Making Math Moments That Matter

We chat with Dr. Raj Shah from Math Plus Academy about how how to harness the elements of video games that make them so addictive and how we can apply them to our math classes. We chat about how to build a culture of discussion, creativity and problem solving in our classrooms, and we also chat about how to use the power of mystery to engage our students.

On today’s show, we’re bringing on Matt Makuch from Victoria, British Columbia to share his mathematics professional learning journey thus far. Matt shares some of the influencers who inspired him initially to begin thinking differently about teaching his math class including Marcy Cook, Kim Sutton, and Sherry Perrish. He also shares how he took the plunge to take his professional learning to the next level when he joined our Making Math Moments That Matter Online Workshop.

Join us while we chat with the great Marian Small. For us, Marian has been a rock and a foundation for how we’ve changed our teaching practice! She’s an author, math education influencer, and Open question guru! In this discussion we talk with Marian about the origin story of open questions, how open questions compare to open middle problems, and how being more intentional with big ideas versus specific skills is more beneficial for student learning.

Conference season is just around the corner for us at the time of this recording. We attend various conferences throughout the year and a big question that we always have is, “Is this going to be worth it?” In episode 15 we want to give you 5 TIPS on how to get the most out of the conferences you attend and also what can you do if you can’t attend a conference this year. Show Notes: http://makemathmoments.com/episode15

We’re bringing on the author of Pi of Life and his soon to be released book, Math Recess, an international keynote speaker and a part of the BuzzMath team. We talk about the simplicity of mathematics, how learning mathematics should be more like the preparation of a fantastic meal rather than just serving up the final finished dish, and finally, Sunil gives us some suggestions for how we can teach effectively. Show notes: http://makemathmoments.com/episode14 

In episode 13 you’ll listen to Sam Brotherton, a teacher from St. Louis Missouri. Sam’s been teaching for 5 years and we chat with him on this Math Mentoring Moment episode of the Making Math Moments that Matter Podcast about struggling with the idea of where assessments fit in his routines. Show Notes: http://makemathmoments.com/episode13

In episode 12 Jon & Kyle address questions like: how to create a collaborative approach to teaching math AND cover curriculum standards? How to build resilient problem solver?  How do I decide to adjust my unit plans when not all students have made connections during my lesson? They walk you through what planning looks like before a lesson, during a lesson, and after a lesson to ensure we cover our curriculum while making math moments that matter. Show Notes: http://makemathmoments.com/episode12

Play is the engine of learning, that’s the mission of Dan Finkel and his team at MathForLove.com. Over the next 60 minutes, we’ll dive into Dan’s story about how he fell in love with math and in particular, teaching with games in the math classroom, he’ll give us some background behind his extremely popular TED Talk on the 5 principles of extraordinary math teaching and he’ll give us 3 things he looks for when selecting games for use in the math classroom.

Our conversation begins with Jo sharing some of her memorable moments from math class followed by a rich discussion about the importance of thinking deeply to communicate mathematical understanding, ideas for differentiation in the math classroom, teaching through task, and much more! Show notes: http://makemathmoments.com/episode10

In Episode 9 of the Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast we have another Mentoring Moment episode coming your way with Kirsten Dyck, a grade 7/8/9 math teacher in rural Saskatchewan. Kirsten is working though how to bring out effective learning goals in all the great lesson ideas she’s already using. Listen in as we welcome Kirsten to the podcast and we all put our minds together to  work through this very common challenge we all experience across the grades.

In this episode we talk to Katrien Vance who is a veteran teacher that set a total different approach to give her students a sense of direction and help them stay focused. We outline why she did it, how she did it, and how it all worked out for the students.

In episode 7, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr talk with Making Math Moments That Matter online workshop participant, Sarah-Jane Wells about realizing her personal privilege has affected her teaching habits, how she’s been working on Sparking curiosity consistently to get kids engaged and keep them on task… and a BIG can of worms was opened when the conversation moved into assessment, evaluation and the role of descriptive feedback.

This week we interview the great James Tanton. Author, curriculum writer, speaker, creator of Exploding Dots and spreader of joyous mathematics! We bet that you’ll find yourself smiling as you listen to James’ enthusiasm for joyous mathematics. You’ll Learn: Why Education at all levels K-12 is intellectually rich, profound, deep, wonderful, and equally important; how to make math joyous, wonderful, and human; and much more! Show Notes: makemathmoments.com/episode6

In our first Mentoring Moments episode we chat with Nicole Martin, a 3rd/4th grade math teacher in Las Vegas Nevada. Nicole was struggling with how to structure her math lessons in a way that is engaging yet meaningful when she has so many great resources she’s found online.

In this episode, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr share 3 moves to ignite TEACHER action in the classroom so you can spark curiosity and fuel sense making in your students. We outline how we’ve used these moves in our classrooms to make significant learning gains with our students and give you valuable tips on so you can incorporate these moves regularly classroom.