Allison Loves Math Podcast

In today's interview, I talk with Gabriel Rojas, college professor, author of the Algebra User Manual, and recipient of the ASCE New Faces of Engineering Award, about how learning math is similar to learning a new language.

Gabriel and I discuss:

• Different stages of mastery of a subject, whether it's learning math or a language

• The importance of practice and strong foundations in building new skills

• The many ways Gabriel made the Algebra User Manual friendly and meaningful

• Why math is important, a concept important to building student motivation

• How to help students NOT be intimidated by the difference of squares

You can follow Gabriel on Instagram at @MathUserManual and find his book on Amazon!

Today, I interview Dr. Carrie Cutler, a clinical assistant professor of Elementary Mathematics Education at the University of Houston and the author of Math-Positive Mindsets, about 5 strategies teachers and parents can use to help students approach math in a positive way.

Carrie covers:

• The importance of understanding and reinforcing the idea that everyone is a "math person"

• The ways in which kids pick up their math positive (or negative) behaviors and beliefs from their parents and teachers

• How embracing productive struggle, rather than will help students persevere in math and challenges

• The brain research behind fixed and growth mindsets

• How to prevent your personal math anxiety from causing math anxiety in the students and kids in your life

You can learn more about Carrie here: https://www.carriecutler.com

In today's interview, I talk with Eduardo Godinez, a first generation college student graduating with a B.S. in Mathematics from UCI this spring, about his advice for other first generation college students who want to major in math.

Eduardo discusses:

• How to build your own support system and why it's especially important for first-generation college students to do so
• The urge to compare yourself to others, how it can hurt you and how to fight against it
• Why expecting to never make mistakes is unrealistic (and why embracing and learning from failures is the key to success)
• Keeping a lookout for the area of mathematics you're most passionate about (and then following your passion)

In today's interview, I am honored to talk with NYT Bestselling author and former Stanford Dean, Julie Lythcott Haims about how to be and raise an adult.

Julie Lythcott Haims is the author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto How to Raise an Adult and the award winning memoir Real American, which illustrates her experience as a Black and biracial person in white spaces. Julie holds a BA from Stanford and a JD from Harvard. Her third book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult, was just released on April 6 2021!

In this interview, Julie discusses:

• The ways math can be problematic or empowering

• What it means to be an adult and why some struggle with this

• Advice for parents on how to raise successful kids (without overparenting)

• Inspiring stories from her new book, Your Turn: How to Be an Adult

You can order Your Turn here: https://bookshop.org/books/your-turn-how-to-be-an-adult/9781250137777

Today, Teena Carroll & Susan Tarabulsi, two math-loving moms of young kids, share different ideas about getting our young kids to enjoy math! Teena Carroll is a math professor at Emory & Henry College with a PhD from Georgia Tech. Susan Tarabulsi is a math major at George Mason University. Both are having a blast finding different ways to spark their kids' curiosity about math, learning, and challenges. We talked about: - Different visuals to leave around the house to spark their curiosity - The benefits and fun of origami, building blocks, bedtime stories and math puzzles - Random mathy things math teachers do to keep their kids entertained while grading - Underlying reasons why your child might not like math and what you can do about it Submit your math haiku's at https://mathhaikuproject.com/ Get your FREE Inspire Your Child to Love Math Quick Start Guide at www.allisonlovesmath.com/bonus

This week, I have a fun talk with Audrey Codner-Gibson, a positive, confidence-building, super-effective Algebra tutor, about what to look for (and look out for) when finding a math tutor for your child. Spoiler: A great math tutor does waaaay more than explain math concepts. Audrey has also taught Secondary Mathematics for 19 years in Baltimore, Maryland. She was a Professional Basketball player in Europe, a Big Five Hall of Fame inductee, and is the co-author of the upcoming book, Athlete to Entrepreneur. Audrey and I share: - Why tutoring is awesome and can make a huge difference in your child's grades and attitude towards math - What qualities to look for when hiring a math tutor (and what to watch out for) - Why some students have severe aversions to tutoring and math (and what we did as tutors in these scenarios) - Frequently overlooked reasons why Algebra is so confusing for some students - The difference between having a growth versus fixed mindset about math Book a free 15-minute consultation with Audrey at https://solo.to/audreycodnergibson. Get Allison's Inspire Your Child to Love Math Quickstart Guide at www.allisonlovesmath.com.

Today, I talk with Jim Frost, best-selling Statistics author and the wildly popular blogger at statisticsbyjim.com, about how to make Statistics engaging, exciting, and more relatable for students.

We discuss:

• How statistics research differs from how math is taught in the classroom
• The importance of teaching why students need statistics and why specific rules apply
• The chaotic nature of making sense of data in real life
• The benefits of teaching Statistics without an emphasis on equations
• How Jim's book and blog can help teachers inspire their students to love math

You can check out Jim's blog and books at https://statisticsbyjim.com/

This week, I interview Catherine Roberts, Executive Director of The American Mathematical Society and Math Professor at College of the Holy Cross, about the far-reaching impact her liberal arts education from Bowdoin College has had on her research, teaching, and career.

In this episode, Catherine shares:

• The many ways communication skills relate to math
• How her liberal arts degree aided her in her research on water rafting in the Grand Canyon
• How the language we use to teach subtraction in elementary school relates to higher levels of math
• The different ways teaching Calculus changed during the Calculus Reform Movement
• The goals and benefits of the American Mathematical Society (which you MUST check out!)

Learn more about Catherine Roberts and the American Mathematical Society at ams.org.

Get Allison's Inspire Your Students to Love Math Starter Kit at allisonlovesmath.com.

In this episode, I talk with Jennifer Flenner, math professor and my co-author for the upcoming book, Crush Hypothesis Testing, about teaching Introductory Statistics!

In this episode, we give a sneak peak at our process and tips for hypothesis testing including:

• Why so many students struggle with hypothesis testing
• Common traps and mistakes students make
• A 5 step process to simplify hypothesis testing for students
• Tips for getting students to show their work and draw graphs

Please subscribe to Allison Loves Math so that you never miss an interview!

If you are a Statistics teacher, who would like to be interviewed for Crush Hypothesis Testing, email Allison at [email protected].

In today's Allison Loves Math Podcast interview, I interview Jonily Zupancic, author of Making Mathineers, about how to use stories in our math class to build number sense. Jonily shares with us: - How stories can be used to better understand and teach math students - The noteworthy differences between number sense and math ability - Strategies for assessing and strengthening student number sense - Her new book, Making Mathineers: Transformational Math Experiences That Build Conceptual Thinking For Both The Teacher and The Student You can get Allison's Inspire Your Students to Love Math Starter Kit at www.allisonlovesmath.com You can find out more about Jonily at www.mindsonmath.com