Text us your thoughts!

In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guest (Deborah) to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question:

Which is better: bar graphs or pie charts?

• You can find Dr. Deborah Peart Crayton on social media: @mathersgonnamath 
• Check out her website: MathersGonnaMath.com

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

In our last Hot Seat, our guests challenged the idea that everyone is a math person. Has the idea gone too far? And in today’s Hot Seat, we’re following  up on this idea with a subtle but powerful shift in language—and mindset. What if we had a word other than mathematician or math person? Join us as our Hot Seat guest invites us to rethink not just what we call our students, but how those words shape their relationship with mathematics, as our guest argues: We are all born Mathers!

• You can find Dr. Deborah Peart Crayton on social media: @mathersgonnamath 
• Check out her website: MathersGonnaMath.com

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests (Vanessa & Chris) to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action as we ask the question: Is 100 a Good Approximation for 147?

• You can find Vanessa Vakharia on social media @TheMathGuru and visit her website: MathTherapy.com 
• You can find Chris Nho on social media @nhoskee 

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

You’ve probably heard it before — maybe from a teacher, a colleague, a speaker at a conference, or even yourself: “Everyone is a math person.” It’s become a kind of rallying cry in math education. A statement of belief. But is it really true? Or are we over-doing it? It came from a place of countering the narrative that we often hear from students, saying “I’m just not a math person” or “I’m just not good at math.” But is everyone really a math person? And is it OK not to be into math? What are the consequences — good or bad — of telling students that everyone is a math person? We wanted to explore this in more detail with our latest Hot Seat debate: Is Everyone Really a Math Person?

• You can find Vanessa Vakharia on social media @TheMathGuru and visit her website: MathTherapy.com 
• You can find Chris Nho on social media @nhoskee 
• Chris mentioned the TRU Framework (truframework.org)
• Rob mentioned A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited our guests (Jay & Steve) to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action!

• Check out their website: 21stcenturymathassessment.com
• You can find Jay Meadows on exemplars.com or on LinkedIn.
• You can email Steve Leinwand at stevelmath@aol  

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

Let’s talk about state assessments. These exams carry enormous weight. They influence school ratings, district decisions, curriculum, teacher evaluations, and often, whether students feel successful or not. They’re designed to measure learning. To provide accountability. To ensure standards are met. But is that what we’re really getting from these tests? Is the way we assess learning narrowing instruction, distorting priorities, and sending the wrong message about what it means to truly understand mathematics? Today’s Hot Seat guests are making a bold argument: that what we are currently doing isn’t what’s best. That we can do better. They are here to argue the resolution:  It’s Time to Overhaul Assessments 

• Check out their website: 21stcenturymathassessment.com
• You can find Jay Meadows on exemplars.com or on LinkedIn.
• You can email Steve Leinwand at stevelmath@aol 

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

This month’s debate is a recording from a LIVE debate that took place at the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (WVCTM) Conference in March of 2026.

In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited each of our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughtful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action!

• You can reach Sissy Collins at the Harrison County Board of Education, via email at [email protected], or on Facebook.
• You can find Sarah McGivern via Jefferson County Schools or on Instagram: @SSMcGivern
• You can reach Ellen Holt at Summers County HS, via email at [email protected], or on LinkedIn
• And find Jason Massie via Mountain View School.
• And thanks to the WVCTM Conference for inviting us in!

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

This month’s debate is a recording from a LIVE debate that took place at the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics (WVCTM) Conference in March of 2026.

When students don’t have the prerequisite skills, do we hit pause? Or do we stay the course and fix gaps in real time? You’re working on solving equations, but integer operations are falling apart. Or you’re introducing functions, and foundational algebra skills are missing. If you pause grade-level content, are you giving students what they truly need — or widening opportunity gaps by lowering expectations and delaying access to rigorous math? If you push forward, are you maintaining high standards — or setting students up for confusion and frustration? 

Listen in as two teams argue their side in a LIVE debate on this resolution: It is better to pause grade-level instruction to rebuild prior skills than to push forward and address gaps as they appear.

• You can reach Sissy Collins at the Harrison County Board of Education, via email at [email protected], or on Facebook.
• You can find Sarah McGivern via Jefferson County Schools or on Instagram: @SSMcGivern
• You can reach Ellen Holt at Summers County HS, via email at [email protected], or on LinkedIn
• And find Jason Massie via Mountain View School.

And thanks to the WVCTM Conference for inviting us in!

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

In this quick follow-up to last week’s episode, we invited each of our guests to model a short, fun classroom debate. In just a few minutes, you can hear a sample debate that captures the spirit of productive mathematical argumentation—thoughful, curious, and includes reasoning. Tune in for a rapid-fire glimpse of what these debates can look like in action!

• You can find Pam Harris on social media: @pwharris or @pamharris_math 
• You can find Kim Montague on social media: @kimmontague or @kmont14 
• Be sure to check out MathIsFigureOutAble.com
• And the MathIsFigureOutAble Podcast! 

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

Text us your thoughts!

We throw around many phrases in education. And specifically in math education, we might hear people say some students are “doing real math.”  Or we hear educators looking for “authentic math experiences.”  On the other hand, we criticize “rote procedures” or “worksheet math.” But underneath all of that is a loaded question: When does math count… and when is it just pretending? Is math about the memorized algorithm? Is it plugging numbers into a formula? Is it word problems that simulate reality? In this month’s debate, we have two friends and colleagues who are stepping into the ring to debate what counts as “doing math” and what doesn’t. Listen in, as we explore the resolution: Is there such a thing as Fake Math?

• You can find Pam Harris on social media: @pwharris or @pamharris_math 
• You can find Kim Montague on social media: @kimmontague or @kmont14 
• Be sure to check out MathIsFigureOutAble.com
• And the MathIsFigureOutAble Podcast!

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Find us on Social Media: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!