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Think of this week's episode as a kind of reverse palate cleanser ... Vanessa and today's guest Robert Kaplinsky more than make up for the lack of swearing last week!  What got them fired up?  Oh, just the systemic barriers to educational reform and the lack of support for both teachers and students when it comes to working through math anxiety ... But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom; Robert is certain that if we make math more practical to daily life and more welcoming to a diversity of learners, we still have hope.

About Robert:  (Twitter, Website)
Robert Kaplinsky has been an educator since 2003 as a classroom teacher, teacher specialist for Downey Unified School District, instructor for UCLA) and presenter at conferences around the world. He co-founded the website Open Middle, has been published in Edutopia and Education Week, and created the #ObserveMe movement.  He’s also the founder and president of Grassroots Workshops.

Links referenced:

• Robert's Book: Open Middle Math: Problems That Unlock Student Thinking
• Open Middle on Twitter: @openmiddle & #whyopenmiddle
• Grassroots Workshops: Twitter, Website

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Topics discussed:

• 01:28 What is "Open Middle"?
• 07:13 Diversity of learners
• 11:01 What kind of math do we actually need?
• 18:43 Rethinking assessment
• 23:09 The benefits of struggle
• 26:04 Normalizing mistakes
• 31:57 Rethinking professional development