Today’s guest is Vanessa Vakharia - also known as The Math Guru. She is the author of the book (and narrator of the audio book) Math Therapy, the host of the Math Therapy Podcast and overall badass advocate of building positive math identities in our students, the schools in which they learn, and society in general. 

Something about Vanessa is that she is fiercely committed to what she is doing - even when it seems like people will do anything to try to bring her down or prove her wrong. Asked once why a pretty girl like her was teaching math, she clapped back by receiving a Masters Degree in Math Education and Feminist Theory writing a thesis called “Imagining a World Where Paris Hilton Loves Math.” The world where people believing they aren’t math people, it is acceptable to hate math and numbers, or folks  write movies where the pretty cheerleader is making over the nerdy math girl is an unacceptable world and Vanessa is here to combat that - no matter what.

I am enormously grateful to Vanessa for the work she is doing in our schools. I am enormously grateful for the conversation and the opportunity to think about her work and how it applies to so many things in our lives (we talk about this in the episode!). So sit back, relax, and put your finger on the rewind button. I promise there are nuggets in here you’re going to want to listen to more than once!

Places to find Vanessa:

Instagram: @themathguru     

www.maththerapy.com

www.maththerapypodcast.com

Math Therapy - the book

In this episode, Ryan Flessner joins me in welcoming Chris Luzniak and Rob Baier, hosts of the DebateMath podcast (and so much more) to talk about Hot Topics in Math Education. Although we recorded this over Labor Day weekend, I wanted to wait until before the annual NCSM/NCTM conferences to release as I thought the timing would be perfect for those attending and thinking about what sessions they might want to seek out to learn more - and the session choices are so good this year! Hot topics include, but are not limited to homework policies, grading, rethinking high school math, the Science of Math, and so much more. This is a long one, so I’m not going to say a lot of words here, but boy there are a lot of great hot topics and I found myself wanting to talk more and more about each one as I was editing! AND, even if you need to fast forward to the end, you’re going to want to hear what everyone says during the consolidation because these are some thoughtful math educators inspiring you with all their words throughout the whole episode, but I was so proud to know them while listening to the consolidation! So sit back and relax, but also get ready for your head to start spinning while thinking about these hot topics in math education!

Places to find everyone:

• https://debatemath.com/

• https://www.youtube.com/@debatemathpodcast4564

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/debatmath-llc

• http://luzniak.com/

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-luzniak-8613bbb6/

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-baier-math/

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-flessner-a08182a9/

Also check them out on X (formerly known as Twitter) and BlueSky!

Today, not but 3 days after I uploaded the last episode, I have pulled Ryan Flessner from dealing with the incredibly aggravating thistle in our front yard to discuss a breaking news item from a LinkedIN post I shared on Thursday. There is a lot of conversation happening in the comments and rather than respond to every single comment and risk being misunderstood or having a tone I actually do not have, I asked Ryan to record with me for a little bit to talk about some of the common themes we were seeing in the comments. It’s so important to me for all to know I am constantly thinking about this stuff and how to help teachers truly know how to work with students in the most impactful ways. I am not in your shoes. I am not on your journey. But I do want to offer all I can for educators to think about as they are on their own journey - that’s one reason why I resurrected this podcast. I do not have all the answers to all the things, and don’t plan on ever having them. Even when I think I’m right, I have a tiny voice in my head asking me, “Are you really? Have you thought this through enough? Is there more you should read or more people you should reach out to to ask questions?” 

So before you start listening, pause and ask yourself, how would you solve 1,000 - 999? And then have a listen! Thanks for being here and thank you to Ryan for taking the time to think with me.

Resources mentioned (but there are so many more!)

• Dump the Algorithms? Debate Math Podcast Episode 37 (or find wherever you listen to podcasts!)
• Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms by Pam Harris
  
• 
  Developing Mathematical Reasoning: The Strategies, Models, and Lessons to Teach the Big Ideas in Grades K-2 (Pre-order)

Welcome back! I haven’t recorded since October of 2024 for a variety of reasons including but not limited to moving into the position of Director at Keep Indiana Learning, being fully immersed in work in schools and my own learning, continuing to battle getting my PhD completed,  and facilitating two teenagers in their final years of high school. It’s all been very busy, but I don’t have a single thing to complain about.

Over the summer, I was immersed in my own professional learning, working with new school districts, planning some research projects, and having many conversations with school and district leaders about the math teaching they see and hear. There are just so many questions about what we should be doing in math class; so, I’m working on creating a math resource page on our KINL website and am bringing back the podcast to try to provide answers to the many questions I see, create some clarity around many misconceptions I hear about the teaching and learning of mathematics, and bust some myths. All in doing so, I want educators to feel inspired to go out and do the good work all our students need us to be doing.

I asked my favorite thinking partner and colleague, Ryan Flessner to help kick off this new era of Math and Other Things, so hopefully you’ll learn a thing or two and enjoy!

In this episode Ryan Flessner and I recap our favorite math (and other things) moments of 2023. We talk about people who inspired us, products that inspired us, and it was a lovely time to sit and reflect about our year and realize how incredibly grateful we are to do the work we do and continue to learn side by side with so many different educators. It was a really good year. Tons of math and tons of other things in this jam packed episode! Special thank you to all those listed below who contributed to our incredible year!

@KristenMAcosta

@gfletchy

@drnickimath

@lynseymathed

@TracyZager

@ZanerBloser

@JLMillerIC

@MakeMathMoments

@Mr.Orr_geek

@MathletePearce

@4ryandent

@CFLM_math

@rickwormeli2

@fawnpnguyen

@TammyMcMorrow

@pgliljedahl

@SteveWyborney

@PiBaker18

@KnappMelinda

@MandyMathEd

@SueO’ConnellMath

@JBayWilliams

@MagmaMath 

@MagmaMathLeslie

@CELLuindy

@EducateIN

@ButlerCOE

@LauraandKarina

@bscribb

@mccainm

@CloverParkSD

@MathEdLeaders

@NCTM

@IndianaCTM

@pwharris

In this episode, I interview Laura Tomas, an instructional coach from south Florida who I originally met at the Building Thinking Classrooms Conference in June 2023. Laura was one of the facilitators and a volunteer at the conference.  She’s been in education for 32 years and simply embraces all she can about the teaching and learning of mathematics and talks to anyone she can to learn more. Her podcast, Learning Through Math  is a favorite of mine to listen to. She and her co-host, Karina, interview guests and host a virtual book club. Even after 32 years, Laura realizes she still has so much to learn and jumps at the opportunity to do so.

This episode is a little bit more about the other things in the teaching and learning of mathematics. She tells me three things that stood out to her from the NCTM and NCSM conferences in Washington D.C. this fall, and we talk about how we,  as instructional leaders, better understand our roles as coaches and consultants and how we transfer what we learn at conferences to the schools and classrooms for which we are serving. Laura does an awesome job at summarizing her three standout sessions and thinking hard about three specific takeaways from those sessions. We talk about how we are both still learning (or should I say re-learning) math, the importance of developing math identity of ourselves and our students, the fact it is ok to change your answer, the fact we can relate all things math to Ted Lasso, Friends, and Seinfeld, and so much more.

Ted Lasso dart scene

@_CrystalMWatson

@LBrookePowers

@MakeMathMoments

@JohnSanGiovanni

@mathcoachrivera

@JBayWilliams

@joboaler

@SkipFennell

Show Notes:

Live in Washington D.C. where I’m so lucky to have Brendan Scribner joining me for a recap of the first 1.25 days of NCSM 2023.  NCSM stands for National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and you can find everything about them at https://www.mathedleadership.org/. This is an organization that is committed to understanding the role of math leaders, finding ways to connect those who guide teachers through the teaching of mathematics, and this conference is one that I try really hard not to ever miss. This is Brendan’s first NCSM, and he has a lot of thoughtful insight for someone who has just begun providing professional development for teachers, and I enjoyed hearing his take and reflecting on my takeaways, as one who has been working with teachers, coaches, and administrators for several years, while listening to him. 

The math in this episode is limited - really we tried to reason why NCTM does not offer lunch options but NCSM does and that has to be because of size. But let’s face it, we are talking about math all the time. Tiles in the bathroom in the shape of a cool parallelogram? We’re talking about it!

The other things are thinking about how we are preparing coaches beyond training in formal coaching models (e.g. Jim Knight), what it means to humanize mathematics and teachers of mathematics, planning meaningful professional development, thinking about how we can connect how kids learn and what kids need to be successful to how teachers learn and what teachers need to be successful, and so much more!

@bscribb

@dh11235

@lynseymathed

@ryanflessner 

@mccainm

@MandyMathEd

@LieslMcconchie

Live in Washington D.C. where I’m so lucky to have Brendan Scribner, Melisa McCain, and Ryan Flessner joining me to talk about what we are learning, what’s standing out, what we’re thinking about, and all the things math and the teaching and learning of math. We talk about all the people who are inspiring us, do some very rough draft math, and have a lot of laughs. 

The math in this episode is figuring out how long we’ve been at NCTM (hence the title). This is classic rough draft math that includes complex fractions, number lines, unitizing and all the things.

The other things are thinking about who the instructional leaders are, what exactly is research, the role of a math specialist, positioning yourself as a learner EVEN when you are the presenter, and so much more! Enjoy!

@mccain 

@bscribb

@MandyMathEd

@TimBrzezinski

@SteveWyborney

@pgliljedahl

@themathguru

@maththerapy

@PiBaker18

@KnappMelinda

@Jeffharker314

@mathgeek76

@jennalaib

@kassiaowedekind

@JLMillerIC

@SkipFennell

In this episode, my partner in life and work, Ryan Flessner and I recap some of our highlights of NCTM 2023 so far. We don’t talk about actual math a lot (although there has been a LOT of conversation about math!) We did, however, talk about lots of other things that are important and impact the teaching and learning of mathematics in our schools. Thoughts that come up:

@iteachthewhy

@AnnEliseRecord

@MandyMathEd

@drnickimath

@SueOConnellMath

@cjdrake9505

@ZanerBloser 

@dave_chwalik

@Wipebook

@MagmaMath

@MagmaMathLeslie

@mccain 

@bscribb 

@TimBrzezinski

@dave_chwalik

@JamilaDugan

In this episode, we are recording live from the Franklin Community High School Performing Arts Center with Peter Liljedahl. We recorded at the end of the first day of the first ever Building Thinking Classrooms Conference, and we had a great time. Peter told some great stories, was very insightful about how children learn, and provides some unique perspective of how to encourage teachers to try new things in their classrooms - and SO MUCH MORE!

The math in this episode includes talking about multiplying and dividing (we did lots of that at the beginning), the non-benefits of asking students to write numerals over and over again, and why timed-tests and “partner grading” maybe aren’t the best moves in math class. The other things is how we reach our English Language Learners, finding your person to learn alongside with,  how we reach those who might be reluctant to try new things, and so much more.