Math and Other Things

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.

In this episode, I get to talk to Tammy McMorrow who  lives in Boise, Idaho and has been teaching first grade for 29 years.  She’s a self-described mimicker - and was so good at following rules and doing exactly what she was told to do, she was valedictorian of her class. In this interview she does an incredible job at speaking vulnerably, sharing her learning process, and how she finally found what she was looking for to become the math teacher she wanted to be. In doing so, she has helped thousands of others as she started the Building Thinking Classrooms Facebook group for K-2 which now has over 7,500 members. I’m one of them, and she does an awesome job moderating and collaborating with this group.

The math in this episode is the beauty of geometry and shapes the fact there are MANY different ways to solve problems and when people do so, that’s actually a really good thing!

The other things in this episode are the power of being vulnerable; being creative in trying new things; understanding that as a teacher, everything doesn’t always have to be perfect; why the process of learning math is just as important as the math itself, and so much more.

Books and articles discussed in this episode:

Rigelman, N. R. (2007). Fostering mathematical thinking and problem solving: The teacher’s role. Teaching Children Mathematics, 13(6), 308–314. https://doi.org/10.5951/TCM.13.6.0308

Math is Figureoutable - Pam Harris

The 5 Practices in Practice

Intentional Talk

Productive Math Struggle

Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had

Figuring Out Fluency in Mathematics

In this episode, I talk with Melisa McCain, an instructional coach in Franklin Community Schools in Franklin, Indiana. Melisa, has taught grades 1, 3, 4, and 5, and has been a special education teacher and media specialist. She has multiple graduate degrees, and discovered her love of learning at a very young age when, as a child that was “pulled out” to learn math, worked against all the odds to solve a problem none of the kids who got to stay in the room could solve. GO MELISA.  Melisa’s love of learning has turned her into a passionate instructional leader and, among other things,  helped her discover the book,  Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl. When she discovered there was no Building Thinking Classrooms Conference she could get teachers to to further their professional learning on the topic, decided to reach out to Peter and his team and create her own. Melisa is a true leader, an inspired learner, and has a passion for education that, after listening to this episode, will make you want to go out and transform the learning in your school and community.

The math in this episode is the power of classroom discourse, what happens when you have patience and give students time to think, make sense of the problem they are solving, and allow time for collaboration. 

The other things is the role of the instructional leader who learns while also guiding teachers through the learning process, the power of perseverance, the joy in taking risks, and so much more. 

Resources Referenced in this episode:

Building Thinking Classrooms Conference Page

Indiana Math Leadership Academy Page

Virtually Different Summer Conference

Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning

In this episode, I talk with Mary Auger, a middle school math teacher at Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate Junior High. Mary has been teaching for 30ish years and you’ll hear how she has spent her entire career positioning herself as a constant learner. Mary always loved math, but she realized early on that just because the way she was taught worked for her doesn’t mean it will work for all of her students. Because of this very point, Mary has been learning how to get better and better as a teacher each year. Her love of learning is seriously inspirational.

The math in this episode is understanding the importance between actually understanding the math vs. regurgitating procedures, attending to precision, and holding kids accountable for the learning, not just procedures.

The other things in this episode wondering if grades are a true motivator, the importance of lifting up kids’ math identities, back to school night engagement, finding an accountability partner to help you learn how to get better at your craft and so much more!

Resources Referenced in this episode:

First, don’t forget to follow Mary - @MrsAugerMath and, of course, don’t forget to follow @mathandothers!

Teaching Numeracy: 9 Critical Habits to Ignite Mathematical Thinking

#WODB