Math Beyond School

In this third and final episode of the mini-podcast series Math Beyond School, we move beyond the message that “math is everywhere”. With creative and outside-the-box math activities in out-of-school programs, we can show, not tell, students math is relevant and engaging

This series is produced, edited and hosted by ⁠Sara Kobilka⁠, Renaissance Woman. Learn more about the show’s sponsor by visiting the ⁠New York State Network for Youth Success website⁠. We’d like to thank the ⁠STEM Next Opportunity Fund⁠ for supporting this work and helping make the Math Beyond School podcast series possible.

A transcript of this episode can be found on the New York State Network for Youth Success ⁠podcast page⁠.

Resources:

“Which One Doesn’t Belong?” Book and TalkingMathWithKids.com by Christopher Danielson (pictures described in podcast are photos 22 and numbers 1) 

It’s Time to Rebrand “Which One Doesn’t Belong” blog post from Becky Tapley of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance

Beyond 100K Toolkit for or Fostering Discussion in the Middle School Math Classroom 

Young People’s STEM Trajectories, Age 10-22 Mathematics 

YouCubed Activities and Tasks 

Girls Inc. Data Science Program article excerpt

Numeracy in Nature Resource List from Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance

Math Happens, Naturally, blog post from Chelsea Fay of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance

SciGirls “Take It in Stride” activity

In the second episode of the mini-podcast series Math Beyond School, we explore factors that can lead people, both youth and adults, to feel like math isn’t for them. In particular, we dig into identity theory and the “I’m not a math person” problem.

This series is produced, edited and hosted by ⁠Sara Kobilka⁠, Renaissance Woman. Learn more about the show’s sponsor by visiting the ⁠New York State Network for Youth Success website⁠. We’d like to thank the ⁠STEM Next Opportunity Fund⁠ for supporting this work and helping make the Math Beyond School podcast series possible.

A transcript of this episode can be found on the New York State Network for Youth Success ⁠podcast page⁠.

Resources:

Social Identity Theory

Math Narratives Project Lit Review 

SciGirls Strategies: How to Engage Girls in STEM

Students with Disabilities Resulting from Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia, August 2018 (pdf from New York State Education Department)

Dysgraphia and Mathematics

Mathematics Identity Research: The state of the art and future directions by Mellony Graven and Einat Heyd‐Metzuyanim

The Fragile “Math Person”: Identities and Existential Experiences of Mathematically Gifted Students in Performance-Driven Schooling by Şahin Danişman and Emrah Bilgiç

Math Identity and the Role of Educators by Kimberly Barba

How you can be good at math, and other surprising facts about learning (TEDx talk by Jo Boaler about growth mindset

Mathematical Mindset Teaching Guide, Teaching Video and Additional Resources (videos show real educators creating a growth mindset culture with students) 

Boosting Math (YouCubed video from the lab of Jo Boaler)  

Beyond 100K Toolkit for or Fostering Discussion in the Middle School Math Classroom 

Young People’s STEM Trajectories, Age 10-22 Mathematics

In the first episode of the mini-podcast series Math Beyond School, we explore what math is, its role in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and analogies that can help us understand it better. How does reframing math impact what we do when we're working with students in out-of-school and afterschool programs?

This series is produced, edited and hosted by Sara Kobilka, Renaissance Woman. Learn more about the show’s sponsor by visiting the New York State Network for Youth Success website. We’d like to thank the STEM Next Opportunity Fund for supporting this work and helping make the Math Beyond School podcast series possible.

A transcript of this episode can be found on the New York State Network for Youth Success podcast page.

Resources:

“Interdependence of Science, Engineering and Technology” YouTube video by Paul Andersen

“Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World” YouTube video by Paul Andersen

New York Next Generation Mathematics Standards (New York State Department of Education)

Math isn’t hard, it’s a language (TEDx Talk by Randy Palisoc)

Dyscalculia (Learning Disabilities Association of New York)

Students with Disabilities Resulting from Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia, August 2018 (pdf from New York State Education Department)

“Reading and Writing the World with Mathematics: Towards a pedagogy for social justice” book by Eric Gutstein

“The Language of the Universe: A visual exploration of mathematics” book by Colin Stuart and Ximo Abadía

How to Talk to Students about the Relevance of Higher-Level Math (Math Narrative Project)

Mathematics is the Sense You Never Knew You Had (TEDx Talk by Eddie Woo)

Welcome to Math Beyond School, a podcast miniseries sponsored by The New York State Network for Youth Success. 

Over three podcast episodes, we’ll discuss:

1. Math's place in STEM - We’ll look at mathematics as the “language” of science, technology and engineering. If we look at math as a language, does that change how we teach it?

2. The challenge of math identity - I’ll provide an introduction to identity theory and the unique challenges regarding math and people who have been historically underrepresented in math. It’s time to address the “I’m not a math person” problem.

3. Moving beyond the stereotypical "math is everywhere" message - We’ll find creative ways to show math in our lives beyond the usual examples, such as cooking or calculating the discount while shopping.

This podcast series is produced, edited and hosted by Sara Kobilka, Renaissance Woman. Learn more about the show’s sponsor by visiting the New York State Network for Youth Success website. We’d like to thank the STEM Next Opportunity Fund for supporting this work and helping make the Math Beyond School podcast series possible.

References:

Nation’s Report Card - NAPE 2024 Grade 4, Grade 8 and Grade 12 math scores

America After 3pm STEM Report (pdf) 
Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review March 2026 (pdf)