Math is Figure-Out-Able!

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 7, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education

What can we do to keep students thinking, instead of waiting to be told what to do? In this episode Pam and Kim focus on an algebra Problem String that helps students learn to choose between strategies.

Talking Points:

• What it mean to keep kids in "Thinking Land"
• How to keep students actively reasoning versus cueing them to mimic/memorize steps
• How the same instructional phrase can lead students into or out of "Thinking Land"
• Ask yourself: "Is this direct move keeping kids reasoning, or just cueing mimicry?"

Links:

1. REGISTER for FREE 6-8 Book Launch Webinar 

2. BLOG: When "Covered" Doesn't Mean Understood: Building Reasoning in Middle School Math

3. Developing Mathematical Reasoning Book Series

Check out Pam's social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC 

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 30, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education 

What does explicit teaching mean to you? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss an Adding Mixed Numbers Problem String, idenitfying exactly what teachers should be explicit about versus what they should leave for students to grapple with.

Talking Points:

• Being explicit about the student's job during a Problem String
• Ways to nudge students to make connections
• Eliciting specific strategies
• Creating helper problems 

Links:

1. Register for 6-8 Book Launch Webinar

2. Pam's Books

3. Math is FigureOutAble Blog

Check out Pam's social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC 

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 23, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education 

When do we allow students more freedom, and when do we need to be more explicit? In this episode, Pam and Kim analyze a Distance vs. Removal subtraction Problem String, identifying when they are explicit and when they are not.

Talking Points:

• Intentional contexts, number choices, and problem order
• Choosing which strategies to elicit and represent
• Planned board layouts 
• Focusing the conversation 
• Highlighting mathematical behaviors
• Layering explicit content, behavior, and community goals around open-ended student reasoning

Links:

1. Podcasts Episodes Distance vs. Removal: Ep96 and Ep149 

2. Pam's Books

Check out Pam's social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC 

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 16, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education 

Many aspects of teaching can be improved by being more explicit. In this episode, Pam and Kim identify specific categories where explicit teaching is necessary, borrowing Piaget's distinction between social-conventional and logical-mathematical knowledge.

Talking Points:

• Being explicit about a goal doesn't mean teaching it as a step-by-step procedure.
• Good teaching requires explicit goals.
• Examples of Math Content Goals 
• Examples of Math Behavior Goals 
• Examples of Community Behavior Goals 

Links:

1. FREE DMR Registration Link
2. Math is Figureoutable Blog
3. Pam's Books

Check out Pam's social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC 

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 9, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education 

Is the popular discussion around "explicit teaching" helpful? Do we all envision the same thing? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss their thoughts about "explicit teaching", and which parts of mathematics require explicit teaching, and which do not.

Talking Points:

• The difference between social-conventional knowledge and logical- mathematical knowledge
• Examples of social knowledge and when students must be told something in mathematics
• Examples of logical-mathematical knowledge and how it should be built through experiences, not rote rules.
• Most of mathematics is logical-mathematical and requires varied experiences.

Links:

1. FREE DMR Registration Link
2. Math is Figureoutable Blog
3. Pam's Books

Check out Pam's social media
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Linkedin: Pam Harris Consulting LLC