Math is Figure-Out-Able!

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 14, 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 perspective and assumptions do you bring to your teaching? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss the kinds of teachers they've interacted with and their own growth as teachers.

Talking Points:

• "Inquiry-based" + Mimicking
• "Direct teach" + Mimicking
• "Inquiry-based"+ Math-ing
• "Direct teach" + Math-ing

Links:

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

2. Developing Mathematical Reasoning Book Series

3. Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms audiobook

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

2. 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. Pam's Books

2. 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