What comes to mind when someone says the word "strategy"?  There are at least four different meanings for the word "strategy" in mathematics teaching. In this episode Pam and Kim parse out the different meanings and discuss how those meanings shape the outcomes of our teaching.
Talking Points:

• Numeracy Strategies
• Problem Solving Strategies
• Teaching Strategies
• Strategies for Teaching
• Why without one type of strategy, the other strategies will fall flat

We love that we've been able to make 100 episodes! We also love that 1 hundred is 10 tens, so let's talk place value! In this episode Pam and Kim discuss why students struggle with place value, and suggest some of their favorite place value activities.
Talking Points:

• Why 'place labeling' is ok, but not enough
• Count Arounds
• Multiple Towers
• Base 10 materials
• Using correct place value language

In the last 5 episodes we've laid out the most important strategies for students to be able to solve for all four operations. So what? In this episode Pam and Kim solve a gnarly problem to demonstrate how mathematizing can empower you and your students, and open up to the world of Real Math.
Talking Points:

• How to use the BIG downloadable e-book
• A gnarly problem solved using Real Math
• It's all about efficiency and developing more sophisticated reasoning
• Partial strategies are a great starting point but not the ending place
• Kudos to Pam's research and thoughtfulness
• Why does Pam seem to focus on computation?
• What believers are saying
• Other ways to learn with Pam
• We can make higher math more accessible
• BONUS: Kim's failed attempt at the standard algorithm

Get the BIG download here! https://mathisfigureoutable.com/big

Division is figure-out-able! In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the four main strategies students need to develop to solve any division problem that's reasonable to solve without a calculator. 
Talking Points:

• Pam's personal harmful experience from the long division algorithm
• A precursor strategy: Partial Quotients
• Smart Partial Quotients
• Over-Under
• 5 is Half of 10
• Equivalent Ratios
• Combining strategies

Get the BIG download of all the major strategies for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division here! https://mathisfigureoutable.com/big

What are the five major strategies for multiplication? In this episode Pam and Kim name and give examples of each of the five major multiplication strategies. If students own these strategies they should be able to solve any multiplication problem that is reasonable to solve without a calculator. They will be able to solve it as efficiently as a traditional algorithm and most of the time more efficiently than the traditional algorithm. But even more important than that, they will be developing Multiplicative Reasoning! 
Talking Points:

• Smart Partial Products
• Over/Under
• 5 is Half of 10
• How are these strategies related to the distributive property?
• Doubling/Halving
• How is this strategy related to the associative property?
• Using Quarters & Scaling 
• Bonus! Flexible Factoring

Get a download of all the major strategies here: www.mathisfigureoutable.com/big

It's time for subtraction! In this episode Pam and Kim name and give examples of the four main subtraction strategies students need to own to solve any subtraction problem that is reasonable to solve without a calculator.
Talking Points:

• Remove a Friendly Number
• Remove a Friendly Number - Over
• Remove to a Friendly Number
• Constant Difference
• How do students choose which one to use?

Get the download! www.mathisfigureoutable.com/big

What are the major strategies students need to know to solve any addition problem that is reasonable to solve without a calculator? In this episode Pam and Kim list them out, give examples, and some insights into how they choose which strategy to use for any given problem. 
Talking Points: 

• Splitting by Place Value (a precursor strategy)
• Add a Friendly Number 
• Add a Friendly Number - Over 
• Get to a Friendly Number 
• Give and Take 
• When do you use each strategy?

Get our download of all the major strategies here! mathisfigureoutable.com/big

We want students to be real problem solvers, and we know that means much more than helping them get correct answers. But we never want to put students in a position where they are disadvantaged because they don't know the traditional algorithms. We actually want them to have a much deeper and richer understanding of mathematical relationships. In this episode Pam and Kim begin a series exploring the major strategies for each operation that students need so that they can solve ANY problem that's reasonable to solve without a calculator. 
Talking Points:

• Pam's journey from learning only step by step procedures to mathematizing
• How this series can take Pam's published books a step further
• How Kim, and many other mathematicians approach problems
• Ownership of the major relationships empowers students with choice
• Honor students thinking, but don't leave students where they are

Get the download!: mathisfigureoutable.com/big

When we feel passionately about the way we teach, we can sometimes inadvertently miscommunicate when speaking with parents. In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss how to appropriately talk about getting correct answers and preparing for high stakes tests so that parents know their children are in good hands.
Talking Points:

• Answers are important!
• What we don't want to communicate to parents
• Preparing students for high stakes tests is important!
• Insight into a test writer's thinking when they write test items
• Helping students mathematize will help them feel more confident and excel on high stakes tests

Partnering with parents can be a blast! In this episode Pam and Kim describe how they organize and run math nights to help parents experience mathematizing and get excited about what their students will be learning.
Talking Points:

• Typical parent math nights vs. our parent math nights
• Opportunity to share grade level or school wide expectations
• Importance of a Q & A for parents
• Help parents experience math the way their students do
• Mathematizing for parents at the "sweet spot" level of math
• Suggestions for finding Problem Strings to use at math nights
• Logistics tips for parent math night
• Advantages of a series of parent nights