When you picture a mathematician, what comes to mind?  Now … what about a “mathematical explorer”?  Well, that’s what Francis Su calls himself, and when Vanessa picked up his book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, she couldn’t put it down. On today's episode they explore how mathematical discovery can unleash the wonder and curiosity innate within us all.  They also discuss some deep questions, like why do people have different emotional reactions to math compared to other fields?  How can humans cultivate the virtues we'll need to keep AI in check?  And why is change so hard, both in educational reform but also in our own lives?

About Francis (Website, Twitter)
Francis Su is an award-winning professor and author who writes about the dignity of human beings and the wonder of mathematical teaching.  The Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a former president of the Mathematical Association of America, his work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and the New York Times.

Show notes: 

• S5E02 w/ Deborah Peart, head of the "Mather" movement

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Longtime listeners (like today’s guest, as you’ll discover…) will recall one name popping up in almost every interview last season, so Vanessa needed to find out for herself: who is Zak Champagne & why do people like him so much?! Through today’s rollercoaster episode she discovered a teacher with boundless enthusiasm for the joys of teaching, grounded in a deep respect for his students. 

They unpack what we really mean by terms like “student voice” and “building trust”, offer practical advice on how to actually integrate those ideas into the classroom when teachers are already so strapped for time, and discuss how giving students a sense of purpose and community doesn’t just help them learn - it could even save their lives.

About Zak (Website, Twitter)
Zak Champagne began his career as an elementary school teacher in Jacksonville, Florida, receiving many state and national awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).  Zak then spent six years as a researcher at the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) at FSU before serving as the Director of Teacher Leadership at the Jacksonville Public Education Fund.  Zak returned to the classroom in the fall of 2019 as a Lower Elementary Teacher (grades 3 and 4), Director of Mathematics, and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at The Discovery School.

Show notes:

• Zak’s Blog: Control vs. trust in the classrom

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

On the Season 6 premiere of Math Therapy, Vanessa chats with Dr. Pamela Seda, an expert in all things education and inspiration!  They dive deep into hot topics like how teachers can build trust in the classroom by modelling vulnerability, the benefits of cultivating community over competition, and a fascinating metaphor that illustrates what equity and accommodations truly mean in our schools.

About Pam (Website, Insta, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Dr. Pamela Seda, Founder and CEO of Seda Educational Consulting, is the creator of the VANG Math Card Game and co-author of "Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom." Dr. Seda's career spans roles as a high school math teacher, instructional coach, college instructor, and district math supervisor. Dr. Seda is a prominent speaker on math equity, committed to transforming how marginalized students experience mathematics and advocates for mathematics instruction that develops all students as thinkers and problem-solvers.

Show notes:

• sedaeducationalconsulting.com/
• ICUCARE framework

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Season 6 drops March 28th - here’s a sample of who and what you’ll hear!

It's March 14th, aka 3.14 ... so Happy Pi Day!  To help you get in the zone, we're re-airing an episode from last year recounting the Math Therapy team's Pi Day 2023 trip to Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Michigan.  This stemmed from Vanessa's Season 3, Episode 10 interview with Christopher Havens, an inmate serving a 25-year sentence for murder who has rehabilitated himself with math and founded the Prison Mathematics Project.

Find out more about PMP at prisonmathproject.org where you can:

• donate
• volunteer as a mentor for an inmate
• sign up an inmate interested in the program

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

The rumours are true!  (The rumours that Vanessa has been spreading herself.)  Season 6 of Math Therapy launches March 28th!

To get you hyped while we get this batch of episodes ready for you, here are some brief thoughts she recorded immediately after we finished a marathon 10 interviews over 4 days.  What themes did she cover? Will she or her guests get cancelled this season?  How much did she annoy her producer David?  You be the judge ...

Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast feed, and tell a friend about Math Therapy!

Don't worry, Math Therapy isn't going anywhere ... but here's a fun bonus episode as we look back on an incredible 5th season!  It was a total success in every possible way, except one: for whatever reason, Vanessa lost the ability to simply say "goodbye" at the end of the interviews.

This hadn't been an issue in previous seasons but she somehow got very in her head about it, and when her producer David recently listened back to them he thought they were hilarious and had to be shared our listeners.

If you have any advice for how Vanessa can deal with her sudden onset "goodbye anxiety", you can hit her up as always on socials @themathguru - feel free to let her know what topics/guests we should consider for next season!

Thank you so much for listening - BYE! ;)

In Vanessa's masters thesis titled "Imagining a World Where Paris Hilton Loves Math", there was nobody quoted more frequently than today's guest, Stanford professor Dr. Jo Boaler.  On the season 5 finale of Math Therapy, Vanessa sits down with her math ed hero to discuss how limiting beliefs vs a growth mindset impact the brain, how struggle and mistake-making benefit learning, and the extremely personal resistance she's faced in a career dedicated to making math more equitable and accessible.

About Jo: (Website, Twitter)
Stanford Professor Dr Jo Boaler is author of 18 books, numerous articles, and a White House presenter on women and girls. Her latest book is called: Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead and Live without Barriers. She co-founded www.youcubed.org, is currently one of the writing team creating a new Mathematics Framework for the state of California, co-leading a K-12 Data Science Initiative and was named as one of the 8 educators “changing the face of education” by the BBC. 

Links mentioned:

• App: Struggly
• Website: www.youcubed.org
• Book: Limitless Mind
• Standford study by Jo's colleague Lang Chen finding growth mindset helps student success
• Story of Nicholas Letchford - written off as a child with learning disabilities who went on to get a PhD in applied math

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Peter Liljedahl is literally changing the math classroom.  His book "Building Thinking Classrooms" has taken the educational world by storm with a simple message: instead of teaching students to memorize, we have to teach them to think.  Sounds trite, but if you ... think about it, traditional classrooms are not designed that way!

Today, Peter explains to Vanessa how a "thinking classroom" swaps out tables for vertical whiteboards to reduce barriers for student interaction in problem-solving, and how small randomized groups foster collaboration that lifts the whole class.  He also shares what his time as an Olympic athlete (yep!) taught him about the difference between focusing on the rewarding work of process vs the perilous trap of focusing on outcomes.

About Peter: (Website, Twitter)
Dr. Peter Liljedahl is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Faculty of Education and an associate member in the Department of Mathematics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.  He consults regularly with schools, school districts, and ministries of education on issues of teaching and learning, assessment, and numeracy.

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Should mistake-making be encouraged in math class? Or should mistakes be shamed because “in the real world” you can get fired from your job from making a mistake? You can probably guess how Vanessa feels, but a fellow educator recently disagreed … so of course she took to Twitter and a spirited convo ensued!

On today’s episode she further outer-processes her thoughts on this topic, and shares two classroom exercises that encourage constructive mistake-making and help normalize growth from failure.

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)