This episode opens with a lighthearted discussion about National 3D Day, where we joke about three-dimensional experiences like 3D movies, printing, and art. 

Then we have another installment of Conversaciónes con Rafael. Together we reflect on the pressures of constant busyness in education and life, emphasizing the importance of intentionally creating time for reflection, creativity, and human connection rather than always working toward deliverables. We also discuss how technology—especially phones and screens—shapes students’ attention, learning, and relationships, debating the balance between limiting distractions and teaching responsible use. 

The episode concludes with updates from our Join them On Their Journey teacher updates.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
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On this episode we share the Ignite talks from the 2026 CPM Teacher Conference. 

The room buzzed with that end-of-day, can’t-stop-thinking energy as teachers took the Ignite stage and proved how five-minute stories can shift an entire practice. 

Personal stories tie it all together: a quiet teen who returns years later to teach calculus, reminders to expect students to surprise us, and a joyful tour through primes, cryptography, and algebra tiles that rekindle why we teach math in the first place. Along the way, we touch leadership that centers wholeness, reading that fuels growth, and communities that make better math together.

If this sparked an idea or gave you courage to try something new, share the episode with a colleague, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review telling us the one change you’ll make next class.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
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Email: [email protected]

We missed an episode - lots of "life" happening for Joel and Misty... So we're catching up with this week's episode!

Ever feel like numbers aren’t telling the whole story of your classroom? We dig into a simple but powerful shift: using evidence—not just data—to understand learning and coach for growth. After quick updates from the road and our lives and a lively nod to International Cribbage Day, we welcome John Hayes to unpack how coaches and teachers can collect the kind of classroom evidence that actually changes practice.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review telling us one student behavior you want observers to track next time.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]

A quirky holiday about Printing Ink turns into a surprising exploration of how learning really sticks. We start with soot, gelatin, CMYK, and the tactile world of flexography—plates wrapped on cylinders, color laid down in sequence, and the trained eye that spots misalignments at a glance. 

That segues into our deeper conversation with CPM Executive Director, Rafael del Castillo: January acts like a second first day of school, only now we share norms, trust, and a clearer sense of what works. We talk about regrouping teams, revisiting agreements, and using the January–April window to make small changes with big payoff.

From there, we challenge the calendar. Do semesters serve learning, or do we bend learning to fit dates? We compare traditional schedules with year-round models, homeschool flexibility, and university J- or May-term intensives that compress time for focus and stronger relationships. Each structure is a choice with trade-offs—continuity versus long breaks, synchronization with family life versus localized rhythms. The thread that ties them together is intentional design: pick the cadence that supports memory, motivation, and access.

We also dig into pedagogy and mindset. Mixed-spaced practice asks us to let understanding mature over time instead of expiring at the end of a unit. That shift can feel like losing control, but it actually builds durability: spaced retrieval, interleaving, and ongoing formative checks help students replace “I can’t” with “I’m still learning.” Study teams normalize multiple approaches, move us away from speed-as-ability, and give students more chances to explain and teach. Whether you’re navigating toner versus ink or debating year-round school, the principle is the same—layer learning with intention, check alignment, and adjust.

Ready to reframe your midyear? Subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs a fresh start, and leave a review with one change you’ll try between now and spring.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
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Email: [email protected]

Ready for a feel-good jolt of purpose and practical ideas to carry you into the new year? We kick off with National Underdog Day, then connect that spirit to math classrooms where identity, equity, and agency drive the work. The conversation builds toward a big announcement: the CPM Teacher Conference returns to San Francisco on February 21–22, 2026, with an energized program designed to meet teachers where they are and help them go further.

We share the details educators care about. Dr. Eugenia Cheng brings a keynote on the math of inequality and how things add up—or don’t—in real life, with on-site book signings. Peter Liljedahl from Building Thinking Classrooms leads two sessions, while Eli Luberoff from Desmos delivers a couple of sessions and the closing general session. Expect twelve concurrent sessions across five blocks, with threads for discourse, reading, literacy, and technology, and BTC. The Ignite talks wrap Saturday with rapid-fire inspiration that always sparks Monday-ready ideas. Exhibitors like WipeBook and TODOS join the mix, plus a space for hands-on Q&A about CPM curriculum and professional learning.

The heart of the episode is human. Chi Lo, one of our Join Them on Their Journey teachers, reflects on how the CMC-North conference helped keep the flame alive—reminding them that math should feel human and affirming. Jessie Todd, our other JTOTJ teacher, shares how fidelity to student-centered structures meant their class kept learning even with a substitute which can be attributed to routines and clear storylines in the curriculum. 

If you’re craving community, practical strategies, and a renewed belief that students can own their math learning, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a December boost, and leave a review with your favorite underdog story—and maybe we’ll read a few on an upcoming episode.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]

A bag of popcorn, a few movie-theater secrets, and then the big pivot: what actually makes math materials high quality. We invited Bridget Gunn and Dan Henderson to help us pull HQIM out of acronym-land and into real classrooms, where teachers need time, students need voice, and everyone needs coherence. The result is a candid, practical tour of how curriculum design can elevate thinking without burying teachers in prep.

We break down five components that anchor equitable, engaging teaching—planning around big ideas, open and engaging tasks, student questions and conjectures, reasoning and justification, and teaching toward social justice—and show what they look like day to day. Bridget and Dan explain why “good” materials aren’t enough, how high quality design anticipates student strategies, and where author notes, sample questions, and team routines give you the support to listen, probe, and connect ideas. We dig into full-stack lesson arcs that start with experience and grow toward generalization, so students build concepts instead of memorizing steps.

You’ll hear how routines like rough draft talk shift authority to students, and why simple moves—like a quick door question—can spark belonging that pays off in mathematical risk-taking. We also share adoption advice: look past checklists and ask whether a program centers student thinking, connects concepts across units and grades, and gives practical facilitation cues that free your attention for what matters.

Come for the corn puns, stay for the concrete ways HQIM can transform your classroom culture. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review telling us which “big idea” you want to see woven through your course next.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]

Start with a name and you get a story. We kick off with Latvian Independence Day and our colleague, Astrida Lizins, whose Latvian name, family roots, and community traditions open a window into how culture survives and thrives far from home. From Saturday language schools and summer camps to folk dance sets and dense rye bread, we explore how rituals and food build belonging—and why that matters when we think about classrooms.

That bridge takes us to timely news from California’s curriculum adoption (CPM is on the list!) and a bigger conversation about high-quality instructional materials with our executive director, Rafael del Castillo. We compare research-based claims with evidence gathered by real teachers, and we unpack a clever “shopping guide” from a recent NCTM conference: Are frameworks empowering educators to ask better questions, or inviting polished talking points that dodge substance? Our take centers teacher voice and professional judgment while acknowledging the real pressures on time, attention, and support.

Assessment and technology become the crucible where values show up. We wrestle with efficiency versus understanding, the limits of Scantron-era shortcuts, and where modern AI can help without hollowing out the work. Instead of outsourcing thinking, we propose smarter feedback loops, more student self-assessment, and classroom routines that make space for curiosity. Along the way, we reframe “grade level,” embrace heterogeneous classes as the norm, and borrow early childhood wisdom: arrive with wonder, meet the learner in front of you, and build the dance together.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review with one insight you’re taking back to your classroom. Your voice helps more educators find the ideas that move their teaching forward.

Send Joel and Misty a message!

The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]

What if “common sense” isn’t universal at all—but learned, personal, and shaped by context? Joel and Misty begin with their typical philosophical investigation of the national day. This time it's "Use Your Common Sense" Day.

That reframing sets the stage for a lively conversation with our colleagues Bri Ruiz and Adam Varnes as they launch Sum Shenanigans, a new CPM social series built to deliver practical math‑teaching strategies right where you already scroll.

We dig into the why behind the project: teachers don’t need more theory in abstract; they need clear, adaptable moves they can try tomorrow. Sum Shenanigans pairs long‑form YouTube conversations with quick Instagram reels, so you can choose depth or speed based on your day. The first topics hit two of the biggest challenges in student‑centered classrooms—pacing and collaborative learning. We unpack how to prioritize essential ideas, plan checkpoints, and protect thinking time, then shift to group routines, roles, and talk moves that lift more voices without losing mathematical focus.

From there, we preview upcoming episodes on supporting multilingual learners, working with students with exceptionalities, and sharpening core practices like formative assessment, circulating, and questioning. Bree and Adam keep the tone grounded and human—they’re not presenting as the final word, but as reflective practitioners sharing what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what they’re still testing. That openness is the point: we want to spark a wider conversation so teachers can add their own approaches, surface real‑world constraints, and co‑create better solutions.

Ready to jump in? Watch the long versions on YouTube, catch the bite‑size tips on Instagram, and tell us what you want next. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and drop a comment with your biggest classroom challenge—what should we tackle together?

To celebrate our launch, we have posted our first two episodes on YouTube, Supporting Study Teams and Pacing. Keep an eye out on Instagram for the Reels that will go up soon. We hope you enjoy the series as much as we have making it.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]

What if a few simple shifts could turn your math class into a place where more students talk, think, and truly learn? 

We start with our usual celebration of the "day of" by tipping our hats to Ada Lovelace. 

Then we ask the PL Team to share some of their "themes of support" that come up as they work with teachers during the beginning part of the year. The struggles and challenges that they face and some of the advice or suggestions that they share with these teachers. 

Hear about what “enough practice” really means and why demanding fluency too soon backfires. You’ll hear how three-before-me and a strong Resource Manager cut down on the teacher traffic jam, and how behavior management gets easier when tasks are collaborative, non-routine, and designed with easy entry points. Our PL specialists share practical frameworks for keeping students engaged from bell to bell, plus the reflective questions that elevate planning: Are students collaborating? Will they share work publicly? Do they know how to begin?

Then we go classroom-deep with an update from our Join Them on Their Journey teachers. Jessie talks about her experiment with daily randomized groups reduced off-task talk and amplified math voices that had been quiet for weeks, while Chi redesigned assessment to include a fast correction cycle using targeted indicators instead of immediate scores. 

If you’re ready to boost fluency without sacrificing sense-making—and build a classroom culture where every student sees themselves as a math learner—press play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a quick review telling us which strategy you’ll try first.

Send Joel and Misty a message!

The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]

What if the future of math education blends joy, rigor, and teacher voice—with professional learning that meets educators where they are? We open with a lighthearted celebration of International Podcast Day and a look back at how radio paved the way for the on‑demand world. Then we sit down with former CPM executive director Elizabeth Coyner to trace her path from a small farm town classroom to leading a national organization through rapid growth, year‑round curriculum writing, and a seismic pivot to hybrid professional learning that stuck long after the pandemic.

Elizabeth shares what it took to build an equitable, accessible classroom solution—embedding universal design for learning, multilingual supports, and teacher-tested strategies—while navigating HR, compliance, and culture. She offers a candid and optimistic view of what’s next: time with family and grandchildren, tutoring math, and a mission to connect classroom teachers with state adoption cycles and review panels so their expertise shapes policy and materials. Her message is simple and powerful: the people closest to students should help design the system.

If you care about meaningful math learning, hybrid PD that respects teacher time, and a culture where students feel seen and capable, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review telling us one change you’ll try to spark more joy in your math classroom.

Send Joel and Misty a message!

The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
X: @cpmmath
Facebook: CPMEducationalProgram
Email: [email protected]