Using Your Math Resources Like A Scalpel – Not A Sledgehammer
You’ve probably been there.
You’ve got this shiny, promising new math curriculum, or maybe it’s this great number sense fluency kit, or access to virtual manipulatives. You’re thinking, “Let’s get everyone trained up!” So you organize PD sessions, bring in the trainers, and check the box.
But here’s the thing…
If you’re blanketing your whole staff with the same PD without zooming in on where the actual problems are, you’re basically just spraying Febreze over a moldy carpet. It smells nicer for a minute… but that issue underneath? Still there. Still festering.
This came up in one of our support sessions with Mark – a middle school math coordinator in Michigan, and it hit hard.
“Don’t just give every teacher the same thing because it’s convenient—use your resource as a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.”
If you want your team to make measurable progress, you have to think beyond just picking the right resource. The resource is a tool, not a strategy or the reason you are engaging in this current PD move.
You need a plan—a thoughtful, intentional one—that connects the dots between your goals, your people, and the professional learning experiences you provide.
When you stop treating PD like it’s “one size fits all,” you actually give your teachers what they’ve needed all along: relevance.
If you’re not planning beyond the purchase—if you’re not mapping how this resource supports your team’s actual growth—then you’re not just wasting money, you’re wasting time and trust. And that might be even worse.
So if you’re feeling stuck in the cycle of planning PD no one remembers… or worse, no one uses—maybe it’s not the resource that’s the issue. It’s how you’re using it.
Stop asking, “What PD should we run next?”
Start asking, “What do our teachers need to get better at—and how do we meet them there?”
So, what’s holding most schools back? It’s not a lack of resources. It’s a lack of clarity. Clarity about what you’re trying to accomplish. Clarity about the story you want to be able to tell at the end of the year. And clarity around what data and experiences and resources will get you there.
Before your next PD push, slow down and ask yourself:
“What problem are we solving? What does success look like? And how does this resource help us get there?”
Whether you’re using the Make Math Moments Academy like Mark was strategizing around, a new curriculum, or any other PD tool, your impact depends on how intentionally you design AROUND IT—not just how you deliver it.
Because when your plan starts with purpose, you don’t just check a box—you create real momentum.
