As educators of mathematics around the world embrace the ideas shared in Building Thinking Classrooms, more and more students are being positioned to think collaboratively during math class instead of simply mimicking steps, rules, and procedures.
While this shift in mathematics teaching practice is a massive leap in the right direction, our work does not stop once students solve the thinking task at hand.
Rather, the real work for the facilitator now begins.
Join Peter Liljedahl, Jon Orr, and Kyle Pearce from the opening session of the 2023 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit as they discuss one of the most important, yet often overlooked parts of an effective problem based mathematics lesson: the closing.
This is part 1 of the hour-long Keynote session from this past year’s Virtual Summit in November. Look for part 2 in two weeks.

Have you ever wondered why creating a safe space for students in mathematics class is crucial? This episode of The Making Math Moments That Matter Podcast explores this question and unveils insights that will reshape the way you think about math education.
In a world where educational equity is a pressing concern, ensuring that schools are safe places for students becomes paramount. This episode delves into the critical role of a safe environment, especially in mathematics classes. Discover how breaking free from over-generalizations can pave the way for equitable math lessons and why helping teachers build their math proficiency is key to fostering an inclusive classroom. Join us as we unravel the intricacies of these concepts and their real-world implications.
Unlock the secrets to creating a safe and equitable math classroom by listening to the latest Make Math Moments episode now. Transform your approach to math education and contribute to fostering a positive and inclusive learning space for all students. Press play and embark on a journey to reshape math education today!

Today we speak with Michael Finley, the academic dean for math and science at a K-12 independent school.

Michael’s staff is questioning their work in building thinking classrooms and how it serves high achieving students.

Listen in as we brainstorm strategies to uncover micro moves and macro plans to build a classroom culture that allows a thinking classroom to emerge.

This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode where we chat with a teacher like you who is working through some problems of practice and together we brainstorm ways to overcome them.

Today we speak with Diana Worthen, a 10th grade math teacher from Denver Colorado. In our discussion we help to shake out a common pebble in an educator’s shoes: How to keep students engaged during practice time. Stick around and you’ll hear why students tend to “shut down” after a teacher led lesson; how to be more targeted with your 1 on 1 support with your students; and how to structure your lessons to maximize engagement during your entire math block.

This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode where we chat with a teacher like you who is working through some problems of practice and together we brainstorm ways to overcome them.

Join us for an uplifting conversation with Mike Lipnos, a middle school teacher and math coach from Ohio. In this episode Mike shares his experience and insights on helping teachers build ownership and agency for students in their mathematics classrooms.

We discuss how some teacher moves ultimately shut the door on students seeking higher levels of mathematics, and how young people are thinking beings and are capable of doing high level thinking, even if a data point may say they are “low” and how having agency as a mathematician is going to be more impactful on humanizing mathematical experiences than the traditional “I do, we do, you do” model of math teaching.

Join us in the latest episode as we dive into the world of mathematics education with Shayla Heavner, the visionary founder of MathBait™. With over a decade of experience and a prestigious Sarah D. Barder Fellowship Award for teaching excellence under her belt, Shayla has been on a mission to revolutionize math education.
As a certified online teacher and master reviewer for Quality Matters, Shayla shares insights on the significance of quality, highly engaging material that is accessible to all students. She explores the power of storytelling as a versatile tool across all levels of math education, shedding light on how it can not only captivate students but also serve as a gateway to deeper conceptual exploration.

In this where are they now mentoring moment episode we speak again with Adam Love; Adam joined us back on episode 120 when he was as first year teacher from Myrtle Beach South Carolina.

3 years later and a wealth of ideas, teaching strategies, and many lessons learned Adam is here to discuss how to help students show their thinking in multiple ways.

This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode where we chat with a teacher like you who is working through some problems of practice and together we brainstorm ways to overcome them.

Get ready Math Moment Makers for a great “call” with Crystal Frommert, who will be sharing some great tips and strategies that we can put to use to promote productive conversations with parents – especially when the news isn’t necessarily positive.

We’ve all been there before: a student is experiencing struggles in our math class and the time has come where we must make that informative call to ensure parents are in the know. Let’s reframe how we look at conversations with parents by leveraging some of the ideas that Crystal shares in her book, When Calling Parents Isn’t Your Calling.

Are you on track to hit the goals you set out for yourself, your school, your district? It’s December, which often marks the half-way point of the school year and also a great time to check your progress on your program’s action plan.
It’s quite likely that the busy-ness of school has taken you away from your intended focus on what really matters in your school or district’s math program.
In this episode Kyle and Jon share why we need to define our objectives (Rocks) and how to stay focused when there are so many distractions that seem urgent so that when the end of the year comes we can look back to our progress and know that we’re moving toward our targets.

We welcome back Ryan Kinzler, an 8th grade teacher from Pittsburg. Ryan is here to fill us in on the changes he’s made in his classroom since he last spoke with us over two years ago.

He shares how the teacher moves he implemented resulted in his best year ever and then subsequently followed by his worst year ever.

In this episode we dig into the differences between the two years and help Ryan set himself up for another great year.

This is another Math Mentoring Moment episode where we talk with a member of the Math Moment Maker Community who is working through problems of practice and together we brainstorm possible next steps and strategies to overcome them.