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PODCAST

Making Math Moments That Matter

Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr

Helping you transform your K-12 math lesson plans by building confidence in effective teaching practices, guiding you to transform your math curriculum, and inspiring classroom strategies to engage all students.As a teacher are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans where students don"t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings?As a mathematics coordinator or leader are you wondering how to support teachers when implementing engaging math lessons that fuel student

education how to

All Episodes

58:02

Math Fluency in Action: Observing What Proficient...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/23

What does it really mean to be fluent in math—and are we measuring the right things in our classrooms? Math fluency is often reduced to speed drills and memorization—but true fluency goes much deeper. In this episode, we unpack the key differences between fact fluency, computational fluency, and procedural fluency—and why it matters for both teaching and learning. Drawing on research from Jennifer Bay-Williams and John San Giovanni, we explore what fluency actually looks like in action, and h...

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32:24

Why Your Math Coaching Model Isn’t Working — Insights...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/20

How do you know if your district’s mentoring and coaching efforts are actually making a difference? Too often, system and instructional leaders focus on program delivery but miss the deeper question: how do we monitor and support the real impact of our math mentorship and coaching practices? In this episode, Jim Strachan returns to explore how leaders can center educator well-being, trust, and professional learning as essential foundations for student success. You'll hear practical insights o...

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22:10

Making Durable Decisions in Math Leadership | A...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/16

Fidelity matters, yet rigidity can stall growth. In this follow-up episode, we revisit the balance between fidelity and flexibility in math improvement and explore how two district partners faced this exact challenge. You will hear how they committed to implementing with fidelity, ensuring consistency, clarity, and shared language, while avoiding the trap of rigid adherence that stifles innovation and teacher agency. Drawing from Janice Fraser’s Farther, Faster, and Far Less Drama and her lea...

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29:38

When Fidelity in Math Improvement Turns Into Rigidity...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/13

Implementing with fidelity matters—whether it’s adopting a new math resource, embedding a routine like number talks, or structuring PLCs. But fidelity is not the same as rigidity. When we cling too tightly to practices, they can outlive their usefulness and prevent innovation. In this episode, we draw from research, including Janice Fraser’s concept of making durable decisions, to unpack the balance between fidelity and rigidity in math improvement. We explore how leaders and teachers can com...

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40:47

How to Sequence Math Tasks: Thin Slicing in BTC...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/09

How do you move your students from confusion to confidence—one question at a time when Building Thinking Classrooms? If you've ever found yourself wondering how to keep every student engaged without oversimplifying your math lessons or overwhelming your class with complexity, you're not alone. Many math teachers face the challenge of designing lessons that meet all learners where they are—without sacrificing depth or progress. In this episode, Peter Liljedahl and Kyle Webb unpack thin slicing...

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40:24

When Tools Steal Thinking: Rethinking Technology Use...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/06

In this episode, we dig into the tricky question every math teacher faces: When is a calculator a helpful tool—and when does it actually rob students of valuable mathematical thinking? Yvette shares a personal story about a conversation with her son on whether he should use a calculator for an upcoming test. The discussion quickly expanded: is a lower score worth it if it means students are pushing their math brains harder? Jon and Kyle weigh in on the role of calculators and AI in classrooms...

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23:45

Going Narrow in Math Improvement: A Practical...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/10/02

Math improvement plans don’t gain traction just by naming priorities—they gain traction when districts commit to going narrow. For one small district, that meant resisting the urge to spread resources across every grade and instead doubling down on a focused goal: supporting grades 3–5 teachers with the consistent use of problem strings to strengthen student fluency. In this episode, we explore the critical leadership decisions that fueled momentum: choosing more and better over new, position...

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25:57

Fear, Pressure, and the Struggle to Truly Commit to...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/29

District math improvement plans can’t succeed if we try to do everything at once. For meaningful change to happen, leaders need to go narrow. In this episode, we explore why narrowing focus is so difficult for districts and schools, even when everyone knows it’s the right move. We unpack the fears leaders face—picking the “wrong” focus, pressure from external demands, or the worry that one shift won’t meet everyone’s needs. We also dig into why saying “yes” to one math priority means saying “...

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21:37

Beating Initiative Fatigue: How to Filter Math PD...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/25

Do you ever feel torn between staying laser-focused on your math goals and chasing all the new opportunities that come your way? Whether it’s a conference, a webinar, or a brand-new resource, unexpected opportunities can be energizing—but without a clear filter, they can also overwhelm teachers and derail your district’s math improvement plan. Listeners will: Learn how to avoid “spaghetti at the wall” professional learning.Discover how to filter opportunities through your math objectives so t...

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34:02

How AI Can Help Math Teachers Differentiate...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/22

How can math teachers harness AI to lighten their workload, differentiate with confidence, and boost student thinking—without losing the human touch? The AI wave isn't coming—it's already here. In this energizing episode, Dr. Nicki Newton returns to share how AI is transforming the way elementary math educators plan, differentiate, and reflect. Whether you're an AI skeptic or already tinkering with ChatGPT, this conversation reveals how AI can empower—not replace—educators. Dr. Nicki brings p...

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21:23

Why Systemic Change in Math Fails Without the Right...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/18

What does it look like to build Bridges in real time? In this episode, we highlight the story of a district leader who knows she can’t do the work of math improvement alone. She identified her Bridges—instructional mentors and department chairs—and committed to building their capacity in two intertwined ways: Deeply internalizing the district’s math objective around discourse Equipping Bridges as instructional leaders We break down the specific moves that were made to build this cap...

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30:05

Why Math Improvement Efforts Stall Without Clear Bridges

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/15

District math objectives can’t live on a slide deck. For change to happen, they need Bridges—the leaders who translate vision into action at the school and classroom level. In this episode, we explore who the Bridges are (principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, coordinators, and teacher-leaders) and why their role is essential to making district math objectives real. We dig into their responsibilities—guiding schools to set realistic math improvement goals, facilitating PLCs,...

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15:15

How Time Debt Is Derailing Your Math Leadership Goals

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/11

Are you letting daily emergencies steal time from what really matters in your role as a math leader? From a soaked teenager's phone to the all-too-common chaos of K–12 math leadership, this episode draws a sharp parallel between personal emergency funds and the way we manage our time. For many district leads, coaches, and administrators, every day feels like putting out fires — reacting instead of leading. But without intentionally budgeting time for priorities, real change in student learnin...

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33:01

How To Teach Multi-Digit Multiplication

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/08

In this episode, we explore why multi-digit multiplication continues to be the thorn in so many teachers’ sides. We talk about why sometimes we need to step back in order to step forward—focusing on place value, composing and decomposing numbers, and building connections between strategies. We highlight the differences between invented strategies and the standard algorithm, and share classroom-tested approaches that support both fluency and conceptual understanding. Whether you’re teaching up...

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17:23

Making Math Progress Visible: The B+ Approach to...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/04

Are your district's math improvement plans stuck in “waiting for perfect”? What if aiming for B+ work could unlock real progress—right now? Too often in education, big ideas stall while we chase flawless execution. As a K–12 math coordinator, coach, or administrator, you're likely juggling district mandates, teacher support, and the pressure of results. The temptation to wait until every plan is "A+" perfect can delay change indefinitely. This episode challenges that mindset and reframes prog...

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27:45

Rich Tasks vs. Gradual Release: Do We Have to Choose?

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/09/01

One of the most frequent questions we hear from district and school math leaders is: “How do I convince math educators to shift from always using the Gradual Release model to lessons that begin with rich math tasks?” This episode is inspired by a recent conversation with a district leader guiding a math task force. While some colleagues leaned on the Gradual Release of Responsibility model—“I do, we do, you do”—she wanted to prioritize curiosity, problem solving, and mathematical reasoning up...

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27:23

Why District Math Plans Fall Flat Without...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/08/28

Too often, district math improvement planning happens “up there,” with big visions and system-wide goals that don’t trickle down into meaningful change at the school level. In this episode, we make the case for flipping that script. We unpack why implementing the roadmap to district improvement at the school level—early and intentionally—is key to achieving system-wide math goals. If schools are ultimately responsible for meeting those goals, they need access to the tools, vision, and clarity...

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24:02

It’s Not Either-Or: Building a Math Classroom That...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/08/25

A teacher asked us a fair question: “If direct instruction and practice are working, why change? While presenting at a recent conference, we were approached by a teacher with a very honest question: “I’ve been using direct instruction and structured practice with great success. My students are doing well. What reason do I have to change?” In this episode, we unpack how we responded and why it’s not about replacing what’s working—but expanding what’s possible. We explore how a balanced approac...

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29:50

From Lofty to Laser-Focused: Unpacking One District’s...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/08/21

In this episode, we share how one district is entering the new school year with a sharper focus in their Math District Improvement Plan. In the past, they worked from three ambitious objectives—each rooted in big ideas for strengthening math instruction. But progress unfolded more slowly than anticipated. This year, the team decided to narrow their efforts to one math-specific objective. They designed short-term, measurable key results to monitor progress by February, rather than waiting unti...

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30:25

Building a Math Culture with Board Games: Standards...

Making Math Moments That Matter ·

2025/08/18

Looking to build a positive math culture at the start of the school year? In this episode, we dive into why board games are more than just fun—they’re strategic tools for reinforcing mathematical thinking and the process expectations that drive meaningful learning. This summer, Yvette Lehman’s family has been on a board game marathon, and we’re sharing our favourite picks so far. We’ll discuss how these games build fluency, encourage strategic thinking, and support key student practices like ...

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