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PODCAST

The Build Math Minds Podcast

Christina Tondevold

The Build Math Minds podcast is for my fellow Recovering Traditionalists out there. If you don"t know whether or not you are a Recovering Traditionalist, here"s how I define us. We are math educators who used to teach math the traditional way. Flip lesson by lesson in the textbook, directly teaching step-by-step how to solve math problems. But now, we are working to change that to a style of teaching math that is fun and meets our students where they are at, not just teaching what comes next in the

education

All Episodes

15:54

Episode 220 - The Math Fluency Trap: Why Flexibility...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2026/02/01

In this episode I'm saying something that might surprise you: Flexibility alone isn't enough for math fluency. I know, I know. I literally have courses called The Flexibility Formula. I talk about flexibility ALL THE TIME. But here's the thing: We've swung the pendulum too far. The problem: For years, we taught fluency through drill type worksheets, timed tests, and memorization. That had major downsides (anxiety, math avoidance, kids forgetting everything over summer). So the pendulum swung the

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18:15

Episode 219 - What 13 AI Lessons Taught Me About...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2026/01/25

Over the past few weeks, I've had AI generate 13 math lessons. Teachers ARE using AI to generate lessons—whether we like it or not. So instead of pretending that's not happening, I decided to put AI to the test. Can it actually create good math lessons? The short answer? Not really. But the insights I gained from evaluating those 13 AI-generated lessons? Those apply to ANY math lesson—AI-generated or straight from your textbook. In this episode, I share the 3 biggest things I learned: Lesson #1: AI

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16:27

Episode 218 - 3 Coaching Strategies That Actually Work

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2026/01/18

Teachers are overwhelmed, students are struggling, and the strategies that worked pre-pandemic aren't working anymore. In this episode, I tackle one of the biggest mindset barriers happening right now: "They should already know this." Yeah, they should. But they don't. So now what? I'm giving you three practical coaching strategies to help teachers shift from "they should know this" (which leads to frustration and blame) to "here's where they are and here's how we move them forward" (which leads to

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09:48

Episode 217 - The Science of Math

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2026/01/11

In this episode, we tackle a hot topic in education: the Science of Math. Inspired by a podcast about women's health and a meeting with state math supervisors, I'm exploring two critical questions educators need to ask when applying research to their math instruction. First, is a powerful parallel I had when I heard: "Women are not small men" and that helped me think that math is not reading. Let's challenge the common practice of taking research from reading instruction and automatically applying

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27:55

Episode 216 - Why Math Practice Fails (And the Simple...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/12/14

Do your students complete their math practice but forget everything by next week? There's a reason this happens—and a simple fix. Australian educator Michaela Epstein reveals why most practice only goes one direction (question → answer) and shares sorting & matching tasks that build real understanding. Learn how to add one metacognitive step that transforms mindless practice into flexible thinking. Plus, get details on the upcoming 10th Virtual Math Summit (Feb 28-March 1, 2026) with 34 sessions

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07:38

Episode 215 - Why Balance in Teaching Isn't What You...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/12/07

Are you exhausting yourself trying to make everything "equal" in your math instruction or math coaching? In this video, I'm sharing why balance in teaching isn't about equality - it's about creating a beautiful structure that meets the needs of those you are working with. Let's rethink what balance really means for elementary math teachers and coaches. Get any resources/links mentioned in this episode at BuildMathMinds.com/215

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08:21

Episode 214 - The REAL Purpose of Teaching Math (And...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/11/23

When your students ask "When will I ever use this?"—especially with AI doing calculations faster than any of us—how do you answer? In this episode, I share a conversation that just validated how I think about the purpose of teaching math. Spoiler: It's not about long division. It's about building thinkers, not calculators. You'll hear the difference between students who DO math versus students who THINK about math, why building flexible thinkers actually speeds up your teaching (not slows it

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22:21

Episode 213 - Seeing Multiplication - How Subitizing...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/11/16

Are your students still counting on their fingers for 6×4? Transform how you teach multiplication facts with this game-changing approach to subitizing! In this episode, you'll discover how to move beyond the exhausting "times tables treadmill" that forces students to memorize 100 disconnected facts. Instead, learn how subitizing—the ability to instantly recognize quantities without counting—can help your students see multiplication as beautiful, connected relationships. You'll learn: Why

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08:41

Episode 212 - Subitizing With Fractions

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/11/09

Discover how subitizing—the ability to instantly recognize quantities without counting—can transform your fraction instruction! While you may already use subitizing with your younger students, this episode reveals why it's equally powerful for upper elementary learners working with fractions. You'll learn what subitizing with fractions actually looks like and why keeping quantities small makes all the difference. We'll explore how subitizing helps students focus on relationships between quantities

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19:54

Episode 211 - Building Number Sense Without Adding to...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/11/02

You know that building number sense is crucial—but finding time for one more thing feels impossible. In this episode, discover how investing time in foundational number sense concepts actually saves you time in the long run. Learn two practical strategies for fitting this essential work into your already-packed day without adding anything extra: the 1% Better Approach and the Replace, Don't Add Strategy. You'll walk away with clear examples of which activities to stop doing and what to start doing

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26:59

Episode 210 - Why Good Activities Aren't Enough - The...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/10/26

Are you doing all the "right" math activities—Number Talks, Number Strings, Quick Images—but still not seeing the progress you expected? In this episode, you'll discover why having great activities isn't enough, and what actually builds real number sense with your students. You'll learn the critical difference between facilitating activities to collect answers versus facilitating them to develop deep mathematical understanding. Through concrete examples, you'll see how the same activity can produce

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21:52

Episode 209 - The Power of Integration - Why Teaching...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/10/19

Are you overwhelmed thinking about trying to add in number sense activities into your already jam-packed day? In this game-changing episode, learn how to transform your math instruction by integrating number sense concepts into ONE quick activity. The ‘unspoken rule’ of teaching math has been to keep each math skill in separate boxes that we teach in isolation. Teaching in this way is one of the causes of feeling overwhelmed when teaching math. In this episode, you’ll see how to integrate math

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17:41

Episode 208 - The Number Relationships That Transform...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/10/12

In this second episode of the math fluency series, we explore the four essential number relationships that help students move beyond counting and develop true mathematical thinking. Learn about spatial relationships, one/two more or less, benchmarks of 5 and 10, and part-part-whole thinking—and discover how these relationships evolve from PreK through fifth grade. We'll look at why students get stuck using inefficient strategies and how building these foundational relationships transforms them into

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13:38

Episode 207 - The Math Foundations - What Elementary...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/10/05

In this episode, I'm kicking off a series on building math fluency by diving into what I wish I had known when I first started teaching—the critical foundations students need BEFORE we ever ask them to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Many students can DO the math, but they don't truly UNDERSTAND it. And the problem isn't that they need more practice—they're missing something much more fundamental. I'm sharing the four early numeracy concepts from the research of Douglas Clements and Julie

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08:40

Episode 206 - 1% Better - The 4-Minute Daily Math...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/09/28

What if transforming your math teaching only required 4 minutes a day? In this episode, Christina breaks down the powerful concept of getting 1% better daily and shows how just 4 minutes of intentional change in your classroom adds up to 12 hours of enhanced math learning over the school year. Perfect for busy educators who want to make a real impact without overwhelming themselves. Get your free guide with 30+ quick math activities to get you started at BuildMathMinds.com/1%

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11:08

Episode 205 - Stop Coaching Everyone: Use the 80/20...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/09/21

As an elementary math coach, do you feel like you're trying to be everywhere at once with never enough time to make the impact you want? In this episode, discover how to use the 80/20 principle to transform your coaching approach and actually increase your impact while saving time. Learn how to strategically apply the 80/20 rule in two key ways: Which Teachers to Prioritize: How to identify the 20% of teachers who will create the biggest ripple effect across your school (hint: it's not just about

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17:19

Episode 204 -Timed Math Activities…Good or Bad?

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/09/14

Are timed math activities helping or harming our elementary students? This controversial topic divides educators, but the research tells a clear story when we dig deeper. In this episode, we explore evidence-based strategies for using timed activities to build math fluency without creating anxiety or trauma. Drawing from the What Works Clearinghouse's analysis of 27 studies involving over 4,300 students, we discover that the problem isn't timed activities themselves—it's how they've been

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47:50

Episode 203 - Number Sense with Christina Tondevold...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/05/25

In this cross-posted episode from Math Chat, host Mona Iehl interviews Christina Tondevold about developing number sense in elementary students. Christina shares her journey from a "procedural" math student to becoming a math coach and founder of Build Math Minds. The conversation explores the eight components of number sense: four early numeracy concepts (subitizing, verbal counting, object counting, and cardinality) and four number relationships (spatial relationships, one/two more or less,

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08:37

Episode 202 - Going Beyond the Task When Building...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/05/18

In Episode 202: Going Beyond the Task When Building Thinking Classrooms, we reveal the exciting lineup of special guests for our summer book study on 'Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom Grades K-5' by Peter Liljedahl and Maegan Giroux. Starting July 14th, each week will feature a video with reading prompts followed by live Q&A sessions with experts including first-grade teacher Tammy McMorrow, co-author of the book Maegan Giroux, and Official BTC Consultant Kim Rimbey. Join now at

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07:50

Episode 201 - Our Summer Book Study - Exploring Tasks...

The Build Math Minds Podcast ·

2025/05/11

In Episode 201, I share two exciting summer learning opportunities for fellow Recovering Traditionalists as we prepare to pause the podcast until August. First, enroll in The Flexibility Formula online courses (K-2 or 3-5) to transform how you build math fluency with your students. BuildMathMinds.com/courses Second, join our free summer book study on "Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom Grades K-5" by Peter Liljedahl and Maegan Giroux, starting July 14th. Register now at

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