Claim OwnershipMaking Math Moments That Matter
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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 sense making?
Over the last 19 years, Kyle and Jon, the founders of MakeMathMoments.com have been engaging students, teachers, and district program leaders with effective mathematics pedagogy, accessible resources, and inspiring learning environments in K-12 math classrooms.
Now, in this podcast they coach you - K-12 classroom teachers and district leaders of mathematics through a 6 step plan that cultivates and fosters your mathematics program like a strong, healthy and balanced tree.
If you master the 6 parts of an effective mathematics program, the impact you have on students or teachers will grow and reach far and wide.
Every week, you’ll hear insight from practicing classroom teachers and leaders in math education so you’ll get the feedback, guidance, and fresh ideas you need to stop feeling overwhelmed, gain back your confidence, and inspire the students and fellow teachers you serve to enjoy the beauty of mathematics once again.
Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180
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Why is it so hard to get more students talking in math class? In this episode, the team digs into a common challenge: when just a few confident students dominate math class discussions, while others stay silent. Drawing from personal experience and real classroom coaching, we explore how small, intentional shifts—like silent signals and think time—can completely transform math classroom discourse. Whether you’re a math teacher seeking practical moves or a coach supporting system-wide change, ...
Struggling to meet the needs of every math learner in a single classroom? Many teachers feel overwhelmed when students show up with wildly different entry points—especially when they're trying to teach to grade-level standards with integrity. This episode dives into a familiar challenge: how to support diverse learners in Tier 1 math instruction without lowering expectations or relying on interventions alone. You’ll hear how one school tackled this barrier head-on by equipping teachers, build...
In this eye-opening episode, math researcher and educator Dr. Alex Lawson challenges one of the most common approaches to teaching multiplication: introducing it as “groups of.” Drawing on years of classroom-based research, Alex reveals why this method might actually be limiting student understanding—and how rethinking multiplication through the lens of rate, quantity, and context can transform learning outcomes. You’ll walk away with practical insights for both math teachers and coaches, in...
You’ve made big moves in your math program—but something still feels stuck. Why? After a full year of supporting school and district teams, we’re reflecting on the shifts that created real traction—and the patterns that quietly stalled progress. Whether you're leading math at the classroom, school, or system level, this conversation names the challenges we’ve seen most often and celebrates the bright spots where real change is taking hold. These lessons aren’t just reflections—they’re a bluep...
Feeling behind? Tired? Wondering if your math improvement efforts are making a difference? In this episode released on Christmas Day, Jon Orr shares a message just for you—educators, coaches, and leaders doing the slow, often invisible work of math improvement. No training, no strategies—just honest reflection and a reminder that you are not alone. You’ll hear a different lens on what progress looks like—one that recognizes the quiet wins: A teacher asking better math questions than last year...
You’re seeing growth in the data. Students are performing well. But something feels… off. Maybe they’re disengaged. Maybe they’re saying they don’t like math. Or maybe, they’re just going through the motions. In this episode, the team explores a common but often unspoken tension: how do we balance academic achievement with student enjoyment, confidence, and sense of belonging in math? We share a story from a high-achieving school that’s beginning to ask deeper questions—not just about what st...
Ever watched a student solve 146 ÷ 12 by drawing 146 dots… one by one? In this episode, the MMM team dives into a common but frustrating classroom challenge: students who cling to inefficient math strategies like counting on fingers, skip counting, or repeated subtraction—long after they’ve outgrown them. These early strategies worked, and students trust them. So how do we help them build confidence in more sophisticated approaches? You’ll hear from our newest team member, Beth Curran, as we ...
You poured your heart into teaching a key math concept—and a student tells you they’ve never even heard of it. Sound familiar? In this episode, hosts Yvette Lehman and Jon Orr explore one of the most frustrating challenges in math instruction: retention. Why does it feel like students forget everything they’ve learned? And more importantly, what can we actually do about it? Through the lens of a school we support, we dig into one team’s evolving plan to increase student retention—without over...
Are your teachers reluctant to move beyond the standard algorithm—even when it clearly isn’t working for their students? In this episode, we explore a real-world example of a school trying to shift toward computational fluency—but getting stuck. The teachers agree that students need more accurate and efficient methods, but many still believe offering multiple strategies only adds confusion. Instead of pushing a solution, the school’s principal is taking a different approach: creating space fo...
Are your multi-language learners struggling to engage in math class? You’re not alone. Many teachers recognize the issue but feel unsure how to help—especially when language becomes a barrier to grade-level math content. In this team episode, Yvette, Jon, and Kyle unpack a real conversation with a school team working to increase math achievement for multi-language learners. The problem was clear from the data—but the solution wasn’t. Instead of rushing to tell teachers what to do, the leaders...
Why are so many districts pouring resources into math PD but seeing so little classroom change? It’s not because teachers aren’t trying. It’s not about motivation or willingness. The real reason is this: most systems aren’t built to support true instructional transformation. In this episode, we unpack the disconnect between a district’s vision for math learning and the day-to-day realities of classroom practice—and we make the case for math coaching as the essential lever most districts are m...
You're rolling out a math resource across your district—but you’re noticing that some classrooms feel scripted and disconnected from student thinking. What’s going wrong? In this episode, we reflect on a powerful insight from Dr. Crystal Watson’s summit presentation—one that’s still resonating with us weeks later. We dig into the difference between fidelity and integrity in math instruction, and why rigidly adhering to a curriculum as written can actually limit student thinking, teacher agenc...
In this episode, we share our biggest insights from the 7th annual Make Math Moments Virtual Summit. We highlight powerful sessions that explored ethical AI use, responsive planning, student motivation, and math teacher well-being. Yvette reflects on Dr. Nicky Newton’s approach to creating AI prompts packed with best practices, while also grappling with the ethical use of tech in education. Jon unpacks Sean Nank’s strategies for addressing teacher trauma and re-centering on purpose. Kyle dive...
Leading math professional learning in a large system is never simple — especially when every school wants something different. How do you support meaningful math growth without burning out or losing focus? In this Mentoring Moment episode, you’ll hear a real coaching conversation with a math learning coordinator who’s navigating a new team, an ambitious vision, and a calendar full of math PD that feels more reactive than strategic. Together, we explore how to shift from disjointed math initia...
Your math vision prioritizes critical thinking, but can everyone on your team describe what that actually looks like in classrooms? In this episode, you’ll sit in on a real conversation between our team as we unpack a problem of practice. Yvette shares her experience coaching a large district where critical thinking appears in their math vision but isn’t yet clearly defined across their leadership team. We reflect on a district that’s working toward coherence by focusing on problem solving, d...
Do you say your math program prioritizes critical thinking, but struggle to see it in action across classrooms? Many districts include critical thinking as part of their math vision. It is a powerful goal and one that prepares students to engage with complex ideas and make thoughtful decisions. However, teams often lack a shared and practical definition of what critical thinking looks like during math learning. In this episode, we reflect on a powerful moment from the documentary Counted Out....
Is your school or district chasing improvement—but feeling like nothing sticks? You're not alone. Fragmentation and unclear goals might be the reason you're not seeing real change. In this episode, we go beyond theory and dive into a real-world case study of a school leadership team that thought they were aligned—until a simple conversation around “fluency routines” exposed deeper issues of misalignment. We explore how schools and systems can overcome the illusion of alignment by building tru...
Have you ever left a team meeting feeling confident everyone was working toward the same math goal, only to realize later that each person defined success in a different way? This episode explores how that kind of disconnect can quietly stall school improvement in mathematics. A school team set out to strengthen math fluency with clear objectives and measurable outcomes. Yet when each member was asked to describe what fluency meant, their answers revealed four different interpretations of wha...
You’ve got a strong teacher, strong strategies—and still, the innovation stalls. What gives? In this episode, we tackle what’s really behind resistance in math PD and why most implementation efforts collapse long before proficiency is even possible. Building on our last episode, we unpack how a school we support used the five implementation stages—Non-Use, Awareness, Mechanical, Routine, and Proficient—to move real teacher practice forward in mathematics. You’ll hear how assumptions lik...
Still stuck “talking” about change, but not seeing it in action? The real roadblock to change in math may not be teacher resistance—it might be your system. Based on Jim Knight’s powerful article in Educational Leadership, “Moving from Talk to Action in Professional Learning,” this episode reframes what looks like math pd resistance in schools. We walk through the five stages of implementation—Non-Use, Awareness, Mechanical, Routine, and Proficient—and reveal how most educators aren’t resisti...
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Have students address feedback before they see their score.
My favourite math PD podcast - Kyle and Jon helped me revolutionize my teaching approach and the show just keeps getting better!
This is great! Thank you for sharing your teaching philosophies