In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 10, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conv…

We're so excited to celebrate our 200th episode with you! In this episode Pam and Kim change up their intro and discuss how the things they've learned continue to shape how they spread the Math is FigureOutAble movement today. Talking Points: 200 Episodes!!! Is the math mathing? Pam, a former mimicker Perspectives versus distortions Kim, a reasoner…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 10, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conv…

Real math is never fun and cute, or is it? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss a cartoon they've fallen in love with that builds number sense intuitively and entertainingly. Talking Points: What is Numberblocks? What makes it stand our? Different representations of numbers Squares Doubling Math symbols Odd and even Who is Numberblocks for? Check ou…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 3, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conve…

What can schools use to create a shared vision for math instruction? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the New York Department of Education's Look Fors for School-Wide Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Talking Points Who is this Look For for? Specifics for equity around scheduling teachers with an eye on content knowledge and pedagogy Making spa…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on March 27, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conv…

What conversations can teachers and coaches have about improving instruction in the classroom? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the Look Fors for Teachers provided by the New York Department of Education. Talking Points: Coaching requires more than observation or modeling a lesson Avoid analysis paralysis Coaching through conversation How to inf…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on March 20, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conv…

What goals do you have for your classroom? How do you measure your success? How to plan to achieve those goals? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss New York City's Look Fors for Students and how they can help us focus on the changes we want to see in our classrooms. Talking Points: Kim and Pam have different styles and personalities as the approach…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on March 13, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conv…

When should you start developing which relationships? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the important addition relationships for first grade and how to develop them throughout the year. Talking Points: When do I teach what? Download The Most Important Numeracy Strategies Free Ebook! We want students to understand relationships so that strategies …

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on March 6, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conve…

Can we really be efficient in solving multiplication problems without algorithms? What about the really cranky ones? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the quarter strategy- a clean, efficient, figureoutable way of solving traditionally difficult multiplication problems. Talking Points: Baby strategies! What?! A problem string for the Quarter Stra…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on February 28, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

What message do we want to send to students about compliance? In this episode Pam and Kim talk about the importance of respecting student dignity and separating math from punishment. Talking Points: Senario of compliance Reasons we seek compliance from students Math is not a punishment or taking it away, a reward Pam and Kim reflect on some of thei…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on February 21, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

A huge part of any teacher's life is classroom management, setting expectations, and compliance. In this episode Pam and Kim consider when compliance might or might not be helpful in a math classroom. Talking Points: Sucked down the Math Is Figureoutable vortex Would you rather have compliant students? Or have students who question? There are times…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on February 14, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

Thinking and reasoning is always more powerful than rotely memorizing steps. In this episode Pam and Kim demonstrate how to help students reason about Order of Operations. Talking Points: Nat Banting's "Oops, I Meant" Representing a context using the grouping symbols to communicate Demonstrate how mathematicians communicate with symbols earl Using …

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on February 7, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

Order of operations seems more rote memorizable than figure-out-able, or is it? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the pitfalls of teaching order of operations as an acronym to memorize, and offer a better alternative. Talking Points: It's about communication rather than a thing to memorize. The notation is social knowledge. The order is logical m…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on January 31, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

Finding a fraction of something can be a tricky concept. In this episode Pam and Kim run through two strings that help reason about using fractions as operators. Talking Points: How are unit fractions related like halves, fourth and eighths? Scaling and Over Strategy with unit fractions Fractions as operators Why is scaling a unit fractions critica…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on January 24, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

Does it really matter what we call the whole? In this episode Pam and Kim take a closer look at fraction problems where the unit matters. Talking Points: Kim and the beach How can there be 2 possible answers to the question "What is 1/2?" Focusing on the unit Naming the unit What happens when the unit changes? Help students focus on the unit, chang…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on January 17, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

How many people do you know that shy away from fractions? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss why teaching students to use step by step procedures to solve fraction problems actually leaves them not able to think about fractions at all. Talking Points: We love hearing your stories! What kind of reasoning do fractions engage? What happens when stude…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on January 10, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

Minus-minus, plus-plus, or is integer subtraction actually figureoutable? In this episode Pam and Kim use a Problem String to build real understanding of integer subtraction. Talking Points: The importance of having multiple contexts Seeing the negative symbol as "opposite of" Using distance Understanding takes time, but is so worth it! See Episode…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on January 3, 2024. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the con…

Tracking students and sorting them into 'higher'/'lower' tracks is a topic that we have really, really firm feelings about. In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the unintended consequences of tracking students and offer some ideas to consider. Talking Points Who does tracking benefit, who does it hurt? Distaste for the vocabulary used to describe tr…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on December 27, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

Happy holidays! Pam and Kim invite you to revisit Ep 87, it's super important! How do you navigate teaching math that is figure-out-able if your standards include the teaching of algorithms? Talking Points: All year long invest your time wisely helping kids learn to reason, increasing their sophistication of relationships and solving more difficult…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on December 20, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

Can integer subtraction feel intuitive without rote memory? In this episode Pam and Kim delve into a Problem String and explore integer subtraction relationships. Talking Points: Integer chips? Students reason about subtracting integers Distance versus removal Problem String subtracting integers in context When context is less helpful Don't go to r…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on December 13, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

Mimicking rules for integer operations does not help students become doers of Real Math, and frankly doesn't often stick in their long term memory. In this episode Pam and Kim walk through a Problem String that helps students develop an intuitive understanding of integer addition! Talking Points: Exploring the beach as a context Equations and numbe…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on December 6, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

How can we help students reason about integers? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss fun and natural ways to explore and understand both positive and negative integers. Talking Points: The Pen/Pencil argument continues 5th graders can reason about integers Games do develp understanding of integers Clothes line math with integers Exploring four usefu…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on November 29, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

How do you label fractions on an open number line? How do you label a fraction of a candy bar? How many cuts do you make to cut a candy bar into fourths? Pam and Kim invite you to revisit episode 138, this time with an ear towards fractions. Do your students ever get confused about counting obects vs counting distance? In this episode 138 Pam and K…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on November 22, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

What does it mean when we say 'fake math' or 'less sophisticated'? Pam and Kim discuss how learning Real Math is empowering and opens a whole new world of understanding. Talking Points: Are squared numbers an important thing to own? The Matrix It takes experience to understand perspectives Martians Doing 'fake math' or using a 'less sophisticated' …

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on November 15, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the c…

We can be our own kids' best teachers, even when it comes to gnarly division problems. In this episode Pam and Kim relay their experiences exploring decimal division with their own kids. Talking Points: A tool for holding your thinking - a ratio table It's not about how much you can hold in your head Help them start with what they know Problem Stri…

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on November 8, 2023. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the co…

Recorded live from NCTM! Pam and Kim discuss some of their experiences and takeaways from the 2023 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference. Talking Points: Travel stories As kids grow, teachers grow as well Know your content know your kids to choose Problem Strings for your students Tools that focus on answer getting stifle students …

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Place value is so much more than labeling digits. In this episode Pam and Kim dive into place value and common teaching practices that are necessary, but not enough. Talking Points: A fascination with the macabre Typical place value labeling and additional things you can think about to develop place value Precise questioning yields deeper place val…