Shows / Making Math Moments That Matter
Making Math Moments That Matter
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…
Episodes
- Making Math Moments That Matter
James O’Neal Jr: Reaching Hard-to-Reach Learners
K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Building Math Professional Development Teachers Want
K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Mona Iehl: Building Problem Solvers With the Curriculum You Have
K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Are You Setting The Wrong Math Improvement Goals?
K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Sue Looney: Using Stories to Build Resilient Problem Solvers
Jon Orr and Sue Looney preview her Make Math Moments Virtual Summit session and share how stories, memorable characters, and a four-step story lens can help…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Build Teacher “Buy-In” for Math Improvement
Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman explore teacher buy-in and resistance in math PD, and how the Results Pyramid helps leaders create the experiences that shift…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Dr. Nicki Newton: Rethinking Math Fact Fluency.
What does fact fluency actually mean in your school? If you asked five teachers, would you get five different answers? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Is Productive Struggle One Of Your Math Classroom Pillars? Should It Be?
What do you fundamentally believe about how students learn mathematics? More importantly, do the everyday experiences in your classroom actually reflect those…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Graham Fletcher: Are We Making Math More Disjointed Than It Needs to Be?
Monday is make a ten. Tuesday is doubles. Wednesday is doubles plus one. Add a completely different context each day, and we may be making it harder for…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
From Classroom Observations to a Focused Math Improvement Plan
Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman unpack a three-day school visit and share how a K–12 team used a Math Coherence Compass, classroom observations, focused…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Zak Champagne: Creating Curious Kids in the Math Classroom
Jon Orr interviews Zak Champagne, author of Curious Kids in the Math Classroom, about practical ways to foster student curiosity through classroom community…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Math Wars: Why Conceptual vs. Procedural Is the Wrong Math Debate
The math wars often focus on conceptual understanding versus traditional algorithms. Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman explore a deeper challenge: understanding the…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Peter Liljedahl: Can We Teach Students to Be Resilient?
We want students to be curious, persistent, and resilient problem solvers. But what if those aren't qualities students simply bring into our classrooms? What…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Spiral Your Math Curriculum: A Better Alternative to Cramming and Reteaching
Ever reach the end of the semester only to feel like you're reteaching everything from September? If students learned it once but can't retrieve it months…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Rewarding Student Thinking: An Interview with Dr. Pamela Seda
We say we want students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and mathematical reasoners. But do the systems in our classrooms and schools actually…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How Strong Math Teams Turn Decisions Into Action
Your math team meets regularly. You strategize, make decisions, and talk about improving mathematics. But when everyone leaves the meeting, does the work…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Why Do Students Struggle With Math Word Problems and What To Do About It
We’ve all heard it: “My students can do the math—they just struggle with word problems.” They can perform the calculation when it’s presented directly, but put…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Do This To Start Sustainable Math Improvement in Your School or District
If you could wave a magic wand and walk into any math classroom five or ten years from now, what would you hope to see? What would students be doing, saying…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How Do You Support 30 Schools at Once as a Math Coordinator? A Math Mentoring Moment
Stepping into a new math leadership role can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time—especially when your responsibility suddenly expands from…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
STOP Rushing Math Improvement: Lessons From This School District
School and district leaders often feel pressure to create widespread change as quickly as possible. But sustainable math improvement doesn't happen by trying…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Why Teaching Math Is Hard—and Improving Achievement Is Even Harder
Why do so many mathematics improvement efforts begin with energy and optimism, only to lose momentum months later? Schools invest in professional learning…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Math Homework in 2026-2027: What Should It Really Look Like?
Homework has long been a part of the mathematics classroom, but opinions about its value continue to vary. Should students be completing pages of practice each…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Is Math Intervention Working? Learn to Build A Better Fence
Every school system wants to improve student achievement in mathematics. Yet when students struggle, the immediate response is almost always the same: more…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
What Should You Grade in Math Class?
Assessment is one of the most powerful tools teachers have—but it's also one of the most misunderstood. Too often, every task, activity, or game is expected to…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
The Two-Level Math Training You Haven’t’ Yet Considered To Strengthen An Entire District
Many school systems want better mathematics outcomes, but few struggle because of a lack of effort. More often, the challenge is figuring out how to create…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Build Deep Fraction Understanding K-12
Few math concepts seem to create as much anxiety as fractions. For students, parents, and even educators, fractions often carry a reputation for being…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Atomic Habits For Math Educators & Coordinators: Why Summer Is Your Secret Weapon
Summer is often seen as a time to step away from school, recharge, and reset. But it can also be an opportunity to strengthen your mathematical thinking…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How One School Designs Math PLC Time That Actually Shifts Instruction
Many schools want to improve math instruction, but few have a clear process for deciding what to focus on, how to measure progress, and how to align…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Stop Waiting for Math Test Scores: A Better Way to Measure Improvement
Many school systems measure success in math education by one thing: math test scores. But what if waiting for scores to improve is actually slowing down…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Design Math Improvement That Survives Staff Turnover
Every school system wants sustainable improvement in math instruction. But in education, there’s one reality we can’t ignore: people are constantly stepping on…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Design High Quality Low Floor High Ceiling Math Tasks
Not all math tasks are created equal. Some lead to deep thinking, rich discussion, and meaningful learning—while others fall flat. So what actually makes a…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
A Better Approach to Small Group Tier 2 Math Intervention
Small group instruction is a common part of math classrooms—but when it comes time to actually sit down with a group of students, many teachers are left…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Improved Math Achievement: Here’s What It Actually Takes!
Improving math instruction and student achievement is something every school and system wants. But despite that desire, real, lasting change often feels out of…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
3 Barriers to Improving Math Instruction and Student Achievement
Improving student achievement in mathematics is a goal shared by schools, districts, and systems everywhere. Yet despite years of effort, many classrooms still…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Unpack Standards for Better Lesson Planning in K-12 Mathematics
In math education, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably—unpacking standards, planning units, designing lessons. But for many teachers, it’s…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Initiative Fatigue is Real! Learn How to Avoid it in Math Education
In schools today, it can feel like there’s always something new being introduced. A new initiative, a new priority, a new expectation. And for many teachers…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Start Connecting Mathematical Representations in Classrooms
In today’s math classrooms, there’s a growing expectation: students should be able to use and connect multiple mathematical representations. From visual models…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Overcome Push-Back in Math Education
In math classrooms, there’s something that shows up again and again: resistance. It can come from students, from teachers, and sometimes even from the school…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How To Protect Instructional Time in Math Class in a World of Disruptions
In math classrooms, what is the most common frustration that keeps showing up? Not enough time. Interrupted lessons. Lost instructional minutes. The constant…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Conceptual vs Procedural Math: What Effective Math Instruction Looks Like When You Stop Picking Sides
In this episode, hosts Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman unpack a tension that’s been debated in math education for decades: conceptual understanding vs. procedural…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
The One-Shift Strategy to Improve Your Math Lesson Planning
We talk about planning all the time in math education. But here’s the question: How much time should you realistically be spending planning your math lessons…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
What Should Tier 2 Math Intervention Actually Look Like For Maximum Impact?
You’ve got protected time for Tier 2 math intervention… …but what are you actually supposed to do during that time? This is one of the most common questions we…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
What Does “Strong Tier 1 Math Instruction” Actually Mean?
We talk about Tier 1 instruction all the time in math education. But here’s the question: Do we actually have a shared understanding of what strong Tier 1 math…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
End-of-Year Math Strategies: Finishing the School Year Strong Without Cramming
It’s April, and in math class the countdown is on. There is limited time left before standardized math testing or the end of the school year—and many math…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Math Testing Season and Anxiety: How Teachers Can Build Confidence Without Adding Pressure
As math testing season approaches, many teachers and leaders feel the tension. We want students to succeed. We know they’re capable. But too often, that…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Should You Teach Standard Algorithms First? A Better Way to Build Math Fluency
If the standard algorithm is the final goal in math, why not just teach it directly? This question came up during a recent math leadership summit while…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
What Is Conceptual Understanding in Math? And Why It Matters for Fluency
What if one of the most common terms in math education — conceptual understanding in math — isn’t actually understood the same way across schools, systems, or…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Should Students Show Their Work in Math? What Teachers Should Actually Assess
Some math teachers insist students must always show their math thinking. Others argue that if the math answer is correct, that should be enough. When math…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Tier 2 Math Intervention: How Coaches and Teachers Can Use Small Groups More Effectively
You’re teaching math to 34 students. You slow math pacing to support the middle, but you can feel yourself losing students who are ready to move. A listener…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Prepare for Standardized Tests In Math Class Without Test Prep Mode
Testing is around the corner—and teachers are asking: “Do I stop everything and switch into test prep mode?” Many teachers spend weeks reviewing, drilling, and…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Don’t Let March Kill Your Momentum: When Planning for Next Year Hurts This Year
It’s March. The weather is shifting. Spring break is coming. And quietly, many math leaders have already started thinking about next year. Budgets. Staffing…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Help Students With Word Problems in Math—and Coach Teachers to Do the Same
If your students can calculate but collapse in math word problems, the issue often isn’t the numbers—it’s the structure. Many schools default to keyword hunts…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
How to Teach Grade-Level Math Without Leaving Students Behind
If you wait until every student has mastered a math concept, you might still be in Unit 1 in December. Many teachers feel they can’t move on until students…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
“I Want to Strengthen Math Fact Fluency”—But I Don’t Know Where to Start
You know math fluency is more than timed tests… but what does that actually look like in your classroom tomorrow? Many teachers are at the awareness stage…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
“We Want Number Sense and Fluency”—So Why Are You Skipping Data?
Why does data always feel like the thing we don’t have time for in math? Teachers and leaders say they want students who can think critically, reason…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Learning Goals In Math Are Ineffective? — You’re Using Them Incorrectly
If math learning goals are so important, why do they feel like a checkbox? Research tells us that learning goals are critical for effective math…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Your Math Results Are Stagnant: Why Improvement Keeps Stalling
Every year, schools and districts roll out a new math improvement plan. The language sounds right: teacher voice, coherence, sustainability, research-based…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
It Feels Like Chaos: Making Peace With a Noisy Math Classroom
Ever felt like your math classroom is too noisy, too messy, or too chaotic when students are working on open-ended tasks? You're not alone. Many math…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
Stop Wasting Teachers’ Time: Making Math PD Practical, Coherent, and Ongoing
Have you ever left a math PD session thinking, “This all sounds great… but what does it actually mean for my class tomorrow?” Teachers are hungry for…
- Making Math Moments That Matter
What About the Students Who Already Get It? – Supporting Advanced Learners Without Accelerating
What do you do when students already know the math before you even teach it? This question came straight from a listener—and it’s one we don’t talk about…