Math on the Rocks

CMC Central

We are three mathematics educators who love to talk about math, math education, and the politics of math...often while drinking a beer. Our podcast is an attempt to invite more people into our conversations. For the video versions of our episodes, go here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f

  1. -3 j

    Ep 75 - Ashley Powell inspires us with problem solving

    Ashley Powell invites us to rethink what it means to teach mathematics through problem solving. Rather than treating problem solving as something students do after they have learned a set of procedures, Ashley frames it as a powerful way students build understanding in the first place. In this episode, Ashley shares practical ways to get started with problem-based instruction, including how to adapt simple tasks, create multiple entry points, and focus on the mathematics students are actually making sense of. She highlights three key features of strong tasks: the math must be problematic, the task must be accessible, and students must be asked to justify and explain their thinking. You’ll hear classroom-ready ideas like broken-key tasks, cluster problems, proportional reasoning contexts, and prompts that help students move beyond “number plucking” toward reasoning. Ashley also reminds us to “be less helpful,” listen carefully to student thinking, and tell the right things at the right time. This conversation is a practical and encouraging starting point for teachers, coaches, and leaders who want to make problem solving central to how students experience mathematics. CONTACT / RESOURCES Ashley Powell Ashley on LinkedIn Teaching Mathematics through Problem Solving K-8, Expanded Edition Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    48 min

  2. -5 j

    Ep 74 - Duane and Keith talk HQIM

    Keith steps up and joins Duane to continue our ongoing conversation about the importance of high-quality instructional materials. Sure…a school district might adopt a curriculum through a consensus-based decision-making process, but is that curriculum aligned to the framework? How would you know without having read the 1000-page framework? Also…even if your adopted curriculum is aligned to the framework, does the curriculum align with your district's ability (and willingness) to provide the tremendous amount of ongoing support teachers will need to properly implement it? Give this episode a listen. RESOURCES  mentioned in this episode: ✚  Pedagogy of Poverty      https://kappanonline.org/the-pedagogy-of-poverty-versus-good-teaching/   ✚  CMC resources for high-quality instructional materials       https://www.cmcmath.org/resources   ✚  California Mathematics Framework       https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/    Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    27 min

  3. 28 mai

    Ep 73 - Kevin Dykema is rethinking productive struggle

    Kevin Dykema invites us to rethink productive struggle as more than a math education buzzword. Instead of rescuing students with steps and answers, he shows how teachers can create the conditions for students to reason, grapple, and make sense of mathematics. In this episode, Kevin shares practical ways to make struggle productive, including building positive math identity, creating a supportive classroom community, planning better tasks, anticipating student thinking, and asking questions that rescue thinking instead of answers. You’ll hear classroom-ready examples involving mental math, integers, fractions, exponents, quadratics, and task design. Kevin also reminds us that reflection matters, both for students and teachers, because struggle becomes powerful when learners can see how far their thinking has come. CONTACT / RESOURCES Kevin Dykema dykemamath@gmail.com Find Kevin on X, Instagram, and LinkedIn! Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    1 h 4 min

  4. 28 avr.

    Ep 72 - Nolan Fossum is rethinking instruction through cartoon math

    Nolan Fossum invites us into the learner’s seat by experiencing math in an unfamiliar way. Using a “cartoon base-10” system, he creates moments of productive struggle that mirror what many students feel when they don’t yet have fluency. In this episode, Nolan explores how counting, deriving, and reasoning through models like ten frames, number lines, and base-10 blocks can build deep understanding. Rather than relying on memorized facts, he highlights how students can develop flexible strategies by connecting ideas and using what they know. You’ll hear how this experience shifts perspective on student struggle, the importance of manipulatives, and why slowing down to build conceptual understanding matters. Nolan also connects this work to mathematical practices, student engagement, and the role of challenge in learning. If you’ve ever wondered what it truly feels like to not “just know” the math, this episode offers a powerful reminder and practical insights for supporting all learners. CONTACT / RESOURCES Nolan Fossum nolan.fossum@innovamat.com linkedin.com/in/nolan-fossum-1688851b5 Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    56 min

  5. 15 avr.

    Ep 71 - Screens screens everywhere screens

    Scott and Duane get together to chat about math, but Duane gets grumpy and jumps up on his soap box to complain about schools using too much EdTech throughout the day. We know students go home and endlessly scroll on their phones, so schools should be very picky and choosy about whether to add to the screen time at school. Also, the EdTech we use at school should augment the teacher rather than replace the teacher. Give this episode a listen and leave a comment. Links mentioned in this episode: ✚  Parents push for reduced screen time a year after Los Angeles Unified bans cellphones      https://edsource.org/2026/reducing-screen-time-lausd/755025  ✚  Adults Lose Skills to AI. Children Never Build Them.    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-algorithmic-mind/202603/adults-lose-skills-to-ai-children-never-build-them  ✚  The first generation less cognitively capable than their parents     https://fortune.com/2026/02/21/laptops-tablets-schools-gen-z-less-cognitively-capable-parents-first-time-cellphone-bans-standardized-test-scores/   ✚  Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath testifies to US Senate about EdTech damaging our children      https://www.commerce.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/doc/Horvath_Written%20Testimony.pdf   Check out the CMC conferences coming up: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    25 min

  6. 7 avr.

    Ep 70 - Mark Alcorn on goals, agency, and meaningful mathematics

    In this episode, Mark Alcorn (educator, coach, and founder of the Sum of It All podcast) invites us to rethink something deceptively simple: goals in math classrooms. Rather than treating goals as compliance-driven statements or posted objectives, Mark challenges us to see them as powerful drivers of student thinking, engagement, and agency. Mark explores how, even when we don’t name goals explicitly, they still exist and shape classroom experiences. He unpacks common barriers (“bad warm-up bands”) that keep goals from being meaningful, including performance-focused language, overly broad standards, and goals written only for teachers.  CONTACT / RESOURCES Mark Alcorn mark@mark4math.com Instagram: mark4math Linkedin.com/in/mark4math LEARN with the California Mathematics Council… ✚  Join us in our monthly Inspiring Math Minds webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:      https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    57 min

  7. 31 mars

    Ep 69 - Talking about MKT. The Sweet Sauce.

    We all got together to chat some more about mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and why it is so important for teachers to have it. Who is responsible for supporting teachers in their development of MKT? When is it supposed to happen? We have more questions than answers in this episode. We know that answer is in part…DOING MATH TOGETHER. When teachers do math together, this is when we develop our MKT. RESOURCES… ✚  Register for our FREE webinar series:      https://theothermath.com/index.php/2026/03/30/our-next-inspiring-math-minds-webinars/  ✚  High-Quality Instructional Materials:      https://edushare.ing/HQIM  ✚  What is Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching?      https://edushare.ing/whatismkt  ✚  California Mathematics Framework describes HQIM in Chapter 13      https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/ Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    30 min

  8. 5 mars

    Ep 68 - Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

    This is our final podcast episode before our symposium. So we spend a little time talking about how cool we are…and why folks should attend our symposium. Then our main topic is all about Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), why teachers need MKT, and how to spread & scale building teacher capacity for MKT. Some MKT resources ✤ Better teacher preparation leads to better student results https://www.nctq.org/policy-area/elementary-math/ ✤ MKT and High-quality Instruction https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07370000802177235 ✤ Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge for Mathematical Problem Solving https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/9/15/1811 ✤ Math through other's perspectives https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2015/08/26/thinking-about-math-from-someone-elses-perspective ✤ Conceptual Understanding versus Procedural Fluency. Teachers need MKT https://kappanonline.org/beyond-the-math-wars-focus-on-teachers-to-improve-instruction/ REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES: ✚  CMC Central Symposium in Bakersfield, March 13 & 14, 2026:       https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium    LEARN with the California Mathematics Council… ✚  Join us in our monthly Inspiring Math Minds webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series  ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/  ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:      https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089

    32 min
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À propos

We are three mathematics educators who love to talk about math, math education, and the politics of math...often while drinking a beer. Our podcast is an attempt to invite more people into our conversations. For the video versions of our episodes, go here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f

Informations

  • Création
    CMC Central
  • Années d’activité
    2024 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    77
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © CMC Central
  • Site web de l’émission
    Math on the Rocks

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