Room to Grow - a Math Podcast

Room to Grow Math
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Education
  • Updated Monthly

Room to Grow is the math podcast that brings you discussions on trending topics in math education in short segments. We’re not here to talk at people. We’re here to think and learn with others — because when it comes to mathematics there’s always room to grow!

  1. May 13

    Data Science for Everyone!

    In this episode, Curtis and Joanie sit down with Mahmoud Harding from Data Science 4 Everyone (www.ds4e.com)  to explore the growing role of data science in K-12 education. Mahmoud breaks down the key distinction between data science and data literacy — two terms that are often used interchangeably but carry very different meanings for educators and students alike.  The conversation dives into why data science matters for all educators right now, regardless of subject area or grade level, and why the time to act is today. And taking action doesn’t mean you need math expertise or to steer away from the standards and curriculum your students need to know! Mahmoud also shares practical, accessible ways teachers can get started with data-centered lessons in their classrooms — regardless of grade level or content area. Whether you're a curious educator or ready to dive in, this episode will leave you inspired to bring data to life for your students. Resources: ●      https://www.datascience4everyone.org/about   (DS4E Homepage) ●      https://www.datascience4everyone.org/resources  (DS4E Resources) ●      https://ds4e-org.github.io/CPN_rubric/   (DS4E Content Partner Network) ●      https://ds4e-org.github.io/technologytoolkit/   (DS4E Technology Tools for working with data) ●      https://datasciencelearning.org/ (K12 Data Science Learning Progressions)  ●      https://datasciencelearning.org/blog/five-basic-concepts-for-teachers-new-to-data-science  (DS4E Blog: Five basic concepts for teachers new to data science) ●      https://hkurzweil.github.io/ds4e-teacher-pd/frontmatter.html (DS4E Data Science Starter Kit)

    42 min

  2. Apr 22

    Still Standing: Practical Sustainability for Educators

    Teaching math in 2026 is demanding in ways that are structural, cultural, and relentless — and yet the conversation about teacher sustainability rarely makes space for what math educators are actually carrying. In this episode, Curtis and Joanie get honest about burnout, purpose, and community in the math teaching profession. Drawing on research from burnout science, teacher identity, and professional resilience, this conversation explores three ideas that don't get discussed enough: why burnout is a systemic signal rather than a personal failure, how math teachers can reconnect with a durable and honest sense of purpose when the hard days start to outnumber the good ones, and why professional community isn't a luxury — it's the infrastructure that makes long, sustainable careers possible. This episode is for math teachers who are tired but not done. It won't tell you to practice more gratitude or look on the bright side. It will tell you the truth — and give you something useful to do with it. Books: ●      Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoskiwww.burnoutbook.net ●      The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life by Parker J. Palmerwww.couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/courage-to-teach ●      Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilarwww.brightmorningteam.com/onward ●      Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential through Creative Math by Jo Boalerwww.youcubed.org/mathematical-mindsets Organizations & Communities: ●      Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics (CCTM)www.cctmath.org ●      National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)www.nctm.org

    49 min

  3. Mar 23

    I used to think… but now I think…

    This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie reflect on topics about which they have changed their minds. Although their minds have changed about different things, in their conversation, they have captured bigger ideas about what goes into changing one’s mind, and have applied that to what goes into changing a teacher’s practice. Importantly, the recognize that change is a highly personal experience and is an inevitable part of continued growth. As you listen to Joanie’s thoughts about how students develop conceptual understanding, and Curtis’ thoughts about AI in math education, you may wish to consider these additional resources, referenced in this episode: ·       NCSM guidance on AI in Math Education ·       Adding It Up report from the National Research Council ·       Principles to Actions from NCTM and NCTM’s “Teacher’s Guide to Reasoning and Sense Making” ·       Pam Harris’ Math is Figureoutable Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

    41 min

  4. Feb 11

    Instructional Nudges with Zandra de Araujo

    This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie welcome Zandra de Araujo to the podcast. Zandra and her colleagues, Sam Otten and Amber Candella created math classroom “Instructional Nudges,” small tweaks to classroom practice that can make a significant impact on student engagement, learning, and sense making of mathematics.   The conversation reveals the origin of the Instructional Nudges project, some specific example nudges and how they work, and the coming soon Instructional Nudges aligned to the Mathematics Language Routines. Everyone will walk away with an idea or two to implement right away in the classroom!  Additional referenced content includes: ·       Zandra’s personal webpage ·       Practice-Driven PD webpage which houses all of the Instructional Nudges ·       NCTM article – Rate and Review nudge ·       Incremental PD guide ·       Two-minute teacher guide videos  Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

    41 min

  5. Jan 16

    From Anxious to Explorer: Rethinking Math Class for a Disengaged Generation

    This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie discuss two publications they have engaged with regarding technology, adolescents, and learning. The Anxious Generation describes the impact of smart phones and other recent technologies on childhood development, providing an understanding of what is happening internally for students in our classrooms. The Disengaged Teen utilizes research data around modes of learning and how they play out in terms of classroom behaviors. Our hosts make connections between these texts and what these ideas mean for math educators and classroom practices.   Additional referenced content includes: ·       Book: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt ·       Podcast with Trevor Noah and Jonathan Haidt ·       Book: The Disengaged Teen by Rebecca Winthrop and Jenny Anderson Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

    46 min

  6. 12/17/2025

    What We Learned in 2025

    This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie reflect back on 2025 and all that they learned during the year. A significant number of 2025 episodes of Room to Grow were focused on the Mathematics Teaching Practices from NCTM’s Principles to Actions, celebrating the 10th anniversary of its publication. Curtis and Joanie highlighted how these practices have survived the test of time, and continue to reflect good teaching in mathematics. Additionally, our hosts preview what new topics they are hoping to learn and explore podcast episodes about in 2026.   Additional referenced content includes: ·       NTCM’s Principles to Actions and Taking Action books ·       Pam Harris’ website and book ·       Julianne Foxworthy Gonzalez, Ph.D. in Mathematics Education. Math guidelines for supporting multi-language learners (MLLs).   All of us at Room to Grow wish you a peaceful holiday season!  Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

    38 min

  7. 11/26/2025

    Centering Student Reasoning in Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Fluency

    In this episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie reconsider the balance of conceptual understanding and procedural fluency in math instruction. Although this topic has been discussed before, our hosts acknowledge that there is great nuance and many considerations in considering these two ideas in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Curtis and Joanie discuss how inquiry-based, discovery-style learning opportunities are more open ended, are student centered, and are less teacher directed. They support these types of lessons in math instruction while recognizing that there are times when an explicit approach where teachers are sharing important information also has a place. Additionally, our hosts consider that teaching procedures and algorithms also provides and opportunity to cultivate conceptual understanding. When teachers help student find the  conceptual understanding within the procedures, they engage in mathematical reasoning. This type of reasoning through concepts and procedures contributes to a broader and more robust understanding of meaningful mathematics.   Additional referenced content includes: ·       NCTM article From Rules That Expire to Deeper Mathematical Thinking. Mathematics Teacher: Learning & Teaching PK-12 Volume 118 Issue 4. April 2025. (Membership required). ·       NCTM article Teaching Is a Journey: From Rules That Expire to a Journey Aspired. Mathematics Teacher: Learning & Teaching PK-12 Volume 118 Issue 4. April 2025. (Membership required). ·       Robert Kaplinski’s website and Open Middle website Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

    34 min

  8. 10/14/2025

    Developing Mathematical Reasoning with Pam Harris

    This episode of Room to Grow, Curtis and Joanie speak with Pam Harris. Pam is well known and loved for her website, podcast, books, and conference sessions all based on her core belief that “Math is FigureOutAble.” Today’s discussion centers on Pam’s newest publication, Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Traps of Algorithms. Pam starts with three distortions about math that are common among teachers, students, and the population, and can impact how educators engage students with math in their classrooms. Next the conversation shifts to what is meant by algorithms, and how they differ from strategies and formulas. Then the discussion focuses on the potential traps to learning that can result from teaching algorithms in mathematics. All of these ideas are based on the development of mathematical reasoning, from counting strategies to additive thinking, to multiplicative reasoning and proportional reasoning, then the functional reasoning that comprises much of the math students learn in high school. There are so many good ideas in this episode that will challenge you and get you thinking! Additional referenced content includes: ·       Pam Harris’ website, Math is FigureOutAble. ·       Pam’s book, Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Traps of Algorithms. ·       Pam’s podcast, Math is Figure-Out-Able! ·       Find Pam on all your favorite social media platforms. Did you enjoy this episode of Room to Grow? Please leave a review and share the episode with others. Share your feedback, comments, and suggestions for future episode topics by emailing roomtogrowmath@gmail.com . Be sure to connect with your hosts on X and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.

    1h 4m
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4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Room to Grow is the math podcast that brings you discussions on trending topics in math education in short segments. We’re not here to talk at people. We’re here to think and learn with others — because when it comes to mathematics there’s always room to grow!

Information

  • Creator
    Room to Grow Math
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Room to Grow - a Math Podcast
  • Show Website
    Room to Grow - a Math Podcast

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