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. APR 28

    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

  2. APR 15

    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

  3. APR 7

    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

  4. MAR 31

    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

  5. MAR 5

    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

  6. MAR 3

    Ep 67 - Teaching Through Problem Solving

    Duane is still on his quixotic adventure to convince teachers to update their instructional script to Teaching Through Problem Solving (TTP). It is the secret sauce for how to teach in the manner envisioned by California Mathematics Framework. Listen to all our past episodes about TTP and then give it a try in your classroom. Let us know how it goes! Past TTP episodes: Episode 61: https://youtu.be/g88Uvzp4dC0Episode 63: https://youtu.be/hYIMw7rut_MEpisode 65: https://youtu.be/XN4nyQUc5q8 Here is a Teaching through Problem Solving slide deck we use at Merced County Office of Education: https://tinyurl.com/MCOE-TTP 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

  7. FEB 24

    Ep 66 - Janet Lee-Ortiz and Rachel Lambert are rethinking disability and mathematics

    Welcome to another episode of CMC's Inspiring Math Minds webinar series! Janet Lee-Ortiz (teacher and 2024 LAUSD Teacher of the Year) and Rachel Lambert (UC Santa Barbara professor and author of Rethinking Disability and Mathematics) invite us to rethink two things at the same time: how we understand disability and how we understand mathematics. In this episode, they explore neurodiversity as human variation (not a deficit) and show how shifting our lens changes what we notice, value, and design for in math classrooms. You’ll hear concrete, classroom-ready examples (choral counting, number strings, and inclusive routines) that make space for many ways of thinking, communicating, and engaging while building powerful mathematical understanding and identity. CONTACT / RESOURCES: Janet Lee-Ortiz Facebook: Brainpower On. Math Fear Gone. Email: JSL8939@lausd.net Rachel Lambert Website: https://mathematizing4all.com/  Bluesky: @mathematize4all.bsky.social Facebook: Mathematize4all Email: mathematizing4all@gmail.com Book: Rethinking Disability and Mathematics: A UDL Math Classroom Guide for Grades K-8 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

    1h 1m

  8. FEB 17

    Ep 65 - HOW to teach mathematics through problem solving

    Whether we know it or not, math teachers in America have a default teaching script that is so engrained into our cultural DNA that we don't even know it exists. Yet that cultural script – largely described as "I do, We do, You do" – is preventing us from experiencing the math joy our students deserve. In recent episodes we have been proposing Teaching Through Problem Solving as a new cultural script for teaching mathematics. This time Katie goes into depth on HOW to plan for a TTP lesson. She points out all the opportunities in a TTP-style lesson where the teacher can naturally embed Mathematical Language Routines (MLRs) and the Eight Standards for Mathematical Practices (SMPs) without making the MLRs and SMPs feel like add-ons to an already crowded lesson. Katie's previous episode (Episode 53) in which we talk about the power of a curriculum-based professional learning protocol we call Collaborative Lesson Design.  Episode 53 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qDfVAigez9YPgEw1G3jDl?si=SdkLITgtTzejZv6pv0WIfw Episode 53 on Youtube: https://youtu.be/LGytsImcQUY Here is a Teaching through Problem Solving slide deck we use at Merced County Office of Education: https://tinyurl.com/MCOE-TTP 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

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    CMC Central
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © CMC Central
  • Show Website
    Math on the Rocks

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