Room to Grow - a Math Podcast Room to Grow Math

In this episode of Room to Grow, Joanie and Curtis share a friendly debate about which math topic is the most important for students to learn.

There are many math topics that could be argued as the most important, and we’d love to hear your hot take, too!

Take a listen to Curtis explaining why the meaning of the equals sign is crucial and Joanie arguing that proportional relationships are especially important. Then reach out to agree with one of them, or share a different topic that you find most important.
We encourage you to explore the resources below, referenced in this episode:
Resources related to the meaning of the equals sign:
Texas Instruments Building Concepts activities around the equals sign and the meaning of equationsMarilyn Burns’ take on The Equals Sign: What it Really MeansIf you are a research-y type, you might enjoy this research article Understanding the Equals Sign as a Gateway to Algebraic Thinking or this thesis paper Making Sense of the Equal Sign in Middle School MathematicsGeorge Strait song All My Exes Live in Texas 😊Resources related to proportional relationships:
The progressions document on Ratios and Proportional Relationships from the University of Arizona supporting how proportional relationships develop in middle school standardsThe Coherence Map from Achieve the Core showing how the concept of proportional relationships is connected to many other important math conceptsA blog post titled  Proportionality Confusion which explains how common  methods for teaching about proportion often loses the big idea of proportional relationships 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 Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy. 

In this episode of Room to Grow, Joanie and Curtis talk with Rachel Lambert, known for her research on teaching mathematics to students with disabilities. 

Rachel’s passion and enthusiasm is matched by her knowledge, and the combination makes for a powerful conversation full of great resources, ideas, and suggestions for classroom teachers. If you haven’t heard Rachel speak before, you are in for a treat!
We encourage you to explore the resources below, referenced in this episode:
Rachel’s website where she provides free access to her research: https://mathematizing4all.com/ Jay T. Domage’s book on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Academic Ableism. Choose the “Open Access” or “Audio Download” versions which are free.General information about Universal Design for Learning HERE and HEREEdmund Harriss’ website and a really cool mathematical adult coloring book he co-created Learn more about neurodiversity and what it means for teachers and schools HERE and HEREDid 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 Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy. 

In this episode of Room to Grow, Joanie and Curtis discuss and asset-based approach to teaching and learning mathematics.

They emphasize that all students bring strengths to learning mathematics, whether it be from a cultural, language, or ways of thinking lens, and that by assuming that all students have and bring strengths, math educators invite even more learners to be successful. As usual, our hosts share their personal experiences, anecdotes and ideas that they hope you’ll relate to.
We encourage you to explore the resources below, referenced in this episode:
Classroom practices that compliment and asset-based approach to teaching and learning math https://www.ifl-news.pitt.edu/2021/09/three-practices-that-compliment-an-asset-based-approach-to-teaching-and-learning-in-math-classrooms/ Edutopia article on setting a high bar for all students https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-asset-based-approach-instruction-and-assessment/Research from the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education about asset-based mathematics instruction https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5951/jresematheduc.49.4.0373 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 Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy. 

In this episode of Room to Grow, Joanie and Curtis share a powerful conversation with Dr. Julia Aguirre, co-author of the book The Impact of Identity on K-8 Mathematics: Rethinking Equity-Based Practices.

This publication, and additional work led by Julia at the University of Washington, Tacoma, has influenced countless math educators across the country who want to ensure that all students have the opportunities, support, and classroom experiences that lead to deep learning of meaningful mathematics.

She challenges us all to not only bring our personal experiences and passions as teachers to our students, but to also tap into their experiences, passions, cultures, and communities as opportunities to make sense of and engage with mathematics. We think this episode will get you thinking and will give you some ideas about supporting your students’ math identities.
We encourage you to explore the resources below, referenced in this episode:
You can learn more about Julia and her work here: https://sites.google.com/a/uw.edu/dr-julia-aguirre/home?pli=1You can purchase Julia’s book here: https://www.nctm.org/store/Products/The-Impact-of-Identity-in-K-8-Mathematics--Rethinking--Equity-Based-Practices/You can find the TODOS paper Julia mentions here: https://www.todos-math.org/assets/images/The%20Movement%20to%20Prioritize%20Antiracist%20Mathematics%20final%203.0_v6.pdfDid 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 Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy. 

In this episode of Room to Grow, Joanie and Curtis take some time to have fun with math. We share some of the puns, memes, and GIFs about math that make us laugh, make us think, and have been or would be great to share with students.
We all appreciate the chance to laugh, and although puns and memes are often silly and sometimes groan-worthy, sharing the lighter side of ourselves and of math with students is a great way to build relationships and classroom culture. No doubt, your students will appreciate knowing what makes you laugh or groan when it comes to math. Bear with us as we describe our favorites, and click below to find the visual images we discuss in this episode. Share YOUR favorites with us using our email address, roomtogrowmath@gmail.com. 
We encourage you to explore the resources below, referenced in this episode:
A snow “angle” Tweet by STEM SparkJoanie’s Algebra 1 textbook with punny word problems (it does still exist!) “Dad jokes” for mathGraph of past relationshipsWhat does Bob have now?Seven-digit numberFactored quadratic expression Tweet by David GlasbergVisualizing the quadratic formula by Lane Walker on myNCTM (NCTM membership required)Schoolhouse Rock! The PreambleQuadratic formula songClock with math expressionsWilly Wonka memeDid 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 Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy. 

In this episode of Room to Grow, Joanie and Curtis build the conversation from NCTM's description of access, described as "ensuring that all students routinely have opportunities to experience high-quality mathematics instruction, learn challenging mathematics content, and receive the support necessary to be successful."
Our hosts tackle this challenging topic by considering some important high-leverage components, particularly those that are within a classroom teachers’ locus of control. Ensuring that all students have high-quality instruction from an excellent teacher supports the learning of challenging mathematics content. Joanie and Curtis consider that “support for success” extends beyond academic support, and spills over into the importance of classroom culture in access for all students. Teachers can, with intention, ensure that all students know they are viewed as doers of mathematics with ideas that are valuable for the learning of the entire class.
The conversation then shifts to discussing how the Standards for Mathematical Practice can help teachers not only understand what access looks like, but also helps students realize the relevance of the mathematics they are learning. Unsurprisingly, our hosts circle back to the importance of relationships with our students for their successful learning.
We encourage you to explore the resources below, referenced in this episode:
NCTM’s Statement on Access and Equity in Mathematics Education https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-Statements/Access-and-Equity-in-Mathematics-Education/Supporting students’ identity and agency in mathematics https://www.nctm.org/Store/Products/The-Impact-of-Identity-in-K-8-Mathematics--Rethinking--Equity-Based-Practices/ Blog about Minimizing the “Matthew Effect” https://buildingmathematicians.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/minimizing-the-matthew-effect/ Skew the Script AP Statistics resources for relevant mathematics https://skewthescript.org/ Implementing the Standards for Mathematical Practice https://achievethecore.org/peersandpedagogy/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Implementing-Standards-for-Mathematical-Practices-Updated-2016.pdf Instagrammer with Bachelor and Bachelorette data: https://www.instagram.com/bachelordata/?hl=enDid 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 Twitter and Instagram: @JoanieFun and @cbmathguy.