The Math Learning Center Blog

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 16 Kindergarten is a joyful, exciting and challenging grade level to teach. It’s also a time when educators can develop a set of productive norms and routines around discourse that can have a long-lasting effect on students. On today’s podcast, we talk with Dr. Hala Ghousseini, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, about building a solid foundation for math...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 15 Ensuring students master their basic facts remains a shared goal among parents and educators. That said, many educators wonder what should replace the memorization drills that cause so much harm to their students’ math identities. Today on the podcast, Dr. Jenny Bay-Williams talks about how to meet that goal and shares a set of practices that also support student...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 14 How can educators take concrete steps to enhance tasks for multilingual learners? That’s the subject of today’s podcast. Today we’ll talk with Dr. Zandra de Araujo , the Chief Equity Officer at The University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning about three ways to enhance tasks for multilingual learners and how to implement them in an elementary...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 13 We often ask students to share their strategies. But what does it look like to uncover and highlight the reasoning that informs that strategy? Today on the podcast, we’ll talk with Nancy Anderson , a classroom teacher and professional learning developer about strategies to elicit the reasoning at the heart of a student’s thinking. More Episodes TRANSCRIPT Mike...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 12 Today we talk with Kim Markworth, director of content development at The Math Learning Center about using and designing rich tasks to support student learning. More Episodes TRANSCRIPT Mike Wallus : Lately, terms like “rich tasks,” “multiple entry points,” and “low floor, high ceiling” are being used so often in the world of mathematics education that many...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 11 Adopting a new curriculum can be challenging. Beyond the materials themselves, a curriculum adoption may represent changes to long-standing practices, beliefs and classroom culture. On today’s podcast, Dana Nathanson, an elementary math coordinator in Leander, TX, talks about how leaders can effectively design, manage and sustain a successful curriculum adoption...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 10 Take a moment to think about the students in your most recent class. What assets do each of them bring to your classroom, and how might those assets provide a foundation for their learning? Today we’re talking with Dr. Jessica Hunt about asset-based learning environments. We’ll talk about how educators can build an asset-based learning environments in their...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 9 Today on the Podcast, a team of educational leaders from TNTP , an organization dedicated to great teaching, talks about myths surrounding multilingual learners and introduces specific strategies educators can use to leverage their assets and support meaningful understanding of mathematics. More Episodes RESOURCES If you’re interested in more on this topic...

Meet Sarah Hofmeister What grades do you teach, and/or your title/role? I teach second grade. What school, district or institution do you work for? Location? Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland. Who inspired you to become an educator? Teachers and school in general inspired me. I've always loved school, so for me, it was a natural transition from student to teacher. What motivates you...

ROUNDING UP: SEASON 1 | EPISODE 8 Today on the podcast, Pamela Seda and Kyndall Brown , authors of Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom talk about what culturally relevant mathematics instruction looks like and identify practical steps educators can take to start this important work in their classrooms. More Episodes RESOURCES If you’re interested in more on this topic...