Teaching That "Counts": Recent Episodes
Abel Maestas
Conversations with teachers, administrators, leaders, and students about mathematics teaching and learning. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/abel-maestas/support
We are back!! It so exciting to be going into SEASON 3! In this first episode of the new season, I welcome one of our "teachers on special assignment" (and technology teacher), Melissa Marcucci, to the podcast. We talk about her work in our district's college and career ready initiative and discuss our takeaways from a California State University Symposium we attended focused on preparing students for college level mathematics. Let me tell you...the important skills students should know going into college mathematics may not be the same as high school teachers have historically emphasized. This is a great episode for secondary teachers that are interested in hearing about what they can focus on in their math classes to get students ready for their future!
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In this episode, I am joined by our fabulous continuation high school math teacher, Diana Andrade. Both Diana and I attended the California Math Council (CMC) Central Symposium in March and finally were able to get together to have a discussion of the highlights and learnings from the conference. It was, by far, one of the best small conferences that I have attended! Join us as we discuss some new insights from Peter Liljedahl on Building Thinking Classrooms, visual patterns and making meaningful connections from Fawn Nguyen, numeracy "tricks" from Howie Hua, problems strings from Pam Harris and other math teaching gems that we picked up from the conference. We'll also talk about the importance if productive struggle and how Diana uses it with her students at the alternative high school. This is a great (but long) discussion that you don't want to miss!
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In this podcast I highlight our AP Bootcamp that we held during Spring Break. Students came in during their vacation to review AP math and get ready for their weeks-long review and preparation for their AP Exams. After describing this, I get into the main conversation of this podcast. I am joined by the author of "Treating Mathematics Anxiety" and the founder of Elephant Learning which produces math education courses and software that specializes in getting kids from Pre-K to Algebra caught up to grade level. We have a great conversation about the structures and "passed along" culture that continue to create math anxiety in children, as well as ways that parents, teachers and districts can help students become more confident in math. Join us as we talk about getting students to their "next shot!"
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In this episode, I am joined by high school math teacher, Grant McCormick, for a discussion of how he uses technology in his "thinking classroom". Like many school districts, students in his class are issued a chromebook. There are so many digital tools accessible using the chromebooks that can support students' mathematical learning, but the logistics of using those digital tools in a class where students are standing and working at vertical non-permanent surfaces often can be difficult to manage and navigate. Grant and I discuss some protocols and processes that have helped his students do both. Listen in and hear if there is something that could help your students utilize technology in a thinking classroom.
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In this special "Bonus Episode", I am joined by district teacher and tech guru, Brian Wise. We record this episode "live" from ETC 2024, the educational technology conference put on by the Stanislaus County Office of Education. Participants in our session join the podcast to discuss using podcasts with students, using Building Thinking Classrooms in science, and uplifting student experiences and stories using podcasts. This is a fun conversation that I know you will enjoy. You may even get some recommendations for other great podcasts that may interest you!
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Manipulatives are a great tool to help students connect a physical model to mathematics. Whether you're using algebra tiles, base 10 blocks, or "patty" paper, manipulatives not only bring engagement to math class, but a kinesthetic connection that many students need to see the math. If you are using the practices in "Building Thinking Classrooms in K-12 Math" by Peter Liljedahl, then you know that combining student use of manipulatives and working on vertical non-permanent surfaces can sometimes be complicated. In this episode, our district math coaches, Mel Roche and Sarah Harris, join me to talk about the work they have done with elementary teachers in using manipulatives in a BTC setting. We also talk about the much needed use of algebra tiles in the secondary level.
If you have been wondering, "how can I use manipulatives in a BTC setting", then this is the episode for you!
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Back from winter break, I get the opportunity to have a great conversation with the amazing Cathy Williams! Cathy is the co-founder and Executive Director of YouCubed. She has a vast amount of experience in mathematics education, especially at the secondary level, which is one of the reasons I loved talking to her. We have a great chat about low-floor high ceiling tasks, how teaching math has and must change (as outlined in the newly adopted CA Mathematics Framework), and what we can do as leaders and coaches to support teachers in helping students get better at math. This is a conversation you can't miss!
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In this episode, I have a great "catching up" conversation with one of my former principals and the founder of the RODA Leadership Consulting group, Dr. Michael DeSousa. His work over the last several years has focused on building more equitable spaces for schools and communities working with teachers, leaders, and community members to create better structures for student success. We discuss bringing a sense of belonging for our students in mathematics and our schools. We also talk about bringing more indigenous cultures into the teaching of mathematics. This is a great episode for the school leaders out there that want to learn more about building relationships with our communities.
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Join me in this episode as I talk with my favorite guests ever to be on the podcast...my kids! Yup, my 4th, 7th and 9th grade kids talk with me about why (and when) they like math, how technology and working with others helps them learn, and how they feel they belong in mathematics. As a special treat, my daughter and son read a children's book called "7 Ate 9", a great book filled with lots of math puns!
I hope you have fun listening to this special podcast and think about how you can use student voice to reflect on your own teaching.
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Join me for an amazing interview with one of my favorite educational consultants and authors, Grace Dearborn! Grace is the Executive Director of Conscious Teaching, LLC. She is super cool, funny, and has so much great advice on building positive classroom culture and bringing joy and wonder to learning.We talk about managing students' misbehaviors in groupwork settings, especially those that use vertical non-permanent surfaces, using games to engage students, and building teacher confidence. This is a "cannot miss" conversation!
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We are off to a great start for season 2! Following up on a great ending in season 1 with Peter Liljedahl, I check in on a few teachers that started their journey into Building Thinking Classrooms last year. This is the start of year 2 for them and they discuss their growing pains and gains! Listen to three amazing teachers as we they talk about implementing BTC practices in the beginning of the year, creating opportunities to build culture and relevance, and offering support to struggling students. This is a can't miss episode for any teacher that is going through ups and downs of implementing the practices in Building Thinking Classrooms.
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Here we are! The beginning of Season 2 of the Teaching That "Counts" podcast. The follow-up to a great first season in which we explored Building Thinking Classrooms will have us diving into a new, but adjacent, topic: How do we build teacher and student self-efficacy?
In this episode, I welcome my "partners in math", Melanie Roche and Sarah Harris. We discuss our hopes as we enter into a new school year filled with new initiatives and building upon our work with teachers over that last several years. We begin to think about how we can start to help teachers build their own confidence and, in turn, help their students become confident mathematicians! Join us in this fun conversation to open an exciting second season.
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We wrap up a great first season exploring Building Thinking Classrooms with an interview with the author of the book, Peter Liljedahl! It is a great conversation in which Peter gives some insight into various questions that many have had on their minds when implementing the 14 practices in the BTC Framework. We talk randomized groups, student identity and agency, learning intentions, and including students with physical limitations into a thinking classroom. Sit tight and enjoy this fabulous, insightful, and "oversized" episode of Teaching That "Counts"!
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In this episode, I am joined by Rogelio Adame, Principal of Cesar Chavez Junior High School and Steve Merchant, Principal of Whitmore Charter School in Ceres, CA. Both principals attended the Building Thinking Classrooms Conference in Franklin, Indiana in June along with some teachers and instructional coaches from the Ceres Unified School District. We discuss some of the takeaways from the conference and talk about how the BTC practices can change the culture of thinking and learning in their schools. We discuss student engagement, using evidence of learning for grading, and...of course...how the BTC practices can help in their roles as leaders and evaluators of teachers.
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Joining me this episode are two high school teachers, Diana Andrade and Sarah Mucha. We discuss our trip to Franklin, Indiana for the Building Thinking Classrooms Conference 2023! A group of teachers, coaches, and administrators from our district traveled from Ceres, CA to do some professional development all focused on the 14 practices.
Listen as the three of us discuss our thoughts on the sessions, implications for this coming school year and some new ideas that we picked up during the conference.
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Joining me this episode are instructional coaches Kelly Linhares and Melanie Roche. Kelly and Mel have been working with elementary teachers this year supporting implementation of the building thinking classrooms practices. Both coaches share insights from their experience working with the elementary teachers and students. We also discuss the different issues that arise in thinking classrooms in elementary grades as opposed to secondary grades.
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In this episode, I am joined by one of our district's junior high resource teachers, Sydney Merchant. Sydney is a special education teacher that teaches 7th and 8th grade students with mild or moderate learning disabilities. She has been using the Building Thinking Classrooms framework this school year with great success. Join us as she describes her journey into Building Thinking Classrooms, the assessment data that has been extraordinary as a result of the changes, her own personal growth and how her love of teaching has been reinvigorated. Stick around after our conversation to listen to some testimonials straight from her students!
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We have made it to the end of our book study and deep dive into Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. Our round-table conversation focuses on how we grade and the tools that help us do so in a thinking classroom. We follow that up with a wrap-up discussion of the book, talk about the two types of toolkits that are highlighted in chapter 15 and, lastly, describe what is next as we look to the beginning of next school year and implementing the 14 practices.
Join our discussion on Peter Liljedahl's powerful book, Building Thinking Classroom in Mathematics. This episode, I am joined by a panel of five awesome high school math teachers as we have a conversation about chapters 12 and 13. We dive deep in how we evaluate students using rubrics in competencies, in this case we talk the standards for mathematical practices. We also discuss how we begin to have students self-evaluate their learning. We connect this with learning intentions and success criteria, as well as, discuss the vital importance of students being able to see a unit of study as a collection of subtopics rather than one big concept.
Join our panel of teachers as we discuss implementation and thoughts about chapters 10 and 11 of Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. In this episode we discuss how we consolidate the learning in a thinking classroom. Spoiler alert: we consolidate from the bottom! We discuss how this looks in our classes and ways we can support student learning using three different consolidation techniques. We also talk about taking notes in a thinking classroom and how we can give students more ownership over their note-taking.
We continue our round-table discussion of the book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. Our focus this episode is on fostering student autonomy and how we give hints and extensions in a thinking classroom. Join us as we share more classroom experiences from implementing the practices in previous chapters and thoughts about future implementation.
We continue our round-table discussion of the book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. Our focus this episode is on how, where and when we give tasks to students. We also talk about how homework is dealt with in a thinking classroom. Join us as we share classroom experiences that we have had in implementing many of the practices thus far.
In this episode, I get to chat with one of our district math teachers, Enoe Ochoa. Enoe is THE high school math teacher at our district charter school. This year, she has implemented many of the strategies described in Building Thinking Classrooms in mathematics. We discuss how the change has impacted her classroom culture, student confidence, and student performance. Join us for this great one-on-one conversation focused on her experience.
This is the third part of our series on discussing the book "Building Thinking Classroom in Mathematics" by Peter Liljedahl. We discuss what type of questions that we answer in a thinking classroom and how we organize the learning space.
We continue our round table discussion with a deep dive into the first three chapters in Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. We talk about using thinking tasks, visibly random student groups, and vertical non-permanent surfaces. Join me and a wonderful group of teachers and ed techs as we discuss specifics on implementation of these three practices into secondary math classes.
In this first episode, we have a round table discussion with teachers and administrators as we dive into the introductory chapter of Building Thinking Classroom in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. We talk surprises, expectations, and thoughts for implementation in high school math classes. Join us as we embark on a "book study" of Peter's book that is increasing in popularity among the mathematics teacher community.