In this episode, Anna Stokke chats with Bruno Reddy, a math teacher and the creator of Times Tables Rock Stars. They discuss his journey from founding a school to creating Times Tables Rock Stars to address foundational skill gaps. Bruno shares great ideas for generating excitement in the math classroom and motivating students to practice essential math facts. They also discuss the importance of math fluency, insights from a teacher exchange in Shanghai, and effective teaching strategies such as mastery learning and variation theory. This is an energizing conversation full of useful takeaways for anyone passionate about improving math outcomes.
Times Tables Rock Stars will be running national and regional competitions in Australia and New Zealand in August, September and October, 2025. Follow their socials on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn for more information.
Times Tables Rockstars: https://ttrockstars.com
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:04:50] The origin story of Times Tables Rock Stars
[00:14:20] Global times tables competitions
[00:15:38] The impact of TTRS on math outcomes
[00:18:20] How to motivate students to practice
[00:22:56] The importance of positive math experiences
[00:28:25] Choral chants and community building
[00:30:54] Lessons learned from the Shanghai teacher exchange program
[00:34:50] Variation theory
[00:43:37] Implementing mastery learning
[00:50:28] Fluency: What most math programs get wrong
[00:52:29] The importance of times tables
[00:56:05] Finding common ground in educational debates
RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES
From decline to top rankings: How England transformed education with Nick Gibb
https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-zps9p-18c1e97
Math fact crisis: Strategies for improving numeracy with Brian Poncy https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-u9y84-165d773
Math fluency matters with Brian Poncy
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-pj6z6-166741e
Cognitive load theory in math class with David Morkunas
https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-znh5k-15f7937
How to build automaticity with math facts: A practical guide
https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-3ny3k-17323a9
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-51-transcript
MUSIC
Intro and Outro: Coma Media – Catch it
Blue Dot Sessions: Avoiding the Backroom, Neatly Folded, Cornicob, Partly Sage
Website: www.annastokke.com
X: @rastokke
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c
Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social
