Math Therapy

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)It's March 14th, aka 3.14 ... so Happy Pi Day!  To help you get in the zone, we're re-airing an episode from last year recounting the Math Therapy team's Pi Day 2023 trip to Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Michigan.  This stemmed from Vanessa's Season 3, Episode 10 interview with Christopher Havens, an inmate serving a 25-year sentence for murder who has rehabilitated himself with math and founded the Prison Mathematics Project.Find out more about PMP at prisonmathproject.org where you can:donatevolunteer as a mentor for an inmatesign up an inmate interested in the programConnect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)The rumours are true!  (The rumours that Vanessa has been spreading herself.)  Season 6 of Math Therapy launches March 28th!To get you hyped while we get this batch of episodes ready for you, here are some brief thoughts she recorded immediately after we finished a marathon 10 interviews over 4 days.  What themes did she cover? Will she or her guests get cancelled this season?  How much did she annoy her producer David?  You be the judge ...Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast feed, and tell a friend about Math Therapy!

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)Don't worry, Math Therapy isn't going anywhere ... but here's a fun bonus episode as we look back on an incredible 5th season!  It was a total success in every possible way, except one: for whatever reason, Vanessa lost the ability to simply say "goodbye" at the end of the interviews.This hadn't been an issue in previous seasons but she somehow got very in her head about it, and when her producer David recently listened back to them he thought they were hilarious and had to be shared our listeners.If you have any advice for how Vanessa can deal with her sudden onset "goodbye anxiety", you can hit her up as always on socials @themathguru - feel free to let her know what topics/guests we should consider for next season!Thank you so much for listening - BYE! ;)

Explore the impact of mindset on learning math with Dr. Jo Boaler. Challenge gender biases in math education and promote inclusivity. Redefine intelligence beyond math skills. Navigate resistance in educational reform. Empower students and promote a positive approach to math learning with the Struggly app. Address challenges in promoting inclusive education and changing math content.

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)Peter Liljedahl is literally changing the math classroom.  His book "Building Thinking Classrooms" has taken the educational world by storm with a simple message: instead of teaching students to memorize, we have to teach them to think.  Sounds trite, but if you ... think about it, traditional classrooms are not designed that way!Today, Peter explains to Vanessa how a "thinking classroom" swaps out tables for vertical whiteboards to reduce barriers for student interaction in problem-solving, and how small randomized groups foster collaboration that lifts the whole class.  He also shares what his time as an Olympic athlete (yep!) taught him about the difference between focusing on the rewarding work of process vs the perilous trap of focusing on outcomes.About Peter: (Website, Twitter)Dr. Peter Liljedahl is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Faculty of Education and an associate member in the Department of Mathematics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.  He consults regularly with schools, school districts, and ministries of education on issues of teaching and learning, assessment, and numeracy.Connect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)Should mistake-making be encouraged in math class? Or should mistakes be shamed because “in the real world” you can get fired from your job from making a mistake? You can probably guess how Vanessa feels, but a fellow educator recently disagreed … so of course she took to Twitter and a spirited convo ensued!On today’s episode she further outer-processes her thoughts on this topic, and shares two classroom exercises that encourage constructive mistake-making and help normalize growth from failure.Connect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)Today's guest literally entered the chat wearing a t-shirt that read "TRUTH MATTERS”, and that sure set the tone for this wide-ranging episode!  Crystal M. Watson is an educator who firmly believes in centering student voices in the classroom, and she also advocates for empowering students by making math practical and meaningful to their life experience.  Throw in some discussion on defining success, different approaches to grading, and a simple but thorough explanation of what "critical race theory" is and what it definitely isn't, and we've got an astonishingly jam-packed episode that left Vanessa with even more questions than she came in with!About Crystal: (Website, Twitter, Instagram) Crystal M. Watson, Ed.M is an innovative, passionate mathematics educator and life long learner who you can count on to always ask “What do the students think?” Her work is centered around providing space for student voice and identity development in order for everyone, particularly those from marginalized and historically excluded backgrounds, to experience high quality, deep, and personal mathematics.Links referenced:Book: Unearthing Joy by Dr. Gholdy MuhammadTool: Pear DeckName-drops: Nolan Fossum (grades), Dr. Kristopher J. Childs (rich tasks), Kimberlé Crenshaw & Derrick Bell (CRT), Ibram X. Kendi (anti-racism)Connect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)In today's episode, Vanessa explores the dangers of narrowly defining success and argues that contrary to popular belief, failure and success are actually BFF, not opposites (looking at you, Merriam-Webster!).  She also shares a practical classroom tool for teachers and students to collaborate on shared definitions of success to support everyone's learning.Connect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)In honour of Pride Month, we're taking a mid-season 5 break to re-air one of our all-time fave episodes featuring mathematician / drag queen Kyne Santos.  Drag has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons, so we wanted to share Kyne's inspiring story of breaking stereotypes and defying the haters. If you're new to the podcast we also highly recommend going back and listening to the season 4 finale with Dr. Anthony Bonato which dove further into the fraught relationship between academia and the queer community and the trailblazers working to change the status quo every day.*this interview first aired Apr 8th 2021*Links mentioned:S4E10: Queering math w/ Dr. Anthony BonatoVanessa's interview on Kyne's new podcast "Think Queen"Kyne on socials: @onlinekyne (Insta, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube)Kyne's websiteConnect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)Think of this week's episode as a kind of reverse palate cleanser ... Vanessa and today's guest Robert Kaplinsky more than make up for the lack of swearing last week!  What got them fired up?  Oh, just the systemic barriers to educational reform and the lack of support for both teachers and students when it comes to working through math anxiety ... But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom; Robert is certain that if we make math more practical to daily life and more welcoming to a diversity of learners, we still have hope.About Robert:  (Twitter, Website)Robert Kaplinsky has been an educator since 2003 as a classroom teacher, teacher specialist for Downey Unified School District, instructor for UCLA) and presenter at conferences around the world. He co-founded the website Open Middle, has been published in Edutopia and Education Week, and created the #ObserveMe movement.  He’s also the founder and president of Grassroots Workshops.Links referenced:Robert's Book: Open Middle Math: Problems That Unlock Student ThinkingOpen Middle on Twitter: @openmiddle & #whyopenmiddleGrassroots Workshops: Twitter, WebsiteConnect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)Topics discussed:01:28 What is "Open Middle"?07:13 Diversity of learners11:01 What kind of math do we actually need?18:43 Rethinking assessment23:09 The benefits of struggle26:04 Normalizing mistakes31:57 Rethinking professional development