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)

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)

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)

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

Brain expert Liesl McConchie debunks 'math gene' myth, explains neuroplasticity, and delves into epigenetics. Vanessa shares intense math trauma. Classroom strategies, teacher expectations, and creating supportive environments for math learning discussed.

Each episode, Vanessa discusses the impacts that math trauma can have on our collective relationship with math.  But she realized she's never explained what it is!  In this episode she defines what math trauma actually is, unpacks why traumatic educational experiences happen more often in math than in other subjects, and lists 8 common causes of math trauma for educators to be aware of.The tweet that started it allFree webinar by Dr. Kasi Allen: Math Trauma: Healing Our Classrooms, Our Students, and Our DisciplineConnect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

You know how readers read and writers write?  Well one day Deborah Peart decided that math should also be a verb, so she created the Mather movement.  She and Vanessa discuss the difference between a "mather" and a "mathematician", how numeracy and literacy are basically the same thing, and how bringing a mindfulness approach to her classrooms led to her being known by her students simply as "Peace Lady".  Shake up your glitter jar (yep, that's a thing) and settle in for this hilarious and uplifting ep!About Deborah: (Website, Twitter)Deborah Peart is the founder and CEO of My Mathematical Mind. She speaks on a variety of topics related to math identity, elementary math content and instruction, and literacy connections to mathematics. She is the Director of Elementary Learning at UnboundEd and the lead author for second grade for the Illustrative Mathematics K-5 curriculum. Links mentioned in this episode:Mather merchLayla’s Curve#BlackWomenRockMath on TwitterGlitter jar: instructional videoGrounded Kids Yogamindfulschools.orgBook: How We Are Smart by W. Nikola-LisaBook: Mindfulness for Teachers by Patricia JenningsBook: Clementine by Sara PennypackerConnect with us:Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Dan Meyer, a renowned math teacher and Stanford doctorate holder, joins for a vibrant discussion on reimagining math education. He shares insights on transforming student perceptions, advocating for a more inclusive, anxiety-reducing approach. The conversation takes a humorous turn as they debate societal views on math, personal Guinness World Records, and the connection between math ability and genetics. Meyer’s passion for innovative teaching shines, offering a thought-provoking view on math as an act of protest.

We have some serious A-list math celebs coming at your podcast feeds over the next 10 weeks - here's a little sample until season 5 launches this Thursday!

Longtime listeners will remember Season 2's Jill Waddell who shared her inspiring decision to switch careers at age 40 and go back to school for power engineering - facing down her lifelong math anxiety along the way!  Vanessa caught up with her after graduation to find out how things turned out (spoiler alert - she was class valedictorian!) and hear what advice she'd give her younger self.   Jill's epic story can show everyone that it's never too late in life to face your fears ... even if one of them is math!Listen to Jill's Season 2 episode: How “Math Therapy” changed my life w/ Jill WaddellAnd exciting news - Season 5 of Math Therapy is dropping next week!  Tell a friend!  Share an ep!  Rate the pod!  You do you.Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)