Math is Figure-Out-Able!

When dealing with word problems it can be tricky for students to decide which operation to use, so we need a way to help them memorize what to do in any given situation... right? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss how reasoning empowers students to skip rotely memorized steps to choosing operations and get straight to problem solving!Talking Points:Word problems feel unfair to students who have only experienced fake math.Students with reasoning develop intuition for what relationships a problem requires. Rich Tasks and Problem Strings with mini-contexts prepare students to apply their reasoning to real world contexts. 

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 12, 2022. Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others' strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

When we teach Real Math, students come up with all sorts of cool strategies! But which ones are the main strategies, and how do we make the distinction? In this episode Pam and Kim take a listener submitted strategy and discuss where and what its uses are.Talking Points:The Most Important Numeracy Strategies are a relatively finite set.Are there other strategies that work and are mathematically coherent?Why do some strategies not make the short list?It's not about memorizing the strategies, it is about building relationships to help students become fluent.The less sophisticated strategies deal with single digits and partials.The more sophisticated strategies extend to multi-digit numbers and are more important.Our goal is to help students move to bigger and bigger chunks using more advanced reasoning.Teachers need to know the Landscape for Learning to recognize and acknowledge students' strategies.Check out Episodes 7 and 164 of this podcast for more about I Have, You NeedCheck out our free eBook to learn more about these strategies: https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/big 

What fun rhymes will best help your students learn to round? Just kidding! In this episode Pam and Kim describe their wholistic approach to rounding that helps kids build relationships like place value!Talking Points:No rhymes needed.Modeling on a number line to reason about how far a number is from a landmark.Keep students reasoning about number with rich experiences.Conversations about the number line and rounding help develop students' place value and other mathematical concepts.Students need to understand the math that is figure-out-able and which is social knowledge.Context is an important part of rounding conversations.Clothesline math helps students build better intuition about numbers and their relationship to other numbers and rounding conversation can emerge.I Have You Need helps students find the greater landmark which is harder for students.Download the guide to playing I Have, You Need  HERE

Finding elapsed time can be a tricky concept, but when combined with a number line, we can make it figureoutable! Join Pam and Kim as they discuss using addition strategies to find elapsed time.Talking Points:Daily schedule on an open number lineI Have, You Need with combinations of 60How students might approach elapsed timeThree kinds of elapsed time problems

Do your students struggle tracking time or reading an analog clock? In this episode Pam and Kim discuss three simple ways you can help your students internalize time and elapsed time.Talking Points:Help students build a feel for benchmark units of timeNotice and tell what time it is a lot with kidsNotice aloud how long things take throughout the day

A lot of people feel like when it comes to high school math, it's just not possible to think and reason through things anymore. Not true! In this episode Pam and Kim make the transition from Proportional Reasoning to Functional Reasoning and writing the equation of a line using relationships and what students already know.Talking Points:Is math always Figure-Out-Able?How ratio tables prepare students for linear functionsExample Problem StringsRegistration for workshops closes this Friday!Get a workshop while you can: https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/workshops

What does teaching Real Math look like at your grade level? In the last episode Pam and Kim discussed the One Third/Two Thirds rule to structure math time. In this episode they give specific examples at various grade levels of what it might really look like.Talking Points:1st Grade - doubling and halving3rd Grade - concepts around 1005th Grade - multiplication and volume7th Grade - rates (see Episode 112 for Unit Rate Problem String)Algebra I - exponential functionsPre-Calculus - functionsOur workshops are open for registration! Take advantage now to change your math classroom! https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/workshops

A listener asked how would we structure our math class. In this episode Pam and Kim discuss the approach they'd take to provide their students with the best math education experience possible to learn Real Math and still meet their required standards and scope and sequence.Talking Points:The Two-Third/One-Thirds ruleRich Tasks - see Episodes 102 and 103Test Prep?!Use instructional routines for spiral reviewTune in to the next episode for examplesRegistration for our workshops are open now! Sessions for everyone, K-12! Check them out!https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/workshops

The school year is starting! For this exciting time, Pam and Kim want to discuss what starting strategies can help you and your students to build thinking relationships and strategies rather than simply answer getting.Talking Points:Problem Talks are great ways to pre-assess your studentsPartial strategies are a great starting place but we have to help students develop more sophisticated strategiesThe starting strategies for each major operationStudents need lots of experience developing relationships through Problem Strings and Rich Tasks for strategies to be natural outcomesCheck out our free eBook to learn more about these strategies: https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/bigAnd don't miss out on the You Can Change Math Class Challenge! https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/changeCheck out Episodes 10 and 12 of this podcast for more ideas about starting your school year.