Math on the Rocks

Scott and Duane finally get a chance to catch up with each other about the math education going on in our areas. We also talk about how important it is for teachers to form informal systems of support to grow professionally and stay in the education business. Then we spend most of our time talking about the importance of providing pedagogical variety for our students. This leads to a promise that we will do a series of episodes about the Teaching Through Problem Solving style of math teaching.Here is our flyer for the CMC Central Symposium on March 13 and 14, 2026:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RN0DhfS-QXUDzbQw50d4t2XEIekLc9eQt--QUgL1i-8/export/pdfYoucubed: A short article about pedagogical varietyhttps://www.youcubed.org/resources/the-importance-of-pedagogical-variety/ Teaching Through Problem-Solving blog posts by Duane: https://theothermath.com/index.php/2024/05/16/teaching-through-problem-solving/https://theothermath.com/index.php/2025/08/26/observing-a-teaching-through-problem-solving-lesson/Join us in this conversation. Email any of the boys directly…Cole:  cosampson@kern.orgDuane: dhabecker@mcoe.orgScott: mre.teacher@gmail.com P-2 RESOURCES…✚  P-2 Conferences coming to an area near youhttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G8ea6dpe7b1VkrP6r28047WTWjIquLzbAFzYyP-wQ5M/edit?usp=sharing Textbook Adoption RESOURCES…✚  A comprehensive list of all submitted textbooks…adopted and NOT adoptedhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WALUohkIpD0RZNlGf1eiaOl2a4-0xJs6gFjk7HyRsNA/edit?usp=sharing✚  Textbook adoption guidancehttps://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1A49lTbrsjczTr8AmAJXoIbw8kuZZFaAlu_z4yIPT_Jo/edit?usp=sharingREGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  CMC South Conference in Palm Springs, November 7 & 8, 2025:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-south-conference   ✚  CMC North Conference in Monterey, December 5-7, 2025:      https://www.cmcmath.org/asilomar   ✚  CMC Central Symposium in Bakersfield, March 13 & 14, 2026:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium   LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

First we talk about the challenges of being a mathematician parent of a student taking math. We grapple with whether there is a difference between y=4x-3 or y=4x+(-3)? Can a difference in heights be negative? Or is the difference in the heights of two objects always a positive?Then we talk about the importance of your district selecting a textbook that is closely aligned with the recommendations of the California Mathematics Framework. But selecting the textbook and delivering it to your teachers is just the BEGINNING of the journey. Now we need to support teachers as they implement the textbook and the instructional strategies within.Join us in this conversation. Email any of the boys directly…Cole:  cosampson@kern.orgDuane: dhabecker@mcoe.orgScott: mre.teacher@gmail.com P-2 RESOURCES…✚  P-2 Conferences coming to an area near youhttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G8ea6dpe7b1VkrP6r28047WTWjIquLzbAFzYyP-wQ5M/edit?usp=sharing Textbook Adoption RESOURCES…✚  A comprehensive list of all submitted textbooks…adopted and NOT adoptedhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WALUohkIpD0RZNlGf1eiaOl2a4-0xJs6gFjk7HyRsNA/edit?usp=sharing✚  Textbook adoption guidancehttps://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1A49lTbrsjczTr8AmAJXoIbw8kuZZFaAlu_z4yIPT_Jo/edit?usp=sharingREGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  CMC North Conference in Monterey, December 5-7, 2025:      https://www.cmcmath.org/asilomar   ✚  CMC South Conference in Palm Springs, November 7 & 8, 2025:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-south-conference   ✚  CMC Central Symposium in Bakersfield, March 13 & 14, 2026:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium   LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Duane and Cole return from a long summer vacation and discuss how our P-2 conferences are going. This is the conference series we designed specifically for pre-school teachers up through Grade 2 teachers. Spoiler alert: It is going GREAT!!!Then we shift to talking about the impending textbook adoptions that school districts throughout California will be doing. The choice is so important and we need to do a great job supporting teachers to make a great decision.Join us in this conversation. Email Cole and Duane directly…Cole:  cosampson@kern.orgDuane: dhabecker@mcoe.orgP-2 RESOURCES…✚  P-2 Conferences coming to an area near youhttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G8ea6dpe7b1VkrP6r28047WTWjIquLzbAFzYyP-wQ5M/edit?usp=sharing ✚  Count, Play, Explorehttps://www.countplayexplore.org/ ✚  Play-based Learning in the Early Childhood Mathematics Classroom: Culturally Sustaining Play:      https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/icitl/vol2/iss1/2/ ✚  Early Math Collaborative:      https://earlymath.erikson.edu/ ✚  DREME:      https://dreme.stanford.edu/   Textbook Adoption RESOURCES…✚  A comprehensive list of all submitted textbooks…adopted and NOT adoptedhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WALUohkIpD0RZNlGf1eiaOl2a4-0xJs6gFjk7HyRsNA/edit?usp=sharing✚  Textbook adoption guidancehttps://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1A49lTbrsjczTr8AmAJXoIbw8kuZZFaAlu_z4yIPT_Jo/edit?usp=sharingREGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  CMC North Conference in Monterey, December 5-7, 2025:      https://www.cmcmath.org/asilomar   ✚  CMC South Conference in Palm Springs, November 7 & 8, 2025:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-south-conference   ✚  CMC Central Symposium in Bakersfield, March 13 & 14, 2026:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium   LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Scott and Duane share their mathematical summer reading list. If reading a good math book brings you joy, we've got EIGHT recommendations…plus Scott drops a surprise 9th book at the end. BTW…A huge shoutout to Justin Lanier. Find him on BlueSky at ‪@jlanier.bsky.social‬Here is information on his online math experience in July…https://justinlanier.org/21st-century-mathematics-2025/RESOURCES…✚  5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions     https://a.co/d/fVXVhdp  ✚  Building Thinking Classrooms     https://www.buildingthinkingclassrooms.com/    ✚  Rethinking Disability and Mathematics     https://www.corwin.com/books/rethinking-disability-and-math-287710        ✚  Teaching Mathematics Through Problem-Solving: A Pedagogical Approach from Japan     https://a.co/d/cyUpcAj     ✚  Routines for Reasoning     https://www.heinemann.com/products/e07815.aspx ✚  Choosing to See: A Framework for Equity in the Math Classroom     https://a.co/d/cOszpCc     ✚  Embedded Formative Assessment     https://a.co/d/a1Br7Wy         ✚  Visible Learning: Feedback     https://a.co/d/93BA4NS     ✚  Here is the flyer for our long-awaited P2 Conference!!     https://tinyurl.com/P2ConferenceFlyer  REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in June, 2025]  ✚  CMC-South Annual Conference - November 7-8, 2025     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-south-conference      ✚  CMC-North Annual Conference - December 5-7, 2025     https://www.cmcmath.org/asilomar ✚  CMC-Central Annual Symposium - March 13-14, 2026     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Who is the California Mathematics Council? (A one-pager)     https://tinyurl.com/CMC-One-Pager     ✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Tim Weekes is our guest for this webinar. Tim gets us thinking about reframing the Achievement Gap as really being an Opportunity Gap. Listen to this episode…Tim's ideas will live rent-free in your mind for some time! RESOURCES…✚  ARTICLE: Opportunities Denied - High-Achieving Black And Latino Students Lack Access to Advanced Math https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Advanced-Math-V9.pdf   ✚  ARTICLE: Advanced High School Math Classes a Game Changer, But Not All High Achievers Have Accesshttps://www.the74million.org/article/advanced-hs-math-classes-a-game-changer-but-not-all-high-achievers-have-access   ✚  ARTICLE: Mathematics teacher specialization in elementary schools     https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1426413.pdf       But it is not clear whether specialization improves student achievement…✚  ARTICLE: Subject-Area Specialization in North Carolina Elementary Schoolshttps://epic.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1268/2021/08/EPIC-Specialization-R2_FINAL.pdf    ✚  Here is the flyer for our long-awaited P2 Conference!!     https://tinyurl.com/P2ConferenceFlyer  REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in June, 2025]  ✚  CMC-South Annual Conference - November 7-8, 2025     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-south-conference      ✚  CMC-North Annual Conference - December 5-7, 2025     https://www.cmcmath.org/asilomar ✚  CMC-Central Annual Symposium - March 13-14, 2026     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Who is the California Mathematics Council? (A one-pager)     https://tinyurl.com/CMC-One-Pager     ✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Cole, Scott, and Duane discuss a recently published article by Michael Kirst (former president of the California State Board of Education) that lists the seven steps to improve mathematics instruction in California. The list is reasonable and attainable. Every district should consider implementing these steps TODAY.Drawing from 35 high-quality studies conducted over three decades, the research highlights seven core features that consistently lead to improved teaching and learning outcomes:Focus on curriculum standards and contentIncorporation of active learningSupport for teacher collaborationUse of models of effective teaching practiceAccess to coaching and expert supportOpportunities for feedback and reflectionSustained duration over timeRESOURCES…✚  ARTICLE: A new state role for experienced teacher improvement     https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-new-state-role-for-experienced-teacher-improvement/  ✚  ARTICLE: This is who Michael Kirst is https://cepa.stanford.edu/michael-kirst  ✚  ARTICLE: Looking Back to Look Forward https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/standards-based-education-reforms-report      ✚  Here is the flyer for our long-awaited P2 Conference!! https://tinyurl.com/P2ConferenceFlyer  ✚  Read about the CMC Leadership Summit here https://www.cmcmath.org/june-2025-presidents-message   REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in June, 2025]  ✚  CMC-South Annual Conference - November 7-8, 2025     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-south-conference      ✚  CMC-North Annual Conference - December 5-7, 2025     https://www.cmcmath.org/asilomar ✚  CMC-Central Annual Symposium - March 13-14, 2026     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Who is the California Mathematics Council? (A one-pager)     https://tinyurl.com/CMC-One-Pager     ✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Cole and Duane discuss a recently published article about how a school dramatically improved their math scores. Lots of great ideas for YOUR school to consider. RESOURCES…✚  ARTICLE: tis Wisconsin school excels at teaching math. Can its approach work statewide?     https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-school-excels-teaching-math ✚  ARTICLE: Towards an Empirically Grounded Theory of Action for Improving the Quality of Mathematics Teaching at Scale     https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ960944    ✚  California Mathematics Framework: Chapter 2     https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/ REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in June, 2025]  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Christina Lincoln-Moore is our guest this episode. She led one of our Inspiring Math Minds webinars and we are reposting it in the Math On the Rocks feed. Christina is the STEM Mathematics Unit Lead focusing on advancing equity and anti-racism within mathematics education. She is also a co-founder of Black Womxn in Mathematics Education (BWXME), fostering a community where Black womxn in mathematics can thrive. RESOURCES…✚  Black Women in Mathematics Education     https://bwxme.com/  ✚  Future conference dates:      https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences   REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in May, 2025]  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Duane and Cole uncork a crucial conversation about why educators working with our youngest learners—preschool through 2nd grade—must embrace the title “math teacher” with the same pride they claim “reading teacher.” They unpack the regrettable disconnect that leaves many early-years classrooms brimming with alphabet charts but light on number talk, then spotlight compelling research showing that strong early-math foundations outshine early-reading skills as predictors of later literacy success. We talk about creating joyful opportunities for play-based learning to nurture numeracy between ages 3 and 8 as the hidden catalyst for lifelong learning.Join us in this conversation.RESOURCES…✚  Count, Play, Explore https://www.countplayexplore.org/ ✚  Play-based Learning in the Early Childhood Mathematics Classroom: Culturally Sustaining Play:  https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/icitl/vol2/iss1/2/ ✚  Early Math Collaborative:      https://earlymath.erikson.edu/ ✚  Future conference dates:  https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences   REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in May, 2025]  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089  

Cole ask us: Do leaders TRUST their teachers to implement ambitious instruction? Do teachers TRUST themselves mathematically? Are we asking teachers to trust their parachute or trust their light switch?It is well known that teachers need to have deep, flexible, and fluent thinking about mathematics in order to fully prepare their students for higher-order learning in later grades. Providing teachers with this kind of math understanding so they can then improve the quality of their teaching will require all partners in the math ecosystem to TRUST one another. Join us in this conversation.RESOURCES…✚  Myth #1: Beliefs Precede Action  https://padlet.com/monatoncheff/ncsm-nctm-2024-sh63z58ru0m2363o/wish/wKmOZ5elKAMXZzMA ✚  Read about ASSETS-BASED instruction in Chapter 2 of the California Mathematics Framework:      https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/documents/mathfwchapter2.pdf ✚  What is Bansho and Teaching Through Problem-Solving (TTP)?:      https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/documents/mathfwchapter2.pdf ✚  View the SkyDeck that Duane was talking about:      https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/tours-and-attractions/chicagos-observation-decks/ ✚  Future conference dates:      https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences   REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES:✚  Register for CMC Central P-2 Conference on August 2, 2025. It is for day care teachers through grade 2:      [COMING SOON!!...Probably in May, 2025]  LEARN with the California Mathematics Council…✚  Join us in our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:     https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:     https://www.cmcmath.org/ ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:     https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew SUBSCRIBE!✚  YouTube (video & audio):     https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f ✚  Spotify (video & audio):       https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):       https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089