Podcast · Learning

Making Math Moments That Matter

by Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr · English · Learning

Helping you transform your K-12 math lesson plans by building confidence in effective teaching practices, guiding you to transform your math curriculum, and inspiring classroom strategies to engage all students. As a teacher are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans where students don

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 29 minNew

Is Productive Struggle One Of Your Math Classroom Pillars? Should It Be?

What do you fundamentally believe about how students learn mathematics? More importantly, do the everyday experiences in your classroom actually reflect those beliefs? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and g...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E499 · 8 Oct 2026 · 28 min
Graham Fletcher: Are We Making Math More Disjointed Than It Needs to Be?
Monday is make a ten. Tuesday is doubles. Wednesday is doubles plus one. Add a completely different context each day, and we may be making it harder for students to see how the mathematics connects. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most when designing math improvem...
E498 · 5 Oct 2026 · 40 min
From Classroom Observations to a Focused Math Improvement Plan
Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman unpack a three-day school visit and share how a K–12 team used a Math Coherence Compass, classroom observations, focused instructional moves, and short-term key results to build a sustainable math improvement plan. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matte...
E497 · 1 Oct 2026 · 38 min
Zak Champagne: Creating Curious Kids in the Math Classroom
Jon Orr interviews Zak Champagne, author of Curious Kids in the Math Classroom, about practical ways to foster student curiosity through classroom community, authentic questioning, task design, and small shifts to existing math lessons. Register for free for the 2026 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. h...
E496 · 28 Sep 2026 · 38 min
Math Wars: Why Conceptual vs. Procedural Is the Wrong Math Debate
The math wars often focus on conceptual understanding versus traditional algorithms. Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman explore a deeper challenge: understanding the prerequisite mathematical ideas students need to access new learning. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most when d...
E495 · 24 Sep 2026 · 33 min
Peter Liljedahl: Can We Teach Students to Be Resilient?
We want students to be curious, persistent, and resilient problem solvers. But what if those aren't qualities students simply bring into our classrooms? What if we can actually create the conditions for them to emerge? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most when des...
E494 · 21 Sep 2026 · 17 min
How to Spiral Your Math Curriculum: A Better Alternative to Cramming and Reteaching
Ever reach the end of the semester only to feel like you're reteaching everything from September? If students learned it once but can't retrieve it months later, the problem may not be the original lesson. It may be how—and when—they encountered mathematics. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compas...
E493 · 17 Sep 2026 · 33 min
Rewarding Student Thinking: An Interview with Dr. Pamela Seda
We say we want students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and mathematical reasoners. But do the systems in our classrooms and schools actually reward those things—or are we still rewarding speed, compliance, and correct answers? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure wha...
E492 · 14 Sep 2026 · 28 min
How Strong Math Teams Turn Decisions Into Action
Your math team meets regularly. You strategize, make decisions, and talk about improving mathematics. But when everyone leaves the meeting, does the work actually move forward? Too often, teams spend more energy making decisions than putting those decisions into action. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/co...
E491 · 7 Sep 2026 · 29 min
Why Do Students Struggle With Math Word Problems and What To Do About It
We’ve all heard it: “My students can do the math—they just struggle with word problems.” They can perform the calculation when it’s presented directly, but put that same mathematics inside a context or multi-step problem and suddenly things become much more difficult. The instinct might be to give students more word problems to practice, but what if the real challenge lies somewhere deeper? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system lead...
E490 · 31 Aug 2026 · 28 min
Do This To Start Sustainable Math Improvement in Your School or District
If you could wave a magic wand and walk into any math classroom five or ten years from now, what would you hope to see? What would students be doing, saying, and thinking? How would the room feel? Those questions can reveal far more than a list of instructional strategies—they can help a team uncover what they truly want mathematics teaching and learning to become. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create ...
E489 · 24 Aug 2026 · 40 min
How Do You Support 30 Schools at Once as a Math Coordinator? A Math Mentoring Moment
Stepping into a new math leadership role can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time—especially when your responsibility suddenly expands from supporting one school or district to supporting dozens. Where do you begin when every district is at a different place, has different needs, and may already be working toward different mathematics goals? That's exactly the challenge facing one experienced math leader as she prepares to support 30 districts in a new regional role. K-12 Mat...
E488 · 17 Aug 2026 · 23 min
STOP Rushing Math Improvement: Lessons From This School District
School and district leaders often feel pressure to create widespread change as quickly as possible. But sustainable math improvement doesn't happen by trying to reach everyone at once—it starts by building the capacity of the people who will eventually lead the work. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-c...
E487 · 10 Aug 2026 · 21 min
Why Teaching Math Is Hard—and Improving Achievement Is Even Harder
Why do so many mathematics improvement efforts begin with energy and optimism, only to lose momentum months later? Schools invest in professional learning, adopt high-quality instructional materials, launch coaching cycles, and create pacing guides—yet lasting instructional change often remains frustratingly elusive. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another ...
E486 · 3 Aug 2026 · 30 min
Math Homework in 2026-2027: What Should It Really Look Like?
Homework has long been a part of the mathematics classroom, but opinions about its value continue to vary. Should students be completing pages of practice each night, or is there a better way to extend learning beyond the classroom? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most ...
E485 · 27 Jul 2026 · 14 min
Is Math Intervention Working? Learn to Build A Better Fence
Every school system wants to improve student achievement in mathematics. Yet when students struggle, the immediate response is almost always the same: more intervention, more support programs, more people working at the bottom of the cliff. While these efforts are essential, they often come at the expense of investing in the work that could prevent students from struggling in the first place. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders,...
E484 · 20 Jul 2026 · 31 min
What Should You Grade in Math Class?
Assessment is one of the most powerful tools teachers have—but it's also one of the most misunderstood. Too often, every task, activity, or game is expected to produce a grade, making it difficult to distinguish between supporting learning and evaluating it. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ N...
E483 · 13 Jul 2026 · 33 min
The Two-Level Math Training You Haven’t’ Yet Considered To Strengthen An Entire District
Many school systems want better mathematics outcomes, but few struggle because of a lack of effort. More often, the challenge is figuring out how to create meaningful change at scale—without overwhelming teachers, coaches, and leaders along the way. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure w...
E482 · 6 Jul 2026 · 29 min
How to Build Deep Fraction Understanding K-12
Few math concepts seem to create as much anxiety as fractions. For students, parents, and even educators, fractions often carry a reputation for being difficult, confusing, and disconnected from everything else students learn in mathematics. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matt...
E481 · 29 Jun 2026 · 28 min
Atomic Habits For Math Educators & Coordinators: Why Summer Is Your Secret Weapon
Summer is often seen as a time to step away from school, recharge, and reset. But it can also be an opportunity to strengthen your mathematical thinking, explore new ideas, and build habits that support your growth as an educator—without turning your break into more work. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherenc...
E480 · 22 Jun 2026 · 41 min
How One School Designs Math PLC Time That Actually Shifts Instruction
Many schools want to improve math instruction, but few have a clear process for deciding what to focus on, how to measure progress, and how to align professional learning around a shared vision. Without that clarity, improvement efforts can quickly become fragmented and difficult to sustain. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemath...
E479 · 15 Jun 2026 · 11 min
Stop Waiting for Math Test Scores: A Better Way to Measure Improvement
Many school systems measure success in math education by one thing: math test scores. But what if waiting for scores to improve is actually slowing down meaningful change? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and...
E478 · 8 Jun 2026 · 33 min
How to Design Math Improvement That Survives Staff Turnover
Every school system wants sustainable improvement in math instruction. But in education, there’s one reality we can’t ignore: people are constantly stepping on and off the system. Teachers change roles, leaders move positions, and new staff enter every year. So how do you build improvement efforts that actually last? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another in...
E477 · 1 Jun 2026 · 45 min
How to Design High Quality Low Floor High Ceiling Math Tasks
Not all math tasks are created equal. Some lead to deep thinking, rich discussion, and meaningful learning—while others fall flat. So what actually makes a math task effective? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/ Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessmen...
E476 · 25 May 2026 · 29 min
A Better Approach to Small Group Tier 2 Math Intervention
Small group instruction is a common part of math classrooms—but when it comes time to actually sit down with a group of students, many teachers are left wondering what they should be doing. Should you reteach the lesson? Provide more practice? Or try something completely different? K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments....
E475 · 18 May 2026 · 16 min
Improved Math Achievement: Here’s What It Actually Takes!
Improving math instruction and student achievement is something every school and system wants. But despite that desire, real, lasting change often feels out of reach. Not because educators don’t care—but because the work required to get there is harder than expected. K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/compass/ Not ...
E474 · 11 May 2026 · 30 min
3 Barriers to Improving Math Instruction and Student Achievement
Improving student achievement in mathematics is a goal shared by schools, districts, and systems everywhere. Yet despite years of effort, many classrooms still aren’t seeing the shifts in instruction or outcomes that we’re aiming for. If the goal is clear, why does progress feel so inconsistent? The challenge isn’t a lack of effort. Teachers are working hard, and schools are investing time into professional learning and new initiatives. But even with well-established teaching practices and re...
E473 · 4 May 2026 · 22 min
How to Unpack Standards for Better Lesson Planning in K-12 Mathematics
In math education, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably—unpacking standards, planning units, designing lessons. But for many teachers, it’s not always clear how these pieces fit together. Are they all the same thing, or is there an important difference that impacts how we teach? At first glance, it might seem like lesson planning is simply following a resource or turning the page in a curriculum. But without a clear understanding of the standard—the destination we’re aiming ...
E472 · 30 Apr 2026 · 25 min
Initiative Fatigue is Real! Learn How to Avoid it in Math Education
In schools today, it can feel like there’s always something new being introduced. A new initiative, a new priority, a new expectation. And for many teachers, especially in math classrooms, it raises a familiar question: why this, and why now? After years of seeing initiatives come and go, it’s easy to feel skeptical about whether the next one will actually make a lasting impact. But what if the issue isn’t the initiative itself—but the number of initiatives being introduced at once? When time...
E471 · 27 Apr 2026 · 26 min
How to Start Connecting Mathematical Representations in Classrooms
In today’s math classrooms, there’s a growing expectation: students should be able to use and connect multiple mathematical representations. From visual models to symbolic notation, this practice is becoming a key part of high-quality math instruction. But for many teachers, this shift feels challenging—especially when their own experience with math was primarily abstract and procedural. So what happens when you’re asked to teach in a way you didn’t experience yourself? When you’re expected t...

About Making Math Moments That Matter

Making Math Moments That Matter is a English learning podcast from Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr
Language: English
Category: Learning
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1447014030

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