PODCAST · education
Math on the Rocks
by CMC Central
We are three mathematics educators who love to talk about math, math education, and the politics of math...often while drinking a beer. Our podcast is an attempt to invite more people into our conversations. For the video versions of our episodes, go here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f
Episodes
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Ep 80 - How do Inquiry Direct Instruction and Math Facts play together
While Scott is having fun on the gold course, Duane and Cole continue our conversation about Direct Instruction. We bounce around ideas of how inquiry, direct instruction, and learning math facts all can co-exist for the benefit of our students. RESOURCES mentioned in this episode: ✚ Alabama...
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Ep 79 - Duane and Cole talk Direct Instruction
The recent Science of Reading movement has caused dozens of states to update their instructional practices with reading. Many states have gone so far as to legislate science of reading instruction. Duane is concerned that well-meaning politicians and school leaders will attempt to over-generalize...
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Ep 78 - Mike Flynn is making math more accessible with micro moves
Mike Flynn invites us to rethink accessibility in mathematics by shifting the focus from fixing students to redesigning the learning environment. Drawing on Universal Design for Learning and his own experience as both an educator and parent, Mike shows how small instructional changes can...
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Ep 77 - Joanie Funderburk is shifting the cognitive lift to students
Joanie Funderburk challenges us to think about who is doing the mathematical thinking in our classrooms. Even when we believe students should make sense of mathematics for themselves, our instinct to help can sometimes lead us to take over the very thinking we want students to do. In this…
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Ep 76 - Heather Price shows how classroom conditions shape math learning
Heather Price invites us to look beyond what students learn in mathematics and consider how they experience the classroom. Drawing from research conducted in California middle schools, she explains how students’ feelings about math can shape their engagement, confidence, and achievement. In this...
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Ep 75 - Ashley Powell inspires us with problem solving
Ashley Powell invites us to rethink what it means to teach mathematics through problem solving. Rather than treating problem solving as something students do after they have learned a set of procedures, Ashley frames it as a powerful way students build understanding in the first place. In this...
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Ep 74 - Duane and Keith talk HQIM
Keith steps up and joins Duane to continue our ongoing conversation about the importance of high-quality instructional materials. Sure…a school district might adopt a curriculum through a consensus-based decision-making process, but is that curriculum aligned to the framework? How would you know...
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Ep 73 - Kevin Dykema is rethinking productive struggle
Kevin Dykema invites us to rethink productive struggle as more than a math education buzzword. Instead of rescuing students with steps and answers, he shows how teachers can create the conditions for students to reason, grapple, and make sense of mathematics. In this episode, Kevin shares…
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Ep 72 - Nolan Fossum is rethinking instruction through cartoon math
Nolan Fossum invites us into the learner’s seat by experiencing math in an unfamiliar way. Using a “cartoon base-10” system, he creates moments of productive struggle that mirror what many students feel when they don’t yet have fluency. In this episode, Nolan explores how counting, deriving, and...
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Ep 71 - Screens screens everywhere screens
Scott and Duane get together to chat about math, but Duane gets grumpy and jumps up on his soap box to complain about schools using too much EdTech throughout the day. We know students go home and endlessly scroll on their phones, so schools should be very picky and choosy about whether to add to...
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Ep 70 - Mark Alcorn on goals, agency, and meaningful mathematics
In this episode, Mark Alcorn (educator, coach, and founder of the Sum of It All podcast) invites us to rethink something deceptively simple: goals in math classrooms. Rather than treating goals as compliance-driven statements or posted objectives, Mark challenges us to see them as powerful…
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Ep 69 - Talking about MKT. The Sweet Sauce.
We all got together to chat some more about mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and why it is so important for teachers to have it. Who is responsible for supporting teachers in their development of MKT? When is it supposed to happen? We have more questions than answers in this episode. We...
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Ep 68 - Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching
This is our final podcast episode before our symposium. So we spend a little time talking about how cool we are…and why folks should attend our symposium. Then our main topic is all about Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), why teachers need MKT, and how to spread & scale building teacher...
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Ep 67 - Teaching Through Problem Solving
Duane is still on his quixotic adventure to convince teachers to update their instructional script to Teaching Through Problem Solving (TTP). It is the secret sauce for how to teach in the manner envisioned by California Mathematics Framework. Listen to all our past episodes about TTP and then…
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Ep 66 - Janet Lee-Ortiz and Rachel Lambert are rethinking disability and mathematics
Welcome to another episode of CMC's Inspiring Math Minds webinar series! Janet Lee-Ortiz (teacher and 2024 LAUSD Teacher of the Year) and Rachel Lambert (UC Santa Barbara professor and author of Rethinking Disability and Mathematics) invite us to rethink two things at the same time: how we...
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Ep 65 - HOW to teach mathematics through problem solving
Whether we know it or not, math teachers in America have a default teaching script that is so engrained into our cultural DNA that we don't even know it exists. Yet that cultural script – largely described as "I do, We do, You do" – is preventing us from experiencing the math joy our students...
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Ep 64 - How to support teachers to grow mathematically
As the mathematics instruction community adds to our understanding of how mathematics should be taught and learned, teachers now face the prospect of having to change how they teach. This is a challenge in a profession that historically neither provides the support to learn what changes need to…
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Ep 63 - Scott and Duane are still talking about TTP
We start out by talking about the goings on of California Math Council as we get ready for our symposium in March. Then we switch to continuing our conversation about the Teaching Through Problem Solving instructional script. Duane wants the world to adopt TTP as the primary form of instruction.…
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Ep 62 - Howie Hua is building mathematical confidence
Howie Hua (professor, speaker, and social media communicator) joins us to explore what it really means to be “good at math” and how we can help students build a strong math identity. Through quick routines, mindset moves, and rich examples, Howie shows how shifting from answer-getting to...
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Ep 61 - Scott and Duane talk about Teaching Math Through Problem Solving
It has been a while since we got together to record an episode of Math On the Rocks, so Scott and Duane got together to catch up. We refresh our conversation about the Teaching Through Problem Solving instructional strategy. TTP is like Building Thinking Classrooms…but different. TTP is like the…
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Ep 60 - Odalis Amparo is bridging language and mathematics
Odalis Amparo joins us all the way from Massachusetts and shares best practices for multilingual learners. Odalis was a teacher and now works for Student Achievement Partners. She says math is NOT a universal language. Rather, math is multilingual. Join us in this episode and learn what role...
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Ep 59 - Richard Sgroi schools us on financial math
In this rebroadcast of our Inspiring Math Minds webinar Richard Sgroi teaches us the algebra and finance connection and how we can use real world, real math, and real interest to engage our students. This is NOT consumer math. Teaching Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications is a life-long...
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Ep 58 - Ki Karou (Palm Springs Special)
Our most controversial episode yet! Ki Karou, an EdTech product director, brings in the heat with some strong opinions…and then he defends them like heck. Listen to the audience; they had a hard time PRETENDING to be skeptical. Ki skillfully gets us thinking deeply about the role of language in...
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Ep 57 - Huerta and Williamson (Palm Springs Special)
In this LIVE episode, our guests Suzanne Huerta and Stephanie Williamson drop some major bombs of wisdom that sparks the audience into sharing points of skepticism. Huerta and Williamson share their profound beliefs that every student is capable of learning meaningful mathematics. All students...
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Ep 56 - Dr Buck (Palm Springs Special)
Yeah…yeah…we had some technical difficulties as is typical with our Math On the Rocks vibe. But don't let that stop you from enjoying this live episode from Palm Springs. Dr. Brian Buckhalter, affectionately known as Dr. Buck, is the President of NCSM, the premier mathematics education leadership...
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Ep 55 - Rebecca Lewis Takes Us On a Journey From Framework Vision to Classroom Practice
In this rebroadcast of our Inspiring Math Minds webinar Rebecca Lewis shares a TON of resources for supporting implementation of the California Mathematics Framework in your community. She highlights the framework as the GPS and high-quality instructional materials as our fuel. Rebecca shares an...
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Ep 54 - Peg Cagle has stopped looking for answers
In this rebroadcast of our Inspiring Math Minds webinar Peg Cagle shares her wisdom that we should stop looking for answers in math class! Yup…you read that correctly…math class would be a better experience if we give students the answers and let students focus on deep thinking instead. Peg...
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Ep 53 - Katie joins us to talk about the Collaborative Lesson Design Protocol
While Cole, Scott, and I are getting ready for our live episodes coming up in Palm Springs, we decided to record a special episode with our good friend Katie Koehn. Katie has a great story to tell about how she approaches mathematics instructional coaching with her teachers. She calls it...
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Ep 52 - Chris Shore brings us Clothesline Math!
In this special episode of Math On the Rocks, we rebroadcast an Inspiring Minds webinar. This time our guest is Chris Shore…amongst many other things, he is the author of Clothesline Math. Learn what Clothesline Math is and how to use it in your classroom! https://clotheslinemath.com/ Get the...
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Ep 52 - Chris Shore brings us Clothesline Math
In this special episode of Math On the Rocks, we rebroadcast an Inspiring Minds webinar. This time our guest is Chris Shore…amongst many other things, he is the author of Clothesline Math. Learn what Clothesline Math is and how to use it in your classroom! https://clotheslinemath.com/ Get the...
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Ep 51 - Preparing for Teaching Through Problem Solving
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…
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Ep 50 - Adopting a textbook is just the start of the journey
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...
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Ep 49 - Cole and Duane talk about Pre-School Math and Textbook Adoption
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...
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Ep 48 - Scott and Duane share their math summer reading list
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.social Here is information on his...
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Ep 47 - Tim Weekes gets us thinking about opportunity gaps
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...
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Ep 46 - Seven steps to improve math instruction
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…
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Ep 45 - How to improve math achievement
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?...
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Ep 44 - Christina Lincoln-Moore on Subversive Leadership
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…
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Ep 43 - P2 teachers are MATH TEACHERS too!
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...
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Ep 42 - Cole has us thinking about TRUST in mathematics
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...
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Ep 41 - NCTQ says teachers have a shaky understanding of math. What should we do about it?
Duane is loafing on Spring Break. Cole and Scott are working. We talk about a convergence of two things: an article about teachers needing significantly more math training than they already get AND we at California Math Council updated our mission statement to say that we are committed to…
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Ep 40 - Dionne Aminata shares her TRUST framework
Cole and Duane host a webinar the 3rd Thursday of every month in which we have a guest share their wisdom to all who log in to listen and participate. This time it was Dionne Aminata. She shares her TRUST framework that allows up to TRUST our students to do the math. Improving student outcomes...
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Ep 39 - Duane remembers to press record. Then he complains.
We talk about the featured speakers who are already lined up to speak at our symposium in March, 2026. The we announce our P2 Conferences which is a series of conferences throughout California specifically targeting preschool teachers through Grade 2. They are indeed MATH teachers…and they…
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Ep 38 - A late night conversation with the brilliant Nigel and Brandon
Day 1 of our symposium is over. Game Night was a major success. To debrief the day and prepare for Day 2 of the symposium, Cole and Duane chat with Nigel and Brandon.These are two brilliant mathematicians who are passionate about creating learning environments where students explore mathematics…
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Ep 37 - Nick Lopez has us reimagining rigor
Nick was our guest for the March (2025) webinar. We are now releasing it as a podcast on our Math On the Rocks feed. In this session Nick leads us through… Designing mathematics experiences that place rigor at the center Making connections to the CA Mathematics Framework Considering the...
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Ep 36 - A conversation the night before the symposium
We talk about stuff the night before the symposium. We also talk about "magic" teaching that excites and engages teaching. This "magic" is not magic at all. It is a set of replicable and spreadable skills that ALL teachers can learn and apply in their classrooms to excite and energize students…
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Ep 35 - Scott and Duane talk about the Symposium
The California Math Council puts on three conferences a year…actually, two conferences and one symposium. They are three of the finest state/regional conferences in the nation. The CMC South conference is in November in Palm Springs The CMC North conference is in December in Asilomar The CMC...
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Ep 34 - Arynn and the boys talk about CBPL
Cole and Duane went to Dallas to learn about curriculum-based professional learning from the fine folks at Learning Forward. We had a great time getting to know the Texas representatives. Arynn was willing to record an impromptu podcast, so we recorded a conversation outside near the hotel pool!…
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Ep 33 - Pam Harris talks about REAL math and shows us the SHARK
Pam joins our monthly webinar series to share her profound thoughts on using problem strings to help students develop strategies based on number relationships. She guides us through experiencing real math like the real mathematicians do. You will need to listen to the ENTIRE podcast to learn what...
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Ep 32 - The boys talk about MKT again
While Cole was driving to Anaheim (again), the boys got together to chat some more about mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and why it is so important for teachers to have it. Who is responsible for supporting teachers in their development of MKT? When is it supposed to happen? We have…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
We are three mathematics educators who love to talk about math, math education, and the politics of math...often while drinking a beer. Our podcast is an attempt to invite more people into our conversations. For the video versions of our episodes, go here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f
HOSTED BY
CMC Central
CATEGORIES
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How many episodes does Math on the Rocks have?
Math on the Rocks currently has 82 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Math on the Rocks about?
We are three mathematics educators who love to talk about math, math education, and the politics of math...often while drinking a beer. Our podcast is an attempt to invite more people into our conversations. For the video versions of our episodes, go here:...
How often does Math on the Rocks release new episodes?
Math on the Rocks has 82 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Math on the Rocks on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Math on the Rocks?
Math on the Rocks is created and hosted by CMC Central.
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