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Today we’re diving into one of the most talked-about—and often misunderstood—topics in math education: memorization vs from-memory thinking. At first glance, they might sound like the same thing. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a growing divide among educators, researchers, and even students.

Should we be drilling multiplication tables and formulas until they’re automatic? Or should we be building understanding without having to “memorize” in the traditional sense? Listen in as Graham Fletcher shares his Hot Seat debate: From-memory learning is better than memorizing.

• You can learn more about Graham and his activities on his website: gfletchy.com
• Check out the Building Fact Fluency Kit
• And Graham shard a Fluency Game here!

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Mathematics has often been considered a gateway to opportunity—but some people argue that, too often, it acts instead as a gatekeeper. But why is that? Is it really a barrier for our students’ future successes? And how much of a problem is this? In this episode, we dive deep into this discussion with Pamela Burdman from Just Equations. She will debate our Hot Seat resolution: Math is a Gatekeeper

• You can follow Just Equations on LinkedIn, BlueSky, and Instagram.
• You can read more on the Just Equations website (justequations.org).
• Pam mentioned the movie Counted Out (countedoutfilm.com).
• Read more about the Just Equations report on Math and College Admissions
• Explore Pam’s blog on rigor

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Do you ever find yourself happy with the lessons you are creating, only to have students forget everything a month later? Perhaps we need to slow down more? Or spiral? It’s the constant question in our teacher minds: How do we help students really learn this stuff? As our guest today will argue: We Need to Be Mindful in the Way We Sequence Learning Math!

Follow Dan on BlueSky: @danielk.bsky.social‬
Or on Twitter: @KauDan721
You can see Dan’s website at: scmath.org

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Discourse routines are a big part of many classrooms (and debates). However, what role does listening play and is there a way to teach it? Our “Hot Seat” guest today is here arguing for the statement: Schools Should Teach Listening Skills

• You can find out more about The Listening Path.
• You can contact Christine Miles on her website.
• And check out her book: What is It Costing You Not to Listen?

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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It’s time for another round of Summer Hot Seats!

You may have heard talk about math anxiety and helping students to build confidence in math skills. But our guests today want to focus on the idea of math identity. What is it? And how do we foster it? So for this Hot Seat debate, we have two educators here to share why they think:

Teachers MUST cultivate a positive math identity.

• Brian mentioned the book: The Impact of Identity in K-8 Mathematics
• You can find Rolanda Baldwin on LinkedIn, as well as on X: @RoKnowsMath
• Follow Brian Dean on LinkedIn.
• Find out more about Unbound Ed: unbounded.org

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Let’s talk about curriculum resources! Whether you are using a textbook that you chose or your district chose for you, many of you have been asked to use the resource with fidelity. But what exactly is fidelity, and is it a problem to create our own lessons? How much should teachers be expected to use what is included in a curriculum resource? Well that sounds like a great question for debate! So we have a panel of 3 guests today to share their thoughts on the question:

Should we teach a curriculum with fidelity?

• Follow Adrianne Burns on BlueSky: @aburnsy.bsky.social
• Follow Phonisha Hawkins on BlueSky/X: @phonisha.bsky.social and on LinkedIn.
• Follow Bobson Wong on BlueSky/X/Instagram: @bobsonwong.com and on LinkedIn.

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Is teaching math the same as teaching reading? Have you ever attended a PD or read about a strategy that works for teaching both reading and were asked to use it in math as well? There are times when these two pedagogies can overlap…but should they? Today, we have a very special “family” episode for you. We are going to hear a husband and wife debate it out on this very topic, answering the question:

Should We Be Comparing the Teaching of Reading to the Teaching of Math?

• You can find Ryan Flessner on Bluesky: @ryanflessner.bsky.social
• You can find Courtney Flessner on Bluesky: @cfless.bsky.social or on LinkedIn
• Check out Courtney’s podcast: Math and Other Things

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!

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Math is full of algorithms. These are generalized procedures or sets of rules to be followed in solving problems of a given type. From the standard algorithms for subtraction and long division in elementary school all the way to the distance formula and the quadratic formula in high school, algorithms are a part of the mathematics curriculum. However, some may ask: should we be teaching students these methods, or should we Dump the Algorithms?

• Pam Harris’s website: mathisfigureoutable.com
• Follow Pam Harris on social media: @pwharris
• Vanessa Vakharia’s website: maththerapy.com
• Follow Vanessa Vakharia (aka The Math Guru) on social media: @TheMathGuru

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts!