The Build Math Minds Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 173 - Using Number Lines to Round Numbers - Rounding Numbers Series Oct 06, 2024

Show notes

Rounding numbers should be way more than just a procedure where we ask students to look to see if the number behind is a 5 or higher. Helping elementary students round should be based upon their number sense. In this first episode of the Rounding Numbers series, I'm giving my first tip on how to help your students round with understanding. To see this episode instead of just listen, go to https://www.youtube.com/BuildMathMinds

To get any links mentioned in the episode go to:

BuildMathMinds.com/173

Episode 172 - Is Emotional Teaching a Thing??? Sep 29, 2024

Show notes

I think we've all heard and know about Emotional Eating, but have you ever felt like you've done Emotional TEACHING? Not sure it's a thing, but it kind of feels like it should be. Listen in to my random thoughts and then let me know in the comments over on the YouTube video or the show notes page if you've ever done Emotional Teaching? I give an example of Teaching Emotionally in math, but your example could be from any content area.

Episode 171 - Summer Book Study for Elementary Math Educators Jun 02, 2024

Show notes

Episode 170 - The Importance of Play May 26, 2024

Show notes

My kids and I play a lot. Sports, card games, board games, but they all have a preset goal…to win. According to a book I'm reading, true play does NOT have a preset goal. So it got me wondering how much true play my kids, and I, actually do. I'm making it a goal to include more opportunities for us to truly play. In this episode I'm sharing my ideas on what I will be doing this summer to play (and getting my kids to join in) plus I give you the Seven Principles of Self-Active Play they lay out in the book I'm reading. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/170

Episode 169 - Math Fluency Through Flexibility May 19, 2024

Show notes

If you've struggled with how to help your elementary students build their math fluency, there is one thing I encourage you to do: Help your students build their flexibility with numbers.

Textbooks try to directly teach strategies to students thinking that is how they will build flexibility, but you spend months doing that and then later in the year they act like they have no idea what you are talking about. That's when we revert back to just making kids memorize.

In this episode we take a look at my book Fluency Through Flexibility…because fluency doesn't happen from memorization or teaching a ton of different strategies, it happens when kids build connections & relationships around the numbers so they can use those to help them solve any math problem. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/169

Episode 168 - Use Math Manipulatives - No Matter The Age May 12, 2024

Show notes

When I first started teaching I don't think I ONCE used a math manipulative with my students. It was all about learning and memorizing procedures and I didn't know they needed to actually understand the math. Now, I'm a Recovering Traditionalist and I know that kids need to understand the math, not just DO it, and to help them understand they need to work with math manipulatives.

In this episode, I'm sharing 3 key things to watch out for when working with math manipulatives. We need to be using math manipulatives at any age however we need to make sure we do it properly or they can easily become just like any other rote procedure we tend to teach kids in mathematics. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/168

Episode 167 - Mental Math does NOT mean doing it in your head May 05, 2024

Show notes

Growing up I thought doing Mental Math meant doing the algorithm in my head. Times have changed and now many educators have kids solve math in different ways but during Mental Math it's still only having kids to do math in their head. That's not exactly what Mental Math should be about. In this episode we explore what doing Mental Math really should be like. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/167

Episode 166 - A Child's Progression When Grouping to Count Items Apr 28, 2024

Show notes

If you've ever watched a child during a counting collection and thought "Ugh! Why are you grouping the items like that?!?" Well, there's probably a reason.

There is a progression kids go through when organizing items they are counting. Now even though this information comes from a book about Early Childhood Education, it still applies to those of you in 3rd-5th as you work to help them group items in ways that lead to multiplicative thinking.

Watch this week's video about The Progression of Grouping to help you understand why kids might be grouping items a certain way and how to help them. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/166

Episode 165 - Geometry in PreK-2 is more than just knowing names of shapes Apr 14, 2024

Show notes

It is commonly thought that Geometry in the early grades is just about getting kids to name and identify shapes. There are actually 4 big ideas talked about in the Navigating Through Geometry book. One of which is the work around two- and three-dimensional shapes but it is so much more than just naming & identifying shapes. In this episode we take a look at what knowledge kids in PreK-2 should be developing around shapes and the types of experiences you can provide to help them develop it. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/165

Episode 164 - The Power of Using Inverse Operations to Subtract & Divide Apr 07, 2024

Show notes

There are 4 main strategies children tend to use to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. These math strategies are not tricks. Their foundations are built on number relationships and properties of operations. In the Math Strategy Sessions we have already explored 3 of the strategies and our next session is focused on helping kids use and understand the Inverse Operation Strategy (https://buildmathminds.com/strategy-sessions to register). This is more than just helping kids know Fact Families, it's about helping them understand the meanings of the operations and the connections between Addition-Subtraction and Multiplication-Division. Helping your students develop the Inverse Operation Strategy will last them the rest of their lives. In this episode I'm sharing the first books I read that highlighted the importance of helping kids develop the strategy. I never learned I could solve a subtraction problem with addition (or division with multiplication) until I was an adult. Kids should be building this understanding way before I did. Get any links mentioned in this video at BuildMathMinds.com/164

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