Making Math Moments That Matter artwork

How To · Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr

Making Math Moments That Matter

by Kyle Pearce & Jon Orr

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't want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? As a mathematics coordinator or leader are you wondering how to support teachers when implementing engaging math lessons that fuel student sense making?Over the last 19 years, Kyle and Jon, the founders of MakeMathMoments.com have been engaging students, teachers, and district program leaders with effective mathematics pedagogy, accessible resources, and inspiring learning environments in K-12 math classrooms. Now, in this podcast they coach you - K-12 classroom teachers and district leaders of mathematics  through a 6 step plan that cultivates and fosters your mathematics program like a strong, healthy and balanced tree.If you master the 6 parts of an effective mathematics program, the impact you have on students or teachers will grow and reach far and wide.Every week, you’ll hear insight from practicing classroom teachers and leaders in math education so you’ll get the feedback, guidance, and fresh ideas you need to stop feeling overwhelmed, gain back your confidence, and inspire the students and fellow teachers you serve to enjoy the beauty of mathematics once again. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Sue Looney: Using Stories to Build Resilient Problem Solvers

#18 trending · How To

Jon Orr and Sue Looney preview her Make Math Moments Virtual Summit session and share how stories, memorable characters, and a four-step story lens can help teachers buil

Oct 22
24 min

How to Build Teacher “Buy-In” for Math Improvement

Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman explore teacher buy-in and resistance in math PD, and how the Results Pyramid helps leaders create the experiences that shift beliefs, build tru

Oct 19
30 min

Dr. Nicki Newton: Rethinking Math Fact Fluency.

What does fact fluency actually mean in your school? If you asked five teachers, would you get five different answers?  K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coheren

Oct 15
35 min

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

Oct 12
29 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 h

Oct 8
27 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, an

Oct 5
40 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 qu

Oct 1
37 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

Sep 28
38 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 c

Sep 24
33 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

Sep 21
17 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 t

Sep 17
33 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 fo

Sep 14
28 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

Sep 7
29 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

Aug 31
27 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 scho

Aug 24
40 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 reac

Aug 17
22 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-qua

Aug 10
21 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

Aug 3
30 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,

Jul 27
13 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 produ

Jul 20
31 min

Chart trend

Position in the How To chart (US), last 90 days.

#7
all-time peak
3
days in the top 10 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Making Math Moments That Matter ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 23, 2026).

#32 ▲ 2 How To US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I have enjoyed this show even though I teach the humanities, and am not a math educator. It reminds me of the aha moments in math classrooms and helps me thinking about effective pedagogy in general, as well as why math matters to all of us.

Molly Farrell · Jun 2026

Quality podcasts about something as specific as math education can be difficult to find. Making Math Moments That Matter is a rare, trustworthy source of thoughtful discourse. Kyle, Jon, and the team have real-world, in-the-trenches knowledge combined with intelligent perspectives that they have learned to communicate in engaging ways through years of honing their craft as leaders in this space.

HarryOMalley · Oct 2025

Making Math Moments That Matter is a must-listen for any educator who wants research based, easy to implement ideas in an easy to listen format. I work with hundreds of teachers and all of the topics they cover are topics teachers are talking about every day. I love hearing new perspectives on relevant issues that I can ponder about on my way to work. It’s a must listen for any math educator.

DaniJacksonMath · Aug 2025

Jon and Kyle continue to stretch my thinking about how to improve math education. They attract incredible thought leaders that make me want to jump into the conversation … a sign of an excellent podcast!

It’s a great day! · Jul 2025

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