Making Math Moments That Matter

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 build resilient problem solvers in math.
Register for the 2026 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit for FREE. 

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 get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ 
K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com 
Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units 

In this episode, Jon Orr talks with Sue Looney about her upcoming session at the 2026 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit. Sue, who began her career as an English major, explains why stories are a powerful and often overlooked way to help students build resilience in math. She describes resilient problem solvers as students who aren’t afraid when the fog rolls in, and shares how characters, historical math tasks, and a four-step story lens can help students see those qualities in themselves.
Jon and Sue also tackle the question every teacher and coach will ask: where does this fit in an already busy day? Sue offers practical ways to start small, connect with what’s already happening in ELA, and build toward regular problem solving time.

In this episode, you'll explore:

What Sue hopes teachers will say about teaching math 15 years from now
What resilient problem solving looks and sounds like in a math classroom
Why students need “foggy” problems instead of packaged ones with an obvious path
How stories help students connect with characters who show resilience
How an ancient magic squares legend became a children’s book about perseverance
A preview of the four-step story lens Sue will share at the summit
Why holding up a mirror to students may be the most important step
How to find time for stories by starting small and connecting to ELA
Why human qualities like curiosity and perseverance matter more as technology advances

Think about a story you already love, whether it’s a picture book, a novel, or a classic like The Odyssey. What problem does the main character face, and how do they stay with it when things get hard? Look for one place in the coming week where you could share that story with students, name the resilient qualities you notice, and then ask: Do you see yourself in this character? What would it take to bring those qualities into our math class?

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Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!
Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

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 trust, and move teams to 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/coherence-compass/
Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ 
K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com 
Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units 

In this episode, Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman respond to a question they heard three times in a single week: what do you do when your math team pushes back on every new idea? Drawing on Change the Culture, Change the Game by Roger Connors and Tom Smith, they explain why widespread resistance is usually a culture problem rather than a personality problem, and how the Results Pyramid can help leaders design the experiences that shift beliefs and lead to lasting action.
They contrast two teams they support: a 6–12 group that built trust through a co-constructed vision and three years of consistent messaging, and a 9–12 team stepping into the work feeling anxious and skeptical. Along the way, they share practical first steps for listening, building relational trust, and helping more people move above the line.

In this episode, you'll explore:

Why widespread resistance is a culture problem, not a personality problem
What “above the line” and “below the line” thinking looks like in math PD and PLCs
How the Results Pyramid connects experiences, beliefs, actions, and results
Why math improvement plans that jump straight to actions often stall
How one district built trust by co-constructing a shared vision and repeating it for three years
How transparency around observations and data collection builds relational trust
Why listening to teachers’ fears is the first step toward buy-in
How trusted informal leaders can help pull a team above the line
How teams can hold each other accountable without shutting down honest venting

Think about the last time your team pushed back on a new math initiative. What past experiences might have shaped that response? Identify one interaction you lead regularly, such as a PLC, department meeting, or PD session, and ask: What experience am I creating here, and what belief is it reinforcing? Then decide on one change you could make next time to help pull people above the line.

Show Notes Page
Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!
We’ve partnered with them to help bring more collaborative learning into classrooms. Whether you’re supporting one class or math instruction across multiple schools, find the right way to get started at wipebook.com/mathmoments.
Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

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 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 get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ 
K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com 
Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units 

In this episode, Jon Orr and Dr. Nicki Newton explore why fact fluency is bigger than a classroom strategy. They unpack what fluency really means, why timing matters, and what changes when schools treat fact fluency as a coherent, long-term system priority. 

In this episode, you'll explore:
What efficiency, flexibility, and accuracy with understanding really mean for fact fluency
Why instant recall can be a goal without making timed tests the starting point
Why fact fluency needs to be approached as a system-wide priority
How differentiated practice can better meet students where they are
Why public displays of students' math fact performance can do more harm than good
How data conversations can shift from identifying what's “wrong” with students to examining instruction
Why schools need to interrogate the practices they've inherited around math facts
How leaders, coaches, teachers, students, and families can contribute to a coherent fluency approach

Start by uncovering your school's current fluency story. What do you believe about fact fluency? What practices have become routine, and why? Then ask whether those practices are actually producing the outcomes you want for students. 

Show Notes Page
Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!
We’ve partnered with them to help bring more collaborative learning into classrooms. Whether you’re supporting one class or math instruction across multiple schools, find the right way to get started at wipebook.com/mathmoments.
Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

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 get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ 
K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com 
Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units 

In this episode, Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman revisit four classroom pillars—growth, curiosity, collaboration, and struggle—and ask whether they still hold up years later. They explore what happens when beliefs become more than words and begin shaping assessment, instruction, expectations, and every interaction students experience. 

In this episode, you'll explore:
Why every math teacher should identify the beliefs they won't waver from
How classroom pillars connect beliefs to everyday instructional decisions
Why saying you value growth means your assessment practices should honor growth
How curiosity, collaboration, and productive struggle shape students' mathematical experiences
Why classroom pillars shouldn't simply become another checklist
Whether practice, precision, and mathematical reasoning deserve a place among your core beliefs
How expectations for rigor can communicate a fundamental belief that students are capable
How teachers and teams can co-construct their own classroom pillars
At your next team meeting, ask one question: What do we truly believe students should experience and get from mathematics? Identify the few ideas you aren't willing to compromise on, then look at whether your everyday practices actually bring those beliefs to life.

Show Notes Page
Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!
We’ve partnered with them to help bring more collaborative learning into classrooms. Whether you’re supporting one class or math instruction across multiple schools, find the right way to get started at wipebook.com/mathmoments.
Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

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 improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/ 
K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com 
Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units 

In this episode, Jon Orr and Graham Fletcher explore the idea of finding a through line in mathematics. They unpack how greater coherence in both context and content can help students make connections, build conceptual understanding, and access the mathematics more deeply. 

In this episode, you'll explore:
What a “through line” looks like in mathematics
Why constantly changing contexts can create unnecessary barriers for students
How a familiar context can give students more space to focus on the mathematics
Why variety in problem types doesn't require a new context every time
How mathematical properties can connect strategies that often appear unrelated
Why unitizing provides a through line from whole numbers to fractions and rates
How understanding mathematical progressions helps teachers respond to the range of thinking in their classrooms
What it means to become a wiser consumer of curriculum resources

Look back at the last couple of weeks of your math instruction. How often did the strategy, context, and mathematical idea change? Consider where a stronger through line could help students see connections that may currently be hidden. 

Show Notes Page
Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!
We’ve partnered with them to help bring more collaborative learning into classrooms. Whether you’re supporting one class or math instruction across multiple schools, find the right way to get started at wipebook.com/mathmoments.
Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.