Are timed math activities helping or harming our elementary students? This controversial topic divides educators, but the research tells a clear story when we dig deeper. In this episode, we explore evidence-based strategies for using timed activities to build math fluency without creating anxiety or trauma. Drawing from the What Works Clearinghouse's analysis of 27 studies involving over 4,300 students, we discover that the problem isn't timed activities themselves—it's how they've been implemented. You'll learn the five essential steps for effective timed math practice: identifying already-learned topics, choosing engaging activities, ensuring students have efficient strategies, tracking meaningful progress, and providing immediate feedback. We move beyond traditional worksheets and timers to explore alternatives like number talks, mental math relays, and "beat your own score" games. This episode directly addresses real teacher questions about timed facts assessments and students who struggle with computation speed on standardized tests. We tackle the balance between building number sense and developing computational fluency, offering practical solutions for both classroom instruction and assessment preparation. Whether you're a classroom teacher questioning your current math fluency practices or a math coach supporting teachers through this debate, this episode provides research-backed strategies you can implement immediately. WWC/IES Practice Guide for Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics
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Episode 203 - Number Sense with Christina Tondevold and Mona Iehl
In this cross-posted episode from Math Chat, host Mona Iehl interviews Christina Tondevold about developing number sense in elementary students. Christina shares her journey from a "procedural" math student to becoming a math coach and founder of Build Math Minds. The conversation explores the eight components of number sense: four early numeracy concepts (subitizing, verbal counting, object counting, and cardinality) and four number relationships (spatial relationships, one/two more or less, benchmarks of 5 and 10, and part-part-whole). Christina explains how these concepts help move students beyond counting to more efficient math strategies. Practical classroom strategies discussed include using sticky notes to assess students' visual number understanding, implementing subitizing activities, and strategically choosing numbers in word problems to reinforce key number relationships. Both educators emphasize the importance of allowing students to solve problems in ways that make sense to them, rather than forcing procedural approaches. This episode provides valuable insights for teachers looking to build true mathematical understanding rather than just procedural knowledge in their students. Check out Mona’s podcast Math Chat Enroll in The Flexibility Formula Course
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Episode 202 - Going Beyond the Task When Building Thinking Classrooms with the Special Guests in Our Book Study
In Episode 202: Going Beyond the Task When Building Thinking Classrooms, we reveal the exciting lineup of special guests for our summer book study on 'Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom Grades K-5' by Peter Liljedahl and Maegan Giroux. Starting July 14th, each week will feature a video with reading prompts followed by live Q&A sessions with experts including first-grade teacher Tammy McMorrow, co-author of the book Maegan Giroux, and Official BTC Consultant Kim Rimbey. Join now at BuildMathMinds.com/bookstudy25 to receive a 20% discount code plus free shipping within the US, and participate in these valuable learning opportunities with educators who are transforming mathematics classrooms.
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Episode 201 - Our Summer Book Study - Exploring Tasks for the Thinking Classroom
In Episode 201, I share two exciting summer learning opportunities for fellow Recovering Traditionalists as we prepare to pause the podcast until August. First, enroll in The Flexibility Formula online courses (K-2 or 3-5) to transform how you build math fluency with your students. BuildMathMinds.com/courses Second, join our free summer book study on "Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom Grades K-5" by Peter Liljedahl and Maegan Giroux, starting July 14th. Register now at BuildMathMinds.com/bookstudy25 to receive a publisher discount (20% off with free US shipping) and access to exclusive weekly videos featuring insights from myself, Rosalba Serrano, and special guests. We'll explore Part 1 (BTC Practices in Review) and Part 4 (From Page to Practice), focusing on implementing thinking tasks and creating your own curriculum resources. This essential companion to Building Thinking Classrooms will help you prepare for next year's math instruction with practical strategies and ready-to-use templates.
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Episode 200 - The Three Essential Math Experiences: Number Routines, Word Problems, and Games
In this milestone 200th episode of The Build Math Minds Podcast, I share the three essential math experiences every classroom needs: Number Routines, Word Problems, and Games. Drawing from research-backed practices in the IES/WWC guides, I explain why these activities are crucial for developing conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application in mathematics. Learn how Number Routines make implicit math concepts explicit, how Word Problems should help students understand mathematical structures beyond keywords, and how Games provide engaging practice that builds fluency. To celebrate this 200th episode milestone, I'm offering a free Google file with examples of all three experiences that you can download at BuildMathMinds.com/200. After 200 episodes, these core principles remain unchanged - Routines, Word Problems, and Games help Build Math Minds!
The Build Math Minds podcast is for my fellow Recovering Traditionalists out there. If you don’t know whether or not you are a Recovering Traditionalist, here’s how I define us. We are math educators who used to teach math the traditional way. Flip lesson by lesson in the textbook, directly teaching step-by-step how to solve math problems. But now, we are working to change that to a style of teaching math that is fun and meets our students where they are at, not just teaching what comes next in the textbook. We want to encourage our students to be thinkers, problem solvers, and lovers of mathematics..we are wanting to build our students math minds and not just create calculators. If that is you, then this podcast is for you.
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