Math is Figure-Out-Able!
Math teacher educator Pam Harris and her cohost Kim Montague answer the question: If not algorithms, then what? Join them for ~15-30 minutes every Tuesday as they cast their vision for mathematics education and give actionable items to help teachers teach math that is Figure-Out-Able. See www.MathisFigureOutAble.com for more great resources!
Math is Figure-Out-Able!
#MathStratChat - July 2, 2025
In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on July 2, 2025.
Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.
Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.
Twitter: @PWHarris
Instagram: Pam Harris_math
Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education
Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!
Pam 0:00
Hey, fellow mathers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam.
Kim 0:06
And I'm Kim.
Pam 0:07
And this is a MathStratChat episode where we chat about our math strategies. Every Wednesday evening, I throw out a math problem on social media, and people from around the world chat about the strategies they use and comment on each other's thinking.
Kim 0:18
Okay, so this week, our math problem was 88% of 75. How will you solve this problem? Pause and solve it however you'd like. The problem is 88% of 75.
Pam 0:29
Hmm. Hmm. You
Pam 0:36
want to go first or me?
Kim 0:38
I'll go first.
Pam 0:38
Okay.
Kim 0:40
So, 88% is kind of like 8 times 11%. I just wrote on my paper 8 times 11.
Pam 0:49
Okay.
Kim 0:50
Three-fourths. And so, I'm going to take three-fourths of 8. Which is 6 times 11. So, I wrote 66.
Pam 1:01
Whoa, I'm going to have to think about that one. Ha. Okay, okay. I'll tell you my first thought that I just... Just for grins. I was thinking I could do 100% of 75, take away 10% of 75, and take away 2% of 75. But since you didn't use the commutative property, I'm going to.
Kim 1:22
Okay.
Pam 1:23
So, I'm going to find 75% of 88 instead of 88% of 75.
Kim 1:29
Mmhm.
Pam 1:29
So, that's three-quarters of 88. Three-quarters of 80 is 60. And three-quarters of 8 is 6. And 6 and 60 Is 66.
Kim 1:39
Nice. When you look at 88 do you see four 22s?
Pam 1:44
No.
Kim 1:47
Okay.
Pam 1:49
So, you found like a quarter of 88 is 22, and you could think of 3 of those quarters as 66?
Kim 1:55
No.
Pam 1:56
No?
Kim 1:56
No, I just..
Pam 1:57
Oh, you just see 22, 44, 66?
Kim 2:00
Yeah.
Pam 2:00
Not yet. I'll work on that.
Kim 2:02
Okay, very cool. Alright. Well, we get excited to see what you do every week. Join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems. And be sure to comment on each other's strategies.
Pam 2:12
Because we love it when you do that. We'll post the problems on Wednesday around 7:00 p.m. Central. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStratChat and join us here to hear how we're thinking about the problem. Ya'll Thanks for being part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Math is Figure-Out-Able!