Making Math Moments That Matter
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
Episodes
395 episodes
How to Define The Right Milestones That Drive Math Improvement
In this episode, Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman unpack the difference between long-term objectives and short-term key results. Through a real coaching conversation, they explore how to define milestones that reflect real progress—even when the w...
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Episode 394
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25:22
What If the Report Card Doesn’t Match the Math You’re Seeing?
It’s early in the school year. You’re reviewing student math work and noticing some red flags—math concepts that should be solid just aren’t there. But when you check their file, you see As and Bs from last year. So what now?
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Episode 393
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34:46
Turn Your Next Book Talk into a Book Do: The Shift That Changes Everything
Book talks have become a popular way to spark professional learning, but in many cases, they don’t go far enough to create real change—especially in math. In this episode, we explore how to take math book talks to the next level by transfor...
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Episode 392
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21:48
How To Help Students Choose the Right Math Operation
It’s a familiar challenge— when it comes to deciding which math operation to use, students get stuck. In this episode, we explore one of the often overlooked reasons: a lack of understanding around mathematical structure and behaviour....
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Episode 391
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23:17
How Impactful Is Math Coaching?
Is your math coaching program truly transforming classroom practice—or just treading water?Many districts wrestle with whether coaching is worth the investment or how to maximize its impact. If you've ever wondered why some ...
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Episode 390
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28:23
When Math Curriculum Alignment Feels Like a Threat to Your Autonomy
Is it possible for teachers to have both autonomy in their math classroom and alignment with district goals? In this episode, we challenge the idea that autonomy and alignment are opposing forces. Instead, we explore how they can work toget...
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Episode 389
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25:31
How to Lead Math PD Without False Authority
In this episode, we reflect on a challenge many math leaders face: the risk of presenting ourselves with false authority. Whether we’re facilitating professional learning, supporting instructional coaches, or engaging in school- or district...
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Episode 388
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24:36
The Math Screener Struggle Is Real | Why & How To Use Math Screeners With Impact
Math Screeners… Diagnostics… Assessments… It’s easy to get lost in the language of math data. In this episode, we unpack the similarities and differences between math screeners and diagnostics, share where we stand on the topic, and offer i...
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Episode 387
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35:29
Leading Without Authority: How Coaches Can Activate Math Leadership in Schools
We know school administrators play a crucial role in driving long-term math improvement—but what happens when you're a coach or teacher leader trying to create change without formal authority?In this episode, we dive into th...
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Episode 386
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20:41
Boost Math Participation & Discourse with These Simple Math Routines
Fresh from the 2025 NCTE-NCTM conference in Chicago, our team reflects on one powerful math instructional routine that stood out—an approach that sparked ideas for both classroom practice and professional learning design. In this episode, w...
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Episode 385
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17:08
From Passive to Powerful: Transforming the Principal's Role in Math Leadership
We know principals are busy—constantly managing urgent issues and putting out fires. But we also know this: school-level change is the most powerful lever we have for improving student learning in math. So the real question is: are we setti...
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Episode 384
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23:15
Small Summer Shifts That Set You Up for a Better Math Focused School Year
The end of the school year can feel like a whirlwind—agitated students, hot classrooms, and a growing list of to-dos. But before rushing into summer, we need to pause, reflect, and make space for restoration and inspiration....
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Episode 383
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29:15
Why Principals Must Lead School-Level Change In Mathematics
We know principals are busy—constantly managing urgent issues and putting out fires. But we also know this: school-level change is the most powerful lever we have for improving student learning in math. So the real question is: are we setti...
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Episode 382
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22:37
3 Ways to Set Students Up for Summer Math Success | Your Summer Math Program
Summer learning loss in math is real—and it doesn’t affect all students equally. In this episode, we explore how the summer slide disproportionately impacts historically marginalized students and what teachers can do now to change that traj...
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Episode 381
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29:20
How To Unpack Math Standards with Teachers: The Strategy Every Math Team Needs
Math curriculums and standards are more ambitious than ever—often asking teachers to cover more than a year's worth of learning in less than 10 months. Many districts have wisely taken the first step by identifying priority math standards. ...
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Episode 380
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41:37
Why Your Fact Fluency Fix May Have Failed (So far) & What To Do Next
We were told to move away from flashcards, multiplication drills, and timed tests in math class—and for good reason. These practices didn’t support mathematical reasoning and often damaged student confidence and identity. But in our well-in...
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Episode 379
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40:19
Create End of Year Impact | Adopt, Adapt, Abandon For Your Math Program
As the school year winds down, it’s time to reflect—not react on your math impact. In this episode, we dive into one of the most important (and often skipped) parts of sustainable change for math programs: reflection and intentional decisio...
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Episode 378
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23:25
When High Scores Lie: Rethinking How We Assess in Math Class
On a recent coaching call, we spoke with a new teacher who was feeling great about a math quiz her students had just aced—until she wasn’t. The quiz focused on using the array model for multiplication, and students were awarded points for d...
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Episode 377
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23:18
What We Got Wrong (and Right) in Our Last Full-Day Math PD
Planning a full-day professional development session for math can feel like a golden opportunity—and a daunting challenge. How do you make the most of extended time with educators while keeping energy high, engagement strong, and math learn...
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Episode 376
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24:22
19 Years of Advice on Teaching Through Math Tasks in 25 Minutes
In this reflective and candid episode, we dive into the lessons we’ve learned since shifting to a task-based approach to teaching math. With over 19 years (combined) of experience experimenting, adjusting, and growing, we each share one key...
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Episode 375
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31:13
Your School or District Math Improvement Plan Dashboard: A Walkthrough Guide
How do you know if your district’s math improvement plan is truly making an impact—and can you prove it before the test scores roll in?If you're a district math leader overwhelmed by fragmented documents, unclear goals, and scat...
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Episode 374
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40:31
How We Boosted Math Scores in High School Without Homework or High-Stakes Tests
What happens when two math teachers throw out homework, redefine grading and assessment, and make student growth the heart of every math lesson?Too many classrooms are dominated by points, pressure, and compliance. But what if your stude...
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Episode 373
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49:35
How To Help Teachers Build Resilient Problem Solvers in Math - Reverse Engineering Your Goals
In this case study episode, we dive into a common but concerning classroom reality: students passively waiting for instructions while teachers carry the cognitive load. This learned helplessness undermines students’ mathematical thinking an...
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Episode 372
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22:58
Three (3) Critical Math Topics To Avoid Rushing To The Algorithm
In the push to cover content and keep pace, it's easy to jump straight to the algorithm. But what if that focus on efficiency is doing more harm than good? In this episode, we explore how rushing to procedures can rob students of opportunit...
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Episode 371
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20:02
Why Most District Math Improvement Plans Fail (And How to Fix It)
District improvement efforts often stall—not because of a lack of intention, but because of misaligned objectives, vague goals, or a failure to track meaningful progress. In this episode, we dig into the foundational question: What are we r...
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Episode 370
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30:17