Make Math Happen
Make Math Happen (formerly known as PD for the SOUL) is the podcast for educators ready to move with intention and teach with impact. Hosted by math coach and equity-focused educator Laneshia Boone, each episode bridges practice and purpose to help you design instruction that centers students, builds capacity, and makes learning stick—especially for those pushed to the margins.
Every week, you’ll get strategies that work in real classrooms, grounded reflections that challenge the status quo, and conversations with educators who are making bold moves in math education. From planning with purpose to using charts that anchor learning, from building strong routines to disrupting expired rules, this podcast is where meaningful math instruction comes to life.
You’ll walk away with ready-to-use tools, fresh insight, and the confidence to make every lesson count.
Because when we move with care, plan with clarity, and teach with courage, we make math happen.
Make Math Happen
The Role of Assessment in Student Learning
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, we’re diving into two powerful formative assessment strategies from The Formative 5 by Francis (Skip) Fennell, Beth McCord Kobett, and Jonathan Wray: observations and interviews. These tools go beyond simply gathering data—they allow us to truly understand how our students think and process math. Whether it’s recognizing proportional relationships or uncovering student misconceptions, you’ll learn actionable ways to bring these strategies to life in your classroom.
Looking for more tools to transform how you teach math in the middle? Download my guide to, "Transforming Math in the Middle," for practical tips on connecting domains, building conceptual bridges, and empowering students through meaningful instruction.
🎧 Tune in to learn how you can use formative assessments to deepen your understanding of student thinking and take your teaching to the next level.
📥 Download the free guide here!
Build multiplication fluency through understanding with the Seeing Patterns, Building Power series. Two books now available on Amazon—plus check out my son’s new adventure novel, Anansi: Shadows of Myth and Mystery!
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Make Math Happen podcast! If you enjoyed today’s conversation, subscribe on your favorite listening platform, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow educators.
You can also join the discussion and connect with me directly by clicking the link to join the Math Collective. Together, we’ll keep exploring practical strategies to transform classrooms and inspire students.
Remember, new episodes drop every Sunday at 9:00 am, so mark your calendars! Until next time, keep making math happen, and I’ll catch you in the next episode.
If you like math videos, let's connect: