BONUS: Why Every Student IS a Math Person
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
11/14/25
•10m
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In this S5E11 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I unpack game-changing insights from math expert Mona Iehl about why student engagement and student motivation actually INCREASE when we give kids harder problems. This counterintuitive approach transforms classroom behavior and builds true classroom belonging through mathematical struggle.
💡 What You'll Discover:
- Why rescuing kids from struggle hurts their mathematical identity
- The 2 magic phrases that revolutionize student participation and attention in class
- How to plan a week of transformative math lessons in ONE prep period
- Why wrong answers are actually windows into understanding
- The simple shift from math as performance to math as conversation
🌟 Key Takeaways:
This episode challenges traditional instructional strategies and offers practical education strategies for creating inclusive classrooms where every child discovers they ARE a math person. Learn how active learning through productive struggle creates thriving students and inspired teaching.
📚 Resources Mentioned:
- Word Problem Workshop by Mona Iehl
📖 CHAPTERS:
0:00 Why We're Hurting Kids By Helping Too Much
1:30 The Math Identity Crisis in Our Classrooms
3:00 Choosing Problems That Challenge Your Top Students
4:00 John Dewey: Learning Through Reflection
4:30 The Forecasting Guide Secret
5:30 Math Narration at Home
6:30 When Kids Rise to Hard Problems
7:00 From Silent Pencils to Mathematical Discourse
8:00 The Two Magic Phrases
9:00 Math as Conversation, Not Performance
10:00 Your Monday Morning Challenge
🚀📚 Watch the full S5E11 interview here (https://youtu.be/HO0l_eyKZPw)
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and
💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#MathWorkshop #ProductiveStruggle #MathIdentity #TeachingStrategies #ElementaryMath #GrowthMindset #MathEducation #ActiveLearning #StudentEngagement #InclusiveTeaching #TeacherTips #InstructionalCoaching #EducationPodcast #MathAnxiety #ProblemSolving #WholeChild #EffectiveTeaching #SchoolImprovement #ParentInvolvement #InspiredTeaching #ThrivingStudents #EducationTransformation #ProKidMindset #TeacherSupport #MathDiscourse
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
5 Steps to Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers
November 10, 2025
•45m
In this S5E11 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, elementary educator and math coach Mona Iehl shares her transformative 5-step Word Problem Workshop method that's revolutionizing how students engage with mathematics. From "I'm not a math person" to confident problem solver—this conversation will change how you think about teaching math.
🎯 What You'll Learn:
- The 5 steps to creating a classroom of problem solvers (Launch, Grapple, Share, Discuss, Reflect)
- How to plan an entire week of word problems in ONE prep period
- Why student-centered methods foster student engagement and student motivation better than traditional approaches
- The forecasting guide that transforms lesson planning and instructional strategies
- How to choose problems that challenge WITHOUT overwhelming
- Building positive math identities through classroom belonging and student participation
This isn't just about math—it's about effective teaching that builds the whole child through culturally responsive teaching and equity in education.
Resources Mentioned:
📚 Word Problem Workshop by Mona Iehl
📚 Five Practices for Orchestrating Mathematical Discussions by Peg Smith
📚 Adding It Up - Five Strands of Mathematical Proficiency
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction & Preview
2:00 Welcome & Guest Introduction
3:00 Book Reveal: Word Problem Workshop
4:00 Research Foundation: Peg Smith & Five Practices
5:47 Math Identities & Personal Journey
7:00 Project-Based Learning vs. Traditional Math
8:00 Traditional Word Problems vs. Word Problem Workshop
10:00 Student-Centered Learning & Building Confidence
11:00 Five Strands of Mathematical Proficiency
12:00 Conceptual Understanding in Practice
13:00 Strategic Competence & Adaptive Reasoning
15:00 Community-Based Learning Approach
16:00 Step 1: Launch - Packing the Backpack
16:37 Step 2: Grapple - Independent Problem Solving
17:00 The Joy of Figuring It Out
18:00 Step 3: Share - Making Thinking Visible
18:30 Step 4: Discuss - Facilitating Discourse
19:00 Step 5: Reflect - John Dewey's Wisdom
20:00 The Power of Reflection (Nuthall's 20% Research)
21:00 Teacher Roles in Word Problem Workshop
22:00 Getting Curious About Student Thinking
24:00 Teacher as Scribe During Sharing
25:00 Planning Magic: A Week in One Prep
26:00 Choosing Learning Goals & Problems
27:00 The Challenge Problem Philosophy
29:00 The Forecasting Guide Tool
30:00 Planning for All Learners
31:00 Collaborative Planning Time
33:00 Overcoming Fear: First Steps for Teachers
35:00 Administrator Support & Clear Focus
37:00 Supporting Math at Home: Caregiver Tips
38:00 Modeling Mathematical Thinking
39:00 Lightning Round: Math Misconceptions
40:00 Vision for Positive Math Identity Classrooms
42:00 Equitable Access & Confident Communities
43:00 Final Thoughts: Teachers as the Most Important
44:00 Closing & Call to Action
Connect with Mona:
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
The Secret Connections Between Your Body & Brain
November 17, 2025
•42m
In this S5E12 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, literacy expert and author Gravity Goldberg reveals game-changing strategies backed by 25 years of teaching experience. Discover the revolutionary research that explains why student exhaustion isn't about tired brains—it's about expectations.
🎯 KEY INSIGHTS:
✅Students retain 76% MORE information when movement is integrated into learning
✅The "two-thirds rule" explains why students get tired—and how to prevent it
✅Simple gestures can boost memory, engagement, and comprehension across all grade levels
✅Why sitting still actually SABOTAGES student memory and focus
✨ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
💡How to use movement to boost comprehension by over 50%
💡The actor's secret to memorization (and how it applies to your classroom)
💡Pre-test warmup strategies based on student anxiety levels
💡Why timers might be sabotaging your students' stamina
💡Simple manipulatives that transform understanding across content areas
Some Episode Mentions:
- Ellen Langer - Key Study: Eye exam reversal study (starting with small print vs. large print changed prescriptions)
- Arthur Glenberg - Key Study: Reading comprehension with manipulatives vs. rereading (50%+ improvement)
- The Noices - Researchers studying actor memorization techniques
- The Body-Brain Connection: Evidence-Based Ways to Reduce Anxiety, Boost Engagement, and Increase Comprehension Across Classrooms
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction: The Fatigue Paradox
1:00 Movement IS the Learning
2:00 Meet Gravity Goldberg
3:00 Ellen Langer's Eye Exam Study
4:00 The Two-Thirds Rule Explained
5:00 Gravity's Running Discovery
6:00 Mental Fatigue vs Physical Fatigue
8:00 Why Timers Might Be Sabotaging Stamina
9:00 The Broken Clock Advantage
10:00 What's Really Happening During Mental Fatigue
12:00 Stamina vs Willpower
13:00 The 76% Memory Boost from Movement
14:00 The Actor's Secret: Blocking and Memory Tags
16:00 Big Movement to Small Visualization
17:00 Walking with Perspective Exercise
18:00 Reading Comprehension and Facial Expressions
19:00 Envisioning Strategies for Parents
21:00 Decoding with Multisensory Approaches
22:00 Fluency and Physical Tracking
24:00 High-Impact Strategy: Intentional Gesture
25:00 Why Gesture Beats Talking Heads
27:00 The Manipulative Study: 50% Better Comprehension
29:00 What a Body-Brain Classroom Looks Like
31:00 Trust and Student Autonomy
33:00 Play Meets Rigor
34:00 Lightning Round Begins
35:00 Pre-Test Body Strategy Warmups
36:00 The Homework Position Secret
38:00 Gravity's Personal Discovery
39:00 Ending the Body-Brain Dualism
41:00 Closing Challenge and Resources
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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