The Build Math Minds Podcast

In this episode, I'm making a confession: there's a free, research-backed guide for helping struggling math students that I haven't done a good job of telling you about and I've found that most educators have never even heard of. It's the 2021 Institute of Education Sciences and What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics, and all six of its recommendations earned the WWC's highest rating: Strong Evidence. I share why this guide stands apart from the usual opinion-driven debates in elementary math, give you a quick tour of what's inside (including one recommendation guaranteed to raise some eyebrows), and explain why working through it together as a summer book study beats reading the PDF alone. If you want a clear, evidence-based picture of what actually helps your struggling students before the school year starts, consider this your invitation. Join the free 3-week summer book study: https://buildmathminds.com/bookstudy26

After 26 years, Susan Jo Russell's three-part definition of math fluency - accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility - is finally making its way into state math standards. In this episode, I'm celebrating this long-overdue shift, highlighting recent updates in Washington State and Iowa that now explicitly include flexibility alongside accuracy and efficiency in their fluency standards. Using a relatable cooking analogy, I break down why flexibility isn't just nice-to-have - it's the difference between students who can only follow a procedure and students who can truly think mathematically. I also share where you can learn more to help you make this shift in your own classroom, school, district, or even your state. Let me know whether your state has made this change, head to the comments to let me know where you and your state stands!

After 10 years of running the Virtual Math Summit, here's what I've learned: what matters isn't the objective you planned. It's the residue - what actually gets left behind once it's over. My objective in creating the summit all those years ago was to help you build your math mind…but the residue isn't always something about the mathematics. Last weekend we wrapped up the 10th annual Virtual Math Summit. Over a million minutes of PD watched in just two days. And this week I went through the survey results to find out what residue people were actually taking away. In this episode I share the six themes that kept showing up - from the power of listening to student thinking, to the confidence to just start implementing now even when you don't feel ready, to what the neuroscience of math actually tells us about how kids learn. I also share one form of residue that I never thought about when I started the summit, but it might just be the most important. Sessions are still free through Monday, March 9th at 10pm Pacific. Go to VirtualMathSummit.com to register and I'll send you the link to watch the replays before they come down.

Most educators who want math to be taught conceptually are the only one in their building trying to do it. They go to a workshop, get excited, and come back on Monday to a team still teaching algorithms and admin who wants scores to go up. The excitement fades and not because the idea was wrong, but because doing hard things alone is exhausting. In this episode, the last one before the 10th annual Virtual Math Summit, I talk about why that isolation is the real barrier to change in math classrooms, and why community matters more than information. I also share what I've seen happen over 10 years of the summit: the thing educators say most isn't "I learned a great strategy." It's "I finally felt like I wasn't the only one." So pick your one thing you want to learn about and get registered for the 2026 Virtual Math Summit (Feb 28 – Mar 1) so you can find your community. There are 34 free sessions, keynotes from Dr. Kristopher Childs, Dr. Raj Shah, Pam Harris, and Graham Fletcher, free Brainingcamp access for all registrants, and giveaways during live sessions. Register free at VirtualMathSummit.com

The CRA Model isn't a linear path. It's a Venn diagram. And when you hit the Sweet Spot, where concrete, representational, and abstract all overlap, that's when the magic happens. In this episode, I'm revisiting one of my favorite topics and showing you why hands-on and visual learning matter MORE than ever for upper elementary students. Two examples of the CRA Sweet Spot: Early elementary: 7 + 8 on a Rekenrek (concrete) → drawing it on a number path (representational) → writing the equation (abstract) Upper elementary: 3 × 1/4 with fraction tiles (concrete) → drawing rectangles or number lines (representational) → symbolic notation (abstract) Why manipulatives aren't just for little kids: Upper elementary is when math gets MORE abstract. But if students don't have concrete and visual experiences to anchor their understanding, they end up memorizing procedures without knowing what they mean. How to normalize manipulatives: Don't make them optional or "for struggling students only." Make them available for everyone. Model using them yourself. Show students that even YOU use tools to think through problems. Tools that help: Brainingcamp (digital manipulatives) - All Virtual Math Summit registrants get 6 months FREE access Didax (physical manipulatives) - Celebrating 50 years! Giveaways during live summit sessions The CRA Sweet Spot isn't just for younger kids. It's for upper elementary too. Don't skip the connections, that's what makes the learning stick! Virtual Math Summit (Feb 28-Mar 1): 34 FREE sessions Sessions from John SanGiovanni, Ryan Dougherty, Sara VanDerWerf & Nina Smith Brainingcamp 6 months free access for all registrants Didax giveaways during live sessions (must be present to win) 10 Build Math Minds memberships given away during live sessions Register at VirtualMathSummit.com to learn from experts to help you incorporate more of the CRA into the classrooms.