DebateMath Podcast
Episodes
Debate 47 - How Can We Support Teachers?
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!As we’ve done in the past, we wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtab...
Debate 46 - Should We Teach Analog Clocks?
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!What are your thoughts about teaching how to read analog clocks? In this month’s debate we’re diving into a question that mi...
Debate 45 - More Reading or More Math?
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Imagine you had a magic wand and could add an extra 30–40 minutes to the school day. How would you use it? Would you dedicate ...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #7
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the seventh (and final) episode with our guests demonstrating various classroom debate routines. In this episode, we put...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #6
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the sixth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this episode, we see anot...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #5
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the fifth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we explore ...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #4
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the fourth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we dig fur...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #3
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the third of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we extend t...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #2
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the second of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. Tune in to this very brief ...
Mini DebateMath Lesson #1
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This is the first of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. Tune in to this very brief d...
Hot Seat #9 - Memorize or From Memory?
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Today we’re diving into one of the most talked-about—and often misunderstood—topics in math education: memorization vs fro...
Hot Seat #8 - Is Math a Gatekeeper?
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Mathematics has often been considered a gateway to opportunity—but some people argue that, too often, it acts instead as a gat...
Hot Seat #7 - Intentional Sequencing?
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Do you ever find yourself happy with the lessons you are creating, only to have students forget everything a month later? Perhap...
Hot Seat #6 - Teach Listening?
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Discourse routines are a big part of many classrooms (and debates). However, what role does listening play and is there a way to...
Hot Seat #5 - Math Identity?
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!It’s time for another round of Summer Hot Seats!You may have heard talk about math anxiety and helping students to build confi...
Debate 39 - Should We Teach a Curriculum with Fidelity?
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Let’s talk about curriculum resources! Whether you are using a textbook that you chose or your district chose for you, many of...
Debate 38 - Should We Compare the Teaching of Reading to the Teaching of Math?
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Is teaching math the same as teaching reading? Have you ever attended a PD or read about a strategy that works for teaching both...
Debate 37 - Dump the Algorithms?
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Math is full of algorithms. These are generalized procedures or sets of rules to be followed in solving problems of a given type...
Debate 36 - Narrow the Grade Bands?
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!How narrow should we make the grade bands for teacher certification? When teachers get their certification in a state, it is usu...
Debate 35 - Creating Belonging in Math Class?
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!As we’ve done in the past, we wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtab...
Debate 34 - Should Politics Be Avoided in Math Class?
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!At the time of this recording, we are in an election year and political ads are everywhere. As we get closer to November 2024, i...
Debate 33 - Is NCTM Worth It?
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, or NCTM, is the world's largest mathematics education organization. While ...
Hot Seat #4 - Is Data Science a Rigorous Course?
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!For our final “Hot Seat” of 2024, we wanted to lean into the topic of data science. It’s starting to become a course offer...
Hot Seat #3 - Are Problem-Based Lessons Essential?
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Do you know what Problem-Based Lessons are? And more importantly, do you think they are important? For this Hot Seat, we hear fr...
Hot Seat #2 - Is It OK to Quit Teaching?
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!For this next Hot Seat debate, we talk about the complicated decision to leave education. With many teachers leaving or consider...
Hot Seat #1 - Is Math Dead?
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Welcome to our very first Hot Seat debate! In this debate we hear from Sunil Singh and explore his idea that: Math is Dead!Follo...
Debate 28 - A 4-Day School Week?
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!You may have heard news of schools and districts that are switching to a 4 day school week. There are claims of improved teacher...
Debate 27 - The Science of Math?
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Have you heard of the Science of Math? It is a movement in the math education world, which aims to use research to inform best p...
Debate 26 - 2 LIVE Debates!
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!This month's episode is a special recording of two LIVE debates at the OMCA 2024 Retreat. Listen as thoughtful math leaders...
Debate 25 - Should You Follow the Textbook?
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Let’s talk about textbooks! Some teachers are handed a textbook and are instructed to follow it. Others may have never had a t...
Episode 300 - What to Expect in Season 3!
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Welcome to Season 3!Listen in as Chris & Rob talk about the upcoming season!Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn t...
Debate 24 - Bringing Joy to Math Class!
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!We wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable to reflect on the past deb...
Debate 23 - What is the BEST Standard of Math Practice?
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!If you know the Common Core, then you have probably seen the 8 Standards of Math Practice (or SMPs as we refer to them). Here at...
Debate 22 - Ditch Geometry
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Earlier this season we had a lovely debate on whether or not to Ditch Algebra 2. During that debate, our four guests tangentiall...
Debate 21 - How Do You Get Students Talking in Math Class?
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Join us as we take a break from our usual format for a special Back to School episode! Here at the DebateMath podcast, we highly...
Debate 20 - Tech & Math Class
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Math class is so often associated with pencil and paper work–students working through steps of symbolic manipulation. But what...
Debate 19 - Alternative Assessments
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Math exams are the typical culminating assessment at the end of the unit or the end of a semester, but what if we didn’t give ...
Debate 18 - Let's Get Digital
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!It’s final exam season! So we thought it would be a good time to get into a debate about tests. Should we continue using paper...
Debate 17 - Follow the Pacing Guide?
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Let’s talk about pacing guides. What are they? Why do we have them? How much should we follow them? This topic has caused quit...
Debate 16 - AP PreCalc?
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Have you heard that there’s is a new AP math exam: AP PreCalc. Yes, the College Board is planning to offer an AP PreCalc exam,...
Debate 15 - Retakes or Corrections
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Suppose some students do not do well on a test or a quiz. What’s the best way for students to improve and then show their impr...
Debate 14 - Ditch Algebra 2
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Let’s talk about Algebra 2! What is it? Why is it important? And most importantly, should we continue to require it? Plenty of...
Debate 13 - Is HS Math Relevant?
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!We’ve heard the question of the relevance of high school math come up in both our podcast and in many conversations with educa...
Episode 200 - Reflecting on Season 1
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Chris and Rob take a moment to reflect on the first season of the DebateMath Podcast. Tune in to peek behind the curtain and lea...
Debate 12 - What is the Purpose of Math Class?
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!In the DebateMath Podcast season finale, we invited back a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable discussion to en...
Debate 11 - Students Should Have Math Homework (LIVE!)
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!A LIVE debate on Homework! We are so excited to share the recording of our first-ever live debate at the @PCTMpctm math conferen...
Debate 10 - Calculus & College Admissions
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Calculus is often seen as an important course for competitive college admissions. Some call Calculus the “gold standard.” Sh...
Debate 9 - Elementary Teachers Should Be Content Specialists
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Should elementary teachers be content specialists? In most high schools, we are used to teachers being content specialists–in ...
Debate 8 - I Do, We Do, You Do Must Go!
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!You may have heard it by a couple different names: I Do, We Do, You Do or the Gradual Release of Responsibility. Some are for it...
Debate 7 - Cut Quadratics
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Quadratics: a staple of high school algebra. From factoring to the quadratic formula, quadratics can span multiple units. Some s...
Debate 6 - AP Stats is Great!
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!AP Stats–the final high school math course for some students. Is it a great course as it is? Or does it need some updating? Wh...
Debate 5 - Who Sets the Standards in Grading?
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!What is the future of grading? Debate this episode’s resolution: Who Sets the Standards in Grading? In this episode, we have a...
BONUS Debate 2 - Stop Making Students Memorize
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Should students be asked to memorize in math class? We followed up with three of our guests from Episode 2 Dr. Mandi Tolen, Dr...
Debate 4 - Is a Hotdog a Sandwich?
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Is a hotdog a sandwich? Does it matter what is inside? What if there is only one piece of bread? Is a hug a sandwich? Listen as ...
Debate 3 - Let Them Use Notes
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Should students be allowed to use notes on a math test? Listen as two teams of students debate the pros and cons of using notes ...
Debate 2 - Stop Making Students Memorize Math
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Should students be asked to memorize in math class? Listen as two teams of two–with Dr. Mandi Tolen, Dr. Raj Shah, Liesl McCon...
Debate 1 - The Great Trapezoid Debate
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Welcome to the Great Trapezoid Debate! Listen as Zak Champagne and Shelby Strong debate the definition of a trapezoid. Are you #...
Episode 0 - DebateMath Podcast: What to Expect?
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Text us your thoughts!Welcome to the #DebateMath Podcast! Before our first episodes air, we wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves and share t...