Math Chat
Mona, of Mona Math, reveals the mysteries of how to teach elementary math even if you aren't a math person. Discover how you can develop a buzzing student led math classroom. We cover all things math identity, classroom culture, and student centered instructional practices to help you empower students to love and understanding math deeply.
Episodes
How do you encourage productive struggle in math without leaving students feeling frustrated or stuck? And how can you help struggling students without immediately showing them what to do?
In this episode of Math Chat, Mona explores what productive struggle in math really looks like and why our instinct to help students can sometimes take away the very thinking we want them to do.
You'll discover how to get curious be...
Before You Teach Math, Build Belonging
Before students are willing to share their thinking, take risks, make mistakes, persevere through a challenging problem, or disagree with a classmate's strategy, they need to believe one thing:
I belong here.
That's why building a Community of Problem Solvers starts with belonging.
In this episode, we're talking about how to intentionally build belonging from the very begi...
What if some of the chaos in your classroom isn't actually a behavior problem?
What if it's a routine problem?
In this episode, we're talking about one of the simplest ways to create a calmer, more confident, and more independent classroom: intentionally teaching and practicing routines.
Because routines aren't just about getting students to line up quietly or put their manipulatives away.
Great routines remove unnecess...
Every classroom has norms, but they might not be the ones hanging on your wall.
In this episode we're chatting about why most math classroom norms fail... Asking ourselves, are the "norms" reflected in students' daily experiences?
If we want to build a true community of problem solvers, we have to stop focusing on what our norms say and start focusing on what students actually experience every day.
In this episod...
Build Belonging in Your Math Classroom
Do all your students feel like they belong in math class?
In this episode of Math Chat, we're wrapping up the Creating a Community of Problem Solvers series by exploring the foundation that holds every other instructional practice together: belonging.
You'll hear why students can't become confident problem solvers until they know their ideas matter, ho...
Assessment shouldn't be something we do to students. It should be something we do with them.
In this episode of the Math Chat Podcast, we're continuing our Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers series by exploring the fifth strand of the framework: Student-Engaged Assessment.
Too often, assessment data stays in teacher binders, spreadsheets, and data meetings. But what if we invited students into the process? When s...
When do you actually teach in a student-centered math classroom?
Teacher friend... if you've ever wondered that, you're not alone.
In Part 4 of the Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers series, we're talking all about Strategic Instruction—the teaching moves that happen because of what your students show you.
We'll unpack why student-centered instruction absolutely includes direct instruction... just not the wa...
What if math fluency wasn't about speed... but about thinking?
In this episode of the Math Chat Podcast, we're rethinking what it means to build mathematical fluency in elementary classrooms. Instead of timed tests and memorization, discover how purposeful fluency helps students develop flexible strategies, notice patterns, explain their reasoning, and build lasting mathematical understanding.
You'll learn practical m...
Before students can confidently solve problems, they need opportunities to confidently share ideas.
We're continuing our Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers series by exploring one of my favorite places to start: Thinking Routines.
These routines create low-pressure opportunities for students to notice patterns, share ideas, compare strategies, justify their thinking, and build confidence as mathematicians.
We'll d...
Creating a classroom of problem solvers can feel overwhelming when you're trying to fit problem solving, fluency, discourse, assessment, intervention, and curriculum pacing into a single math block.
In this episode we're unpacking the six essential elements that help students become confident, capable mathematicians and how these elements work together to create a classroom where students do the thinking, talking, an...
What if the most important thing you teach at the beginning of the year isn’t a routine… but a belief about what math actually IS?
In this episode of the Math Chat Podcast, we’re talking about how to launch the school year with a true problem-solving mindset so students learn to think, persevere, discuss ideas, and trust themselves as mathematicians from day one.
Because students learn what math is ...
What if before planning next year… you actually took time to recognize how much growth happened THIS year?
In this episode of the Math Chat Podcast, we’re talking about meaningful end-of-year reflection for math teachers, how to recognize the shifts that happened in your classroom, and why reflection is one of the most important parts of learning.
Before we jump into planning next year, new classroom supp...
Turn and talk is one of the most common strategies in math classrooms—but most teachers aren’t using it in a way that actually builds student thinking.
In this episode, (part 4 of the Math Discussion Makeover Series) we break down how to use turn and talk intentionally to unlock deeper thinking, increase engagement, and strengthen math discussions.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why turn and talk doesn&rs...
What if your math questioning strategies are actually limiting student thinking?
In this episode, we unpack why many “open-ended” math questions are really closed in disguise—and how a few simple shifts in your math questioning strategies can unlock deeper thinking and stronger math discussions.
After this episode you'll know...
- How common math questioning strategies can unin...
What if one of the most common teaching habits is actually training students not to listen?
In this episode, we unpack why repeating students during math discussions can quietly kill engagement and what to do instead to build stronger, more meaningful math conversations.
What You’ll Learn
- Why repeating students reduces student-to-student listening
- The hidden reason students disengage during math share time
- ...
If your math share time feels disengaged, the issue might not be your students… it might be the structure. In this episode, we unpack how one common routine is quietly reducing student engagement and what simple shift can help students listen, think, and fully participate in math discussions.
What You’ll Learn:
Why bringing student work to the carpet can actually lower student engagement
What the...
Have you ever found yourself walking around during grapple time unsure of where to go or what to say? This episode taps into that exact moment—when students are at different stages and the instinct is to jump in and fix everything. You’ll discover why the real power of grapple time isn’t in giving answers, but in how you respond to student thinking in math.
Most teachers were trained to look for cor...
You’ve likely felt this before—leaving a PD inspired, only to return to the same classroom routines the next day. This episode opens with an honest question: if we know what works in math instruction, why aren’t we seeing real change? The answer isn’t more effort—it’s creating the structure and support needed to make math a language of power in every classroom.
We’ve explored...
In recent conversations, we’ve unpacked a common frustration: math instruction isn’t always producing the confident problem solvers we hope for. But what if the issue isn’t effort or ability—what if it’s structure? This episode opens the door to what’s possible when a school shifts how students experience math as a language of power.
Here’s the surprising part: nothing new wa...
What if the reason students struggle with math problem solving has nothing to do with effort, curriculum, or ability? In this opening, we challenge a common assumption and reveal a powerful truth: the structure of math classrooms is often what holds students back from building confidence. This shift in perspective sets the stage for transforming how we think about teaching math as a language of power.
Step into...
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