DebateMath Podcast

DebateMath Podcast

Bringing together educators with opposing viewpoints to have a discussion and explore the arguments

Episodes

July 15, 2025 31 mins

Send us a text

Do you ever find yourself happy with the lessons you are creating, only to have students forget everything a month later? Perhaps we need to slow down more? Or spiral? It’s the constant question in our teacher minds: How do we help students really learn this stuff? As our guest today will argue: We Need to Be Mindful in the Way We Sequence Learning Math!

Follow Dan on BlueSky: @danielk.bsky.social‬
Or on ...

Mark as Played

Send us a text

Discourse routines are a big part of many classrooms (and debates). However, what role does listening play and is there a way to teach it? Our “Hot Seat” guest today is here arguing for the statement: Schools Should Teach Listening Skills

Listened to the ...

Mark as Played
June 12, 2025 40 mins

Send us a text

It’s time for another round of Summer Hot Seats!

You may have heard talk about math anxiety and helping students to build confidence in math skills. But our guests today want to focus on the idea of math identity. What is it? And how do we foster it? So for this Hot Seat debate, we have two educators here to share why they think:

Teachers MUST cultivate a positive math identity.

Mark as Played

Send us a text

Let’s talk about curriculum resources! Whether you are using a textbook that you chose or your district chose for you, many of you have been asked to use the resource with fidelity. But what exactly is fidelity, and is it a problem to create our own lessons? How much should teachers be expected to use what is included in a curriculum resource? Well that sounds like a great question for debate! So we have a panel of 3 ...

Mark as Played

Send us a text

Is teaching math the same as teaching reading? Have you ever attended a PD or read about a strategy that works for teaching both reading and were asked to use it in math as well? There are times when these two pedagogies can overlap…but should they? Today, we have a very special “family” episode for you. We are going to hear a husband and wife debate it out on this very topic, answering the question: 

Should We Be Comp...

Mark as Played
March 20, 2025 58 mins

Send us a text

Math is full of algorithms. These are generalized procedures or sets of rules to be followed in solving problems of a given type. From the standard algorithms for subtraction and long division in elementary school all the way to the distance formula and the quadratic formula in high school, algorithms are a part of the mathematics curriculum. However, some may ask: should we be teaching students these methods, or shou...

Mark as Played
February 20, 2025 57 mins

Send us a text

How narrow should we make the grade bands for teacher certification? When teachers get their certification in a state, it is usually for a specific subject and/or grade band. For instance, a teacher may get a certification in K-8 Elementary Teaching or 7-12 Math Instruction. These bands vary by state and change over time. So what is the ideal set of grade bands? Listen in as our debaters take on the resolution:  Shoul...

Mark as Played

Send us a text

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 roundtable to reflect on the past debates and also engage in a discussion around a central question. This year’s question is:

How do we help students feel that they belong in math class? 

Mark as Played

Send us a text

At the time of this recording, we are in an election year and political ads are everywhere. As we get closer to November 2024, it is harder and harder to avoid. Now, while you may not think of math as a course that intersects with political topics, teachers may find it coming up in many ways. So for this episode we gathered a panel of educators to give us advice on this, addressing the question: Should politics be avo...

Mark as Played
September 19, 2024 73 mins

Send us a text

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, or NCTM, is the world's largest mathematics education organization. While many math teachers are members of this organization and may attend its national conference, others do not. Maybe you are someone who has wondered whether or not to join? 

We wanted to explore this idea more in our latest debate: Is an NCTM membership worthwhile?

  • Follow Desiree Harrison on a...
Mark as Played

Send us a text

For our final “Hot Seat” of 2024, we wanted to lean into the topic of data science. It’s starting to become a course offered in high schools, but some may wonder if it is a rigorous pathway for students. Is Calculus still the most rigorous course for high school students? We want to hear from our guests from DataScience4Everyone, asking them:

Is Data Science as rigorous as any other advanced math course?

  • Follow Lee ...
Mark as Played

Send us a text

Do you know what Problem-Based Lessons are? And more importantly, do you think they are important? For this Hot Seat, we hear from educators Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr on why they think: Problem Based Lessons are Essential.

Mark as Played

Send us a text

For this next Hot Seat debate, we talk about the complicated decision to leave education. With many teachers leaving or considering leaving the profession, we brought on two former educators–Laila Nur & Justin Aion–to debate the question: Is it OK to quit teaching?

Listened to the episode...

Mark as Played
July 3, 2024 37 mins

Send us a text

Welcome to our very first Hot Seat debate! In this debate we hear from Sunil Singh and explore his idea that: Math is Dead!

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep u...

Mark as Played
June 13, 2024 49 mins

Send us a text

You may have heard news of schools and districts that are switching to a 4 day school week. There are claims of improved teacher retention or reduced costs. However, this is a highly debated topic. So we invited four guests to share their thoughts on the debate: Let's Switch to a 4-Day School Week!

Resources Referenced in this Episode

  • Follow Jodie on Twitter or LinkedIn: @BaileyJodie 
  • Follow Shelby on Twitter or...
Mark as Played
May 2, 2024 63 mins

Send us a text

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 practices. However, there has been some push back to this movement. Critics question what and how research was quoted and used. This controversy sounded like a topic for the Debate Math Podcast. Come hear out both sides! 

Resources Referenced in this Episode

  • Read more about the Science of Ma...
Mark as Played
March 28, 2024 50 mins

Send us a text

This month's episode is a special recording of two LIVE debates at the OMCA 2024 Retreat. Listen as thoughtful math leaders discuss two topics and answer questions from the audience!

The first topic is:
We need to have common evaluations.

The second debate topic is:
Teachers spend too much time on direct instruction.

Follow up with our debaters:

Follow Angela Schaefer o...

Mark as Played
February 22, 2024 62 mins

Send us a text

Let’s talk about textbooks! Some teachers are handed a textbook and are instructed to follow it. Others may have never had a textbook offered to them. If you are given a textbook, should you be following it? And how much? And if you don’t have one, should you start? Tune in as four thoughtful educators debate the resolution: Teachers should follow the textbook.

Resources Referenced in this Episode

Mark as Played
January 30, 2024 10 mins

Send us a text

Welcome to Season 3!

Listen in as Chris & Rob talk about the upcoming season!

Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel!

Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMath or going to debatemath.com. Follow us @Rob_Baier & @cluzniak. And ...

Mark as Played
December 7, 2023 61 mins

Send us a text

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 debates and also engage in a discussion around the question: How do we bring joy to math class? With politics around education and teaching so often turning negative in the news, we wanted to talk more about joy with our guests. And we hope it will lead to an enlightening discussion with our gro...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

    24/7 News: The Latest

    The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    Latino USA

    Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.