Math Therapy
Math Therapy explores the root causes of math trauma, and the empowering ways we can heal from it. Each week host Vanessa Vakharia, aka The Math Guru, dives into what we get right and wrong about math education, and chats with some of today’s most inspiring and visionary minds working to make math more accessible, diverse, and fun for students of all ages. Whether you think you’re a "math person" or not, you’re about to find out that math people don’t actually exist – but the scars that math class left on many of us, definitely do. And don’t worry, no calculators or actual math were involved in the making of this podcast ;)
Episodes
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
What happens when you give a bunch of 6-year-olds a challenging math problem and they CAN’T figure it out? Well, in Tammy McMorrow’s grade one classroom, they might just celebrate with a confetti cannon. Seriously.
Tammy’s been teaching for 32 years, but she still loves learning new tricks. She believes every student has a “math identity bank account,” and that ...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
What happens in the brain when we're learning math? What makes some students struggle more than others with it? Can someone study brain science if they're scared of math?! These are some of the questions that took today's guest Hillary Mastarciyan from severe math anxiety in high school (she was a former student at Vanessa's tutoring centre) to her current PhD in neuroscie...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
We talk about math trauma all the time on this podcast, but sometimes the feelings around it can be hard to articulate. There's one confidence-crusher we can all easily picture from school though - the feeling of being picked last for the team in gym class. So today we're going to explore something a little different: what math class would be like if we treated it like a team sp...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Ever drive down a familiar road, hit the same old pothole, and think "Didn't they patch that up last summer? And it's already back?!" Well buckle your seatbelt, because today's guest is going to show you how the same is true in math education, and why we need to FIX THE DAMN ROAD!
Courtney Flessner has 30 years of experience behind the wheel of teaching practices, and is an advocate fo...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Over the summer, Vanessa recorded our first interview with an actual real life audience when she sat down at a conference with Chase Orton for an unfiltered and tense conversation.
Among many hot topics debated, they discussed the challenges teachers face in wanting to make changes in their students' lives while having to closely follow curricula and standards - and one clip went VIRA...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Last week we shared a full Math Therapy session with lifelong "not-a-math-person" Lauren Keeling, which was recorded as part of Imagine Learning's "Heart Work" podcast series on math anxiety.
And as promised, today Vanessa follows up with Lauren 4 months later to learn the domino effect that session had on her whole life! They discuss:
- How her story around math impacted her E...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Today we bring you part 1 of 2 of our first ever Math Therapy Makeover "Before & After"!
When Vanessa first met Lauren Keeling earlier this year, being "not a math person" defined her entire life. Visiting Vanessa's tutoring centre in Toronto with her team from Imagine Learning's Heart Work podcast, Lauren was dreading her IRL math therapy session - literally terrified that Vanessa...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Have you ever felt like math education needs to take a good long look at itself in the mirror and make some major changes before everything goes off the rails? Like one of those Hollywood interventions - but for math class?
Well today's guest, Juliana Tapper, is a math interventionist! She steps in to help students before they slip through the cracks.
Today they discuss:
- what a...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Some of you have already started school, while the rest are just counting down the days ... so Vanessa is back this week with 3 easy & actionable strategies you can bring to your math class RIGHT now, to set the tone that each of your students belongs in your classroom this year and has the ability to build a better relationship with math.
- Collect: find out what baggage kids might be...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Things have been a little crazy over here so Math Therapy is going to take a couple weeks off to catch our breath, but we will be back later this month to get you fired up for back to school!
In the meantime, here are a few ways you can get your Math Therapy fix:
- Vanessa was recently featured in episode 2 of the 3-part series on math anxiety called Heart Work by Imagine Learning
- She was al...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
One of the most misunderstood words in math ed right now is "fluency", so Vanessa invited an expert on the podcast to demystify it: educator Christina Tondevold. Christina calls herself a "recovering traditionalist" - she committed to stop teaching students in the same ineffective ways she was taught as a student.
They discuss a ton of practical strategies you can bring to your classro...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Today we bring you part 2 in Vanessa's two part Math Therapy Masterclass on how to start the coming school year with renewed confidence - for yourself and for your students!
In part 1 she shared 4 exercises/experiences you can try this summer (check it out here ICYMI), and she's back with 4 more:
5) practice being bad at something
6) find a mindset/psychology book/podcast (suggestions belo...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Summer is a great time for some much needed rest after the school year, but it also provides some rare quiet time for reflection and personal projects. For many of us, that includes preparing for an even better year ahead - and that often starts with feeling more confident about math.
So Vanessa assembled this 2-part mini-masterclass to walk you through 8 tiny exercises you can try thi...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Prior to spontaneously recording this convo between sessions at CAMT in Fort Worth, TX recently, Vanessa and today's guest Cathy Marks Krpan had only really spent time together while frantically travelling through airports trying to make their connections.
And in between panicked pleas to airport golf carts and documenting every detail on Instagram, one thing kept coming up - how the ...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
As her Screen Time app will confirm, Vanessa spends way too much time online - so when trends involving math pop up, you can be sure she has commented, shared, ranted, and made her own version.
Sadly, most of these “trends” involve negative stereotypes around math ability. These cliches are also extremely gendered, specifically directed at women and girls.
So today she discu...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Summer is officially ON, so it's a great time to hear from YOU in another mailbag episode where Vanessa reads the texts you've sent us!
This batch pulls together a few threads from episodes we've released over the last few months - some will make you laugh, and some might make you tear up just as Vanessa did when reading them out.
And if you want to send us a message about the podcast o...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Today's episode truly puts the "therapy" in Math Therapy! Vanessa chats with her friend Amy Johnston, a psychotherapist and empathic deep thinker, to discuss how trauma takes root in us, how it transfers through generations, and how being vulnerable about our own experiences can help us inspire students to rewrite their own narratives.
This is a truly heartfelt conversation exploring q...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Vanessa recently took one step closer to her dream of hosting a Netflix show, recording the first ever live Math Therapy interview!
For her session last week at Leander ISD's annual Math Joy Conference in Texas, she interviewed self-proclaimed "chaos-driven non-compliant educator" Chase Orton - and you can now hear their extremely unfiltered conversation in front of a room full of tea...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Exam season is upon us, but NOBODY PANIC! Today's guest, learning strategist Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer, joined Vanessa to share some simple but game-changing study tips to help you get through exams without breaking a sweat.
They discuss:
- what actually is learning, and what does and does not count as studying
- why we get trapped trying to perfect to-do lists & how to prioritize bette...
Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)
Last week Vanessa ended her episode saying the podcast would be taking this week off while she was on vacation, but it might not surprise you that she is not exactly "good" at vacation .. so while she's definitely taking some much needed time off, she also could not resist recording this short episode after receiving a very unexpected and beautiful text from Timothy Jones, an inmate with th...
Popular Podcasts
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.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
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.