Make Math Happen

Helping students make sense of transformations and symmetry

Geometry becomes powerful when students can see how shapes move, change, and relate. In this episode, we explore angles, lines, and the three core transformations—translations, reflections, and rotations—and what students must understand long before they ever touch coordinate rules.

You’ll hear how early geometry experiences lay the groundwork for middle school expectations,...

Spatial reasoning is the heartbeat of middle school mathematics. In this episode, we explore how seeing patterns, shapes, movement, and structure primes students for success across every domain they’ll encounter this year. You’ll learn why geometry is far more than formulas and how it builds the visual foundation students need for ratios, functions, number lines, and equations. This episode opens the journey we’ll take all year. By...

This special episode closes out the month and reflects on the entire journey of this podcast. Four years ago, this show launched as PD for the Soul with a simple mission: to give teachers bite-sized, meaningful professional development they could listen to in the middle of real life. Whether it was on the way to work, during planning, or while cleaning the house, the goal was always the same… walk away with one idea you could use i...

The last five minutes of class might be the most powerful. In this final episode of the instructional framework series, Laneshia breaks down the Closure portion of the lesson: the moment where big ideas get consolidated, strategies are named, and learning comes full circle.

You’ll hear how teachers can use this time to:

• Revisit strategies and construct anchor charts that capture the day’s thinking
• Invite students to reflect on the...

Last week, we broke down the Instruct phase — how to plan lessons like a chef curating a recipe, balancing tasks, facilitation, and engagement to make learning stick.

This week, I’m serving up the next course: what Instruct actually sounds like in action. I’m sharing a real lesson I planned, facilitated, and reflected on using the Thinking Through a Lesson Protocol (TTLP) — a “Build a Pizza” task that pushed students to reason about...

Every strong math lesson has a recipe — the right balance of tasks, facilitation, and engagement that brings learning to life.

In this episode, Laneshia walks you through the Instruct portion of the lesson cycle like a master chef planning a meal. You’ll learn how to:

• Choose and sequence tasks that align with standards and build coherence across lessons.
• Facilitate learning through intentional routines that get students talking, r...

Before you ever step into a lesson, your planning determines how far students can go. In this episode, Laneshia breaks down what it means to zoom out to zoom in—strategically mapping upcoming units, identifying potential roadblocks, and pre-teaching (or accelerating) just enough to keep every learner in the fast lane.

You’ll hear how Suzy Pepper Rollins’ concept of acceleration aligns with research by Burns (2004), Nelson (2022), an...

Before students ever dive into a new concept, the Activate portion of your lesson determines whether they’re truly ready to think. In this episode, Laneshia models what an intentional Activate sounds like—from synthesizing a spiral warm-up to launching a new problem about dividing fractions with and without models. You’ll hear how she uses questioning, routines, and strategic sequencing to make sense-making visible and connect to t...

Six weeks into the school year, the cracks start to show — the fatigue, the frustration, and the quiet slide into low expectations. In this episode of Make Math Happen, Laneshia gets real about the dangerous drift toward deficit thinking and the power of collective teacher efficacy to turn it around.

Drawing from John Hattie’s Visible Learning research — where collective teacher efficacy ranks at an effect size of 1.57, the most inf...

In this episode of Make Math Happen, I get real about the weight of the work we do as educators. From the progress my team has made in planning, to the hard truths about classroom management, to the reflection that leadership demands—I’m unpacking it all.

Too often, planning feels like control, but in reality, it’s our power to shape the learning experience for students. Structure and consistency aren’t constraints; they’re the foun...

What does your educational landscape look like, and what role do you play in it?

In this episode, I share what I’ve been noticing in classrooms just three weeks into the school year: disengagement. Students with heads down, hesitant to participate, off-task behaviors — a reality many teachers are facing. But instead of getting stuck in frustration, we need to ask: What can we do about it?

I’ll walk through three key areas that shape ...

In this conversation with Toni Hardy, we dig into what it really means to build capacity in math classrooms—one intentional move at a time. Toni shares how small, purposeful shifts in lesson planning and delivery create long-term impact for students and teachers alike. From structuring lessons for clarity to anticipating misconceptions, she reminds us that the best math instruction isn’t about doing more, but about making the right...

Organization isn’t about perfection—it’s about impact. In this episode of Make Math Happen, Laneshia breaks down three truths every educator needs to hear: don’t put off what can be done today, stop making things harder than they need to be, and watch out for the trap of optimistic bias.

From creating a daily power hour to ditching the habit of reinventing the wheel, this episode shows how small, intentional steps can save you hours...

Anchor charts aren’t just classroom décor—they’re tools for making learning visible, guiding students toward deep understanding, and accelerating achievement. In this episode of Make Math Happen, Laneshia connects anchor chart planning to research-backed strategies like note-taking, summarization, and study skills. Building on ideas from Season 1, Episode 18 (Math Isn’t Magic—It’s Patterns Made Visible), this episode dives into how...

If we want to end the year strong, we have to start strong—and that means getting intentional about both our environment and our instruction from Day 1. In this episode, Laneshia unpacks Phase 2 of Get Better Faster—where the management trajectory focuses on rolling out and monitoring routines, and the rigor trajectory zeroes in on building effective independent practice.

You’ll learn how these moves connect directly to the P.L.A.N....

Welcome to a brand-new season and a brand-new name—Make Math Happen! In this first episode of August, we're diving into five strategic moves you can make right now to start the school year with clarity, confidence, and impact.

Inspired by Phase 1 of Get Better Faster, this episode focuses on the pre-teaching moves that lay the foundation for a year of powerful instruction and student growth. From planning and practicing routine...

Dear Educator,

In this episode, we delve into the essence of strategic planning with a focus on proactive and thoughtful approaches. Laneshia emphasizes the importance of designing lessons for students on the margins, highlighting that these students are not a detour but the map itself. By planning with intention and clarity, educators can create a ripple effect that benefits all learners. Join us as we explore how to protect prep t...

Dear Educator,

What does it mean to truly prepare students for what lies ahead—not just academically, but emotionally, socially, and intellectually?

In this episode of PD for the Soul, we’re building Bridges to Belonging with instructional leader Tara McCormick. Together, we unpack how to create the kind of math classrooms where students not only master the content—but feel seen, capable, and ready to take on the challenge of high sc...

Dear Educator,

What happens when we stop treating disability, race, and learning needs as separate conversations—and start seeing the whole child?

In this episode, I sit down with Leroy Smith, founder of Realize Curriculum Solutions and a passionate advocate for equity in education, to explore what it means to teach at the intersection of identity and ability.

Together, we challenge outdated notions of who belongs where and what succe...