Math is Figure-Out-Able!

What perspective and assumptions do you bring to your teaching? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss the kinds of teachers they've interacted with and their own growth as teachers.

Talking Points:

• "Inquiry-based" + Mimicking
• "Direct teach" + Mimicking
• "Inquiry-based"+ Math-ing
• "Direct teach" + Math-ing

Links:

1. BLOG: When "Covered" Doesn't Mean Understood: Building Reasoning in Middle School Math

2. Developing Mathematical Reason...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on October 7, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Fac...

What can we do to keep students thinking, instead of waiting to be told what to do? In this episode Pam and Kim focus on an algebra Problem String that helps students learn to choose between strategies.

Talking Points:

• What it mean to keep kids in "Thinking Land"
• How to keep students actively reasoning versus cueing them to mimic/memorize steps
• How the same instructional phrase can lead students into or out of "Thinking Lan...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 30, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

...

What does explicit teaching mean to you? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss an Adding Mixed Numbers Problem String, idenitfying exactly what teachers should be explicit about versus what they should leave for students to grapple with.

Talking Points:

• Being explicit about the student's job during a Problem String
• Ways to nudge students to make connections
• Eliciting specific strategies
• Creating helper problems 

Link...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 23, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

...

When do we allow students more freedom, and when do we need to be more explicit? In this episode, Pam and Kim analyze a Distance vs. Removal subtraction Problem String, identifying when they are explicit and when they are not.

Talking Points:

• Intentional contexts, number choices, and problem order
• Choosing which strategies to elicit and represent
• Planned board layouts 
• Focusing the conversation 
• Highlighting mathema...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 16, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

...

Many aspects of teaching can be improved by being more explicit. In this episode, Pam and Kim identify specific categories where explicit teaching is necessary, borrowing Piaget's distinction between social-conventional and logical-mathematical knowledge.

Talking Points:

• Being explicit about a goal doesn't mean teaching it as a step-by-step procedure.
• Good teaching requires explicit goals.
• Examples of Math Content Goals&nbs...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 9, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

F...

Is the popular discussion around "explicit teaching" helpful? Do we all envision the same thing? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss their thoughts about "explicit teaching", and which parts of mathematics require explicit teaching, and which do not.

Talking Points:

• The difference between social-conventional knowledge and logical- mathematical knowledge
• Examples of social knowledge and when students must be told somethin...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on September 2, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

F...

What does reasoning about algebraic expressions look like? In this episode, Kim facilitates a Problem String that has Pam solving equations using equivalence.

Talking Points:

• Using comparison to ignore commonalities on both sides of an equation
• Equivalence strategies are the most sophisticated
• Learning to think relationally, rather than procedurally
• Relational thinking builds mathematical identity and genuine engagement

...

 In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on August 26, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_m...

With so much to teach every year, we know you're always looking for the biggest impact for long term success for your students. In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss models that grow with students as they learn more and more mathematics.

Talking Points:

• Verticality in practice standards, content progressions, vocabulary, notation, and strategies 
• How area models extend from elementary to high school
• Open number lines ma...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on August 19, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Fac...

What experiences do you seek out to become a better teacher? In this episode, Pam and Kim describe how experiences lead to beliefs, then actions, and ultimately results, They then explore the most impactful experiences available to teachers and leaders everywhere.

Talking Points:

• "More experiences" means more than just repetition
• Experiences build beliefs that power actions
• The need for multifaceted, varied experiences
• Exper...

In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on August 12, 2026. 

Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies. 

Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Fac...

Is improving math education as simple as telling teachers and students what actions to take to achieve the desired results? In this episode, Pam and Kim discuss the Results Pyramid and how experiences are what builds beliefs, which inform the actions that ultimately determine our results.

Talking Points:

• Why the Results Pyramid is a model for lasting change
• The importance of experiences to shift beliefs
• The ineffectiveness ...