Full Transcript for Your students have a math identity bank account. Are you making deposits? w/ Tammy McMorrow

our own. 00:02:27.076 --> 00:02:42.656 We get into all of this and so much more, so if you're already thinking of that veteran teacher who needs a reminder that 30 years of experience does not mean there's nothing left to discover, or that early years teacher who thinks brain science could never work with their students, pause and send them this episode right now so they can listen along with you. 00:02:43.045 --> 00:02:44.342 All right, let's get to it. 00:02:47.038 --> 00:02:53.663 Okay, so I have to start by saying I think one of the coolest things about you is you've been teaching grade one for 32 years. 00:02:53.694 --> 00:02:54.204 Is that right? 00:02:54.204 --> 00:02:55.721 Like, over 30 years at this point. 00:02:56.224 --> 00:02:56.846 Yes, 00:02:56.876 --> 00:02:59.205 First of all, teaching grade one, don't know how you do it. 00:02:59.235 --> 00:03:18.300 That's already cool, but I think the cool, cool, cool part is it's been over three decades, and you are one of the teachers I always look up to in terms of, like, you are constantly revisiting your practice, incorporating new things, being inquisitive as to, like, what you're doing and how you can be doing them another way. 00:03:18.304 --> 00:03:28.356 Like, I just think it's so cool that after being in a classroom for 30 years, three decades, you are still consistently putting yourself in the learner seat. 00:03:28.435 --> 00:03:36.554 And I am, like, so curious, d- was this always the way you were, or was the- was there something that made you look at your practice and think, like,"I think I need to change things"? 00:03:37.066 --> 00:03:42.635 I think it's always m- been my plan to be better the next day than I was the day before. 00:03:43.070 --> 00:04:01.054 Uh, one of my mantras is that I'm in charge of my own professional development, so I've never been waiting for my school or my district or my state to say,"Hey, you need to start learning about this certain thing." I go after it, and it's like I can't retire because I still have so much to learn. 00:04:01.073 --> 00:04:03.084 I need to be better on behalf of my students. 00:04:03.086 --> 00:04:14.104 So I don't know when that point will be, but it's always been so important for me to do my best work and to keep iterating and figuring it out better. 00:04:14.105 --> 00:04:14.530 So 00:04:14.551 --> 00:04:16.964 I, I need to just sit on that sentence. 00:04:16.975 --> 00:04:20.057 I'm in charge of my own professional development. 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:37.894 I think that's so powerful because, I mean, I, I don't know, I, I'm sure you're in the same conversations I'm in with everyone kind of like shitting on professional development and being like,"Oh my gosh, like, we're not giving teachers what they need," or like,"It's one and done PD," where, like, somebody comes in and then they are, they never revisit that concept again. 00:04:37.904 --> 00:04:41.798 Or, like, teachers are actually, aren't given enough professional development, right? 00:04:41.798 --> 00:04:46.257 Like, to actually develop professionally, you need consistency, you need all of this stuff. 00:04:46.259 --> 00:04:56.146 So I think it's so p- empowering to hear you say,"I'm in charge of my own professional development." But I also, like, imagine for so many educators that might feel so intimidating. 00:04:56.146 --> 00:04:59.375 Like, how do you know what to go after? 00:04:59.375 --> 00:05:00.403 There's so much out there. 00:05:00.406 --> 00:05:03.196 Like, how, how did you decide? 00:05:03.266 --> 00:05:04.413 How do you decide? 00:05:04.583 --> 00:05:08.017 Cause I see you posting- the K to 2 Facebook group is yours, right? 00:05:08.517 --> 00:05:10.877 Yes, I share it with some people, but I did start it, yeah 00:05:11.377 --> 00:05:21.949 So I, I noticed because I was like, Oh my God, here is this teacher who's really gotten, like, headfirst into Building Thinking Classrooms, love to see it, and is just really putting stuff out there, like creating this community. 00:05:21.949 --> 00:05:29.418 Like, yes, you're in charge of your own professional development, but you've also created this community where everybody gets to be in charge of their own and collaborate on professional development. 00:05:29.701 --> 00:05:33.151 like, since then also, though, you post about all sorts of things. 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:35.622 So it's like it's not just building thinking classrooms, right? 00:05:35.624 --> 00:05:39.199 Like, you've done math therapy work, you've done st- like Liesl McConchie stuff. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:41.562 Like, I see you're really into brain growers now. 00:05:41.564 --> 00:05:42.757 We're gonna talk about all this stuff, by the way. 00:05:42.923 --> 00:05:46.161 But my point is, how do you choose? 00:05:46.216 --> 00:05:49.333 Like, with the plethora of stuff out there, can you guide me a little? 00:05:49.334 --> 00:05:54.442 If a teacher's listening and being like,"I wanna be in charge of my own professional development," like, how do they start? 00:05:55.110 --> 00:05:55.584 Right. 00:05:55.668 --> 00:06:00.819 that's a great question, especially for elementary teachers who we have to do everything. 00:06:00.990 --> 00:06:01.387 Yeah 00:06:02.076 --> 00:06:05.449 so choosing one thing can be overwhelming. 00:06:05.762 --> 00:06:11.182 For me, for most of my career, it was literacy that I was pursuing most. 00:06:11.668 --> 00:06:14.593 Then, it just kind of takes me down a rabbit hole. 00:06:14.858 --> 00:06:28.939 And once I start finding an author, like Vanessa Vakharia, you know, you find an author that you really enjoy, then, usually that author is gonna send you,"Now read this book," or, you know,"Take this workshop," or, or what have you. 00:06:29.201 --> 00:06:37.882 So it kinda depends on, I think, a person's passion, but it can also depend on is really, like, itching, right? 00:06:37.925 --> 00:06:47.346 What's itching right now in your practice, and what is

seemingly that, like, I keep hitting a brick wall in that particular area. 00:06:47.595 --> 00:06:51.024 And for me, with math, my rabbit hole was Peter. 00:06:51.387 --> 00:06:59.478 Once I read Peter, then I couldn't stop reading other math books, and I'm still in that rabbit hole and, and thoroughly enjoying it. 00:06:59.822 --> 00:07:09.300 But that one, you know, I just saw somebody posted about this great book, and it changed their life, and I'm like,"Hey, I'm always up for a book that changes my life." So, I read it. 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:19.593 But then I realized that for a lot of my m- my career as a math teacher, I had this idea of where I wanted my kids to be, so this was my problem of practice. 00:07:19.619 --> 00:07:20.987 I know I want them thinking. 00:07:21.274 --> 00:07:22.779 I know I want them problem-solving. 00:07:23.209 --> 00:07:26.646 I think I know what that looks like, but I don't know how to get there. 00:07:26.863 --> 00:07:29.596 So I think that was my impetus. 00:07:29.603 --> 00:07:34.420 Like, I had this vision, but I just didn't know how to, how to get to that place. 00:07:34.716 --> 00:07:43.723 So Peter's work was my bridge across this great crevice, that then helped me figure out, how do I get my kids to where I want them to be? 00:07:44.048 --> 00:07:49.783 So I guess for some teachers, it's, it's the passion, but for some teachers, it's the problem of practice maybe. 00:07:50.307 --> 00:07:53.399 How can one direct their own professional development? 00:07:53.411 --> 00:07:54.865 Like, you started by getting the book. 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:56.422 You read the book, right? 00:07:56.423 --> 00:07:57.937 We're gonna go with Building Thinking Classrooms. 00:07:57.937 --> 00:07:58.454 Hey, Peter. 00:07:58.461 --> 00:07:59.035 What's up? 00:07:59.288 --> 00:08:02.048 We're gonna go with Building Thinking Classrooms because that's what we're talking about. 00:08:02.509 --> 00:08:08.353 You got the book, you read it, and now you're hungering for more, and you're wanting resources, and you're wanting things to do. 00:08:08.382 --> 00:08:16.654 If somebody's out there and they've read this book, whatever it is for them, what's the next step they can take in terms of creating their own professional development plan? 00:08:16.855 --> 00:08:24.100 Uh, I think one of the things is just the mindset in general that I don't have to have all the answers to do this work. 00:08:24.452 --> 00:08:30.581 One of the quotes I read this summer, which I really loved, was,"Messy movement is better than perfect paralysis." 00:08:30.764 --> 00:08:31.290 Ooh. 00:08:31.790 --> 00:08:33.220 yeah, isn't that good? 00:08:33.591 --> 00:08:38.241 That's really taking done is better than perfect to like another level. 00:08:38.741 --> 00:08:39.004 Like 00:08:39.504 --> 00:08:40.159 So good. 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:41.255 yeah, it's good 00:08:41.385 --> 00:08:46.279 I, I think along with that is just this, embracing ambiguity. 00:08:46.543 -->

00:08:57.664 and when I was getting my master's several years ago, I remember a professor saying,"A really good learner is able to embrace, embrace the ambiguity." So that's what a teacher needs to do. 00:08:57.883 --> 00:09:05.691 Read the book, embrace the ambiguity, jump right in, and know that they will figure it out as they go along. 00:09:06.298 --> 00:09:12.302 And then also, you know, the beauty of social media, which can also be a hot, hot mess. 00:09:12.385 --> 00:09:12.673 Yeah. 00:09:12.871 --> 00:09:12.888 Yeah. 00:09:12.888 --> 00:09:20.546 There are so many places out there, podcasts, groups on Facebook, workshops by Pam Harris. 00:09:20.572 --> 00:09:27.028 I mean, people are out there doing this work and providing service to those of us who wanna know more. 00:09:27.028 --> 00:09:27.042 Yeah. 00:09:27.322 --> 00:09:35.850 And so it just takes a little bit of digging, but if people are willing to just take that first step, the path will present itself. 00:09:36.482 --> 00:09:45.426 I love that, and I love-- I'm getting such a visual right now of that digging, you know, I remember hearing this quote by Elizabeth Gilbert, who I love so much. 00:09:45.434 --> 00:09:46.857 She is, like, my icon in the world. 00:09:46.868 --> 00:09:50.783 She wrote Eat Pray Love, like that's what people know her for, but she's so much more than that. 00:09:50.797 --> 00:09:51.477 Like, that was-- Whatever. 00:09:51.852 --> 00:09:53.630 And she had this qu- has this quote. 00:09:53.642 --> 00:10:08.370 She was talking about how, you know, she was doing this keynote, and somebody was like, you know, it was this whole keynote about finding your passion, like finding the thing you're passionate about, and she got a letter after the keynote from this woman who had been there, and she was like:"You know, your talk really depressed me because I don't know what my passion is. 00:10:08.383 --> 00:10:18.097 Like, I don't know what, like, my one thing is." And Elizabeth Gilbert was like,"I realize this whole time I should have been framing it as follow your curiosity. 00:10:18.336 --> 00:10:18.817 Right? 00:10:18.846 --> 00:10:22.028 Like, don't worry about finding your passion or the end point. 00:10:22.101 --> 00:10:23.746 What are you curious about right now? 00:10:23.746 --> 00:10:25.457 And I think that's such-- That's kind of what you're saying. 00:10:25.466 --> 00:10:29.841 You're kind of like,"Don't worry about the best professional development," or, like, the thing. 00:10:29.849 --> 00:10:33.350 It's like, what are you interested in, or what is bugging you right now? 00:10:33.624 --> 00:10:39.253 Just follow your curiosity, and the path will reveal itself, and think about it as, like, a treasure hunt. 00:10:39.264 --> 00:10:41.147 Like, what would you do, right? 00:10:41.147 --> 00:10:47.988 Like, you would be looking for clues, and you would go to the next place, and then you'd maybe, like, find a friend or a community talking about it. 00:10:48.053 -->

00:10:59.903 And so I love that piece of advice, and I think another thing that I really wanna ask, and I feel like you do this so naturally that you're gonna be like,"What?" But, like, you know, learning a new or potentially better way of doing something can be really humbling. 00:11:00.025 --> 00:11:03.403 And especially when you're, like, an experienced teacher. 00:11:03.458 --> 00:11:12.749 It almost feels like when you're a new teacher, and I use air quotes, that's when you're allowed, air quotes, to be revising and iterating and doing new things. 00:11:12.913 --> 00:11:19.267 But 30 years in, I feel like a lot of teachers, it's really hard ego-wise to be like,"You know what? 00:11:19.280 --> 00:11:22.841 I need to change things." How do you do that? 00:11:22.851 --> 00:11:24.085 Like, how do you reckon the two? 00:11:24.091 --> 00:11:30.495 Like, how do you not let it become an ego thing that you're like,"I just constantly am changing what I'm doing'cause I think it can be better"? 00:11:30.995 --> 00:11:39.346 well, it is humbling to be a beginner, but how else do we get better unless we're willing to take that, that chance? 00:11:39.404 --> 00:11:42.360 and I always think it's about the kids in front of me. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:49.005 They deserve the best, and there is no such thing as the best because I'm always gonna be getting better. 00:11:49.035 --> 00:11:59.328 But in honor of them, I'm willing to swallow my pride and recognize the areas that I can get better at. 00:12:00.078 --> 00:12:01.600 It has to be a mindset, right? 00:12:01.677 --> 00:12:10.346 Yeah, I think it's a mindset and, well, and I think it's interesting'cause you're like,"What the fuck are you talking about?" The vibe I get from you is that it really is a fun treasure hunt. 00:12:10.437 --> 00:12:16.927 It doesn't seem, and get me if, correct me if I'm wrong, it doesn't seem like you're coming at this from a place of lack. 00:12:16.937 --> 00:12:33.729 It's not like you're b- like,"I need to get better because I suck." You're like,"I wanna get better because it's fun to learn new things and experiment and try." And so you're kind of coming at it with a very different energy which I often feel like professional development feels like... 00:12:34.229 --> 00:12:39.059 you know what, when you're in those sessions where it feels like you're being told you're doing something wrong and you need to change it? 00:12:39.293 --> 00:12:43.400 Versus being in a session where it's like loving and appreciating all the stuff you're doing. 00:12:43.410 --> 00:12:45.327 "Here are some other things you might wanna try." 00:12:45.763 --> 00:12:46.381 Right. 00:12:46.620 --> 00:12:47.124 Oh, it's... 00:12:47.124 --> 00:13:00.899 So that takes me to celebration,'cause if I can celebrate the little things that are happening, happening already in my practice, then I'm more likely to take the next step to get better with the hard things. 00:13:01.014 --> 00:13:19.460 Because if I can stop and I can do some time traveling almost, like let's remember what I was able to do two months ago that now I, I'm so much better at, or even in my classroom, think about a month ago what my kids were doing then and now they can do this. 00:13:19.477 --> 00:13:22.751 That time traveling is so important for my mindset. 00:13:23.044 --> 00:13:26.229 Also, just stopping and celebrating how far I've come. 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:32.136 You know, that all makes a huge difference in my ability to move forward even when it's hard. 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:39.600 I do love that, and you know that I'm so big on celebration because I think we're always focusing on, like, again, coming at it from lack. 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:46.436 And first of all, like, just in terms of motivation, no one's motivated when it feels like they're not going anywhere, right? 00:13:46.436 --> 00:13:51.644 So if you just constantly are focused on what you haven't done yet, it starts to feel like you're drowning in quicksand. 00:13:51.644 --> 00:13:57.399 Whereas if you're like,"Oh my God, the things I'm doing are paying off," maybe not in the exact way I wanted them to. 00:13:57.400 --> 00:14:06.315 Like, maybe not every single kid can add fractions now, but, like, literally last week, zero of them knew how to add fractions, and now five of them do. 00:14:06.316 --> 00:14:07.616 Like, that's so cool. 00:14:07.828 --> 00:14:08.576 Yeah 00:14:08.756 --> 00:14:10.173 yeah, I really like that. 00:14:10.504 --> 00:14:18.732 I would love to actually talk about some of your favorite things that you've brought into your practice, and I know that you're really into brain science right now. 00:14:18.732 --> 00:14:21.885 And I actually think it's really cool because I think I, I... 00:14:21.903 --> 00:14:22.455 We're so different. 00:14:22.470 --> 00:14:23.918 Like, I'm a high school teacher, right? 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:26.849 So I have no, zero experience teaching grade one children. 00:14:27.496 --> 00:14:43.322 And what I think is so cool is that you're doing BTC with them, you're doing math therapy with them, you're doing brain science-related tasks and activities and pedagogy with them, and you're kind of showing us all that it's never too early to start with these innovative strategies. 00:14:43.332 --> 00:14:50.397 So can you tell me, I, I wanna talk about the brain growers, because I saw you post on Instagram a picture of these crowns. 00:14:50.615 --> 00:14:54.500 These c- so you, you had made these construction paper crowns, and you called them brain growers. 00:14:54.828 --> 00:14:56.193 Tell us about what that is. 00:14:56.706 --> 00:14:57.269 Yeah. 00:14:57.548 --> 00:15:05.620 So this is, comes from one of my favorite books by Christine Miraz and Christine Hertz, and it's called A Mindset for Learning. 00:15:06.162 --> 00:15:11.711 And I haven't read all the g- the growth mindset elementary books out there, but 00:15:11.932 --> 00:15:12.706 In the world? 00:15:13.311 -->

00:15:16.745 I don't think we should expect you to read all the growth mindset books in the world 00:15:17.513 --> 00:15:21.552 But having said that, I can't imagine one this better, honestly. 00:15:21.782 --> 00:15:22.666 it is so good. 00:15:22.667 --> 00:15:29.726 They have five brain growers, and they are optimism, persistence, flexibility, resilience, and empathy. 00:15:30.235 --> 00:15:30.982 Okay, wait, wait, wait. 00:15:31.182 --> 00:15:31.655 Hold on. 00:15:31.658 --> 00:15:32.725 I need to get this in my head. 00:15:32.871 --> 00:15:35.543 Optimism, resilience, 00:15:36.128 --> 00:15:41.820 Persistence, flexibility, and empathy 00:15:41.828 --> 00:15:42.105 empathy. 00:15:42.135 --> 00:15:42.639 Okay. 00:15:42.684 --> 00:15:43.095 Yeah. 00:15:43.341 --> 00:15:56.164 And so we talk about how we have the power to grow our brains, and we talk about neuroplasticity and all the things, and that these five brain growers are super powerful ways of doing that work. 00:15:56.501 --> 00:16:06.668 And so then based on the work that the book talks about, I've expanded it, and I spend a week on each brain grower in my classroom. 00:16:07.053 --> 00:16:08.671 And what we do is we unpack it. 00:16:08.682 --> 00:16:15.488 There's a really great definition that the authors have developed for each one, and a visual that goes with it. 00:16:15.495 --> 00:16:19.847 So, you know, helping the-- helping all of this stick in their brains better. 00:16:20.446 --> 00:16:32.138 And then I do each week playful, low-risk, non-academic ways of, experiencing and practicing those brain growers. 00:16:32.520 --> 00:16:33.107 Okay, wait 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:36.524 have to worry about the content, the academics, they just play with it 00:16:36.873 --> 00:16:37.830 I love... 00:16:37.850 --> 00:16:38.341 Okay, hold on. 00:16:38.341 --> 00:16:40.256 I need to back up though, because I am taking notes. 00:16:40.453 --> 00:16:49.749 So these brain growers, what that means is these elements like empathy, resilience, optimism, are ways to literally grow your brain? 00:16:50.182 --> 00:16:50.835 Yes 00:16:51.065 --> 00:16:52.734 Okay, so they're ways to grow your brain. 00:16:52.734 --> 00:16:59.802 So, so, so that's number one, and you're kind of like, let me teach you guys how to experience these things." Like, how do we foster optimism? 00:17:00.147 --> 00:17:01.269 And then you spend the week. 00:17:01.296 --> 00:17:09.517 Now, I have a feel- like, I really am excited that we're talking about this because I think many of us would be like,"We don't have a week to spend doing this." But it's not like you're spending all day. 00:17:09.517 --> 00:17:13.057 Like, tell us what a week developing optimism looks like. 00:17:13.472 --> 00:17:15.672 I might introduce it with a video. 00:17:16.166 --> 00:17:22.595 So we watched a video of a gymnast who doesn't have legs, and she talks about not saying the word can't. 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:26.104 And then I say,"Hey, we're gonna learn about this optimism. 00:17:26.105 --> 00:17:33.061 Watch this video and see if you can figure out what, what optimism might look like and sound like." So we would unpack it with that. 00:17:33.154 --> 00:17:39.835 And then I, I would introduce the-- we have a little poster that I created with the definition and the visual. 00:17:40.682 --> 00:17:45.095 then throughout the week, I'm going to be reading books that... 00:17:45.159 --> 00:17:49.155 You know, picture books are so great at teaching all of these things. 00:17:49.528 --> 00:18:00.628 so I'll read a book, probably most every day, and then we're gonna have like ten minutes, ten, fifteen minutes a day to explore that. 00:18:00.642 --> 00:18:04.688 Like one day, uh, we might make house, a house of cards. 00:18:04.977 --> 00:18:07.616 know how you build houses with decks of cards? 00:18:07.923 --> 00:18:09.240 That might be an activity. 00:18:09.576 --> 00:18:15.012 Or we might make domino trains, depending on the, the particular brain grower we're working on. 00:18:15.027 --> 00:18:16.957 Or one day, we saved Fred. 00:18:17.327 --> 00:18:18.458 I don't know if you've ever saved 00:18:18.512 --> 00:18:19.433 Who's Fred? 00:18:19.974 --> 00:18:20.705 Oh my goodness. 00:18:20.712 --> 00:18:21.695 Fred is so awesome. 00:18:22.016 --> 00:18:23.611 He's a gummy worm. 00:18:23.798 --> 00:18:24.446 Okay 00:18:25.026 --> 00:18:35.454 He's a literal gunni- gummy worm and, there's this little plastic cup, and he's, he's got a life preserver, which is his, um... 00:18:35.631 --> 00:18:36.297 What? 00:18:37.063 --> 00:18:37.971 I know this is awesome. 00:18:38.670 --> 00:18:38.924 No. 00:18:39.116 --> 00:18:43.709 There's this life preserver which is a lifesaver, a, but a gummy lifesaver. 00:18:43.715 --> 00:18:44.008 God. 00:18:44.034 --> 00:18:44.670 Okay 00:18:45.067 --> 00:18:45.569 Okay. 00:18:45.607 --> 00:18:51.692 And then the kids get pa- two paper clips, and his boat is the, this plastic cup. 00:18:51.961 --> 00:18:55.068 So he's out on the ocean, and he gets turned upside down. 00:18:55.467 --> 00:19:00.286 And we've got to save Fred because the life preserver is under the boat'cause the boat tipped over, 00:19:00.409 --> 00:19:01.113 I'm dying 00:19:01.613 --> 00:19:11.184 And you gotta get, using only the paper clips, you've got to get Fred inside of the life preserver, and you can't touch him with your fingers. 00:19:11.974 --> 00:19:15.179 This is, uh, this sounds very hard. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:17.101 This, a lot of dexterity involved. 00:19:17.124 --> 00:19:22.618 Okay, so now, okay, can you tell, now tell me how these activities tie into the optimism brain grower 00:19:23.118 --> 00:19:25.115 Well, not all of those are with optimism. 00:19:25.115 --> 00:19:26.888 They might, that m- one might work 00:19:27.036 --> 00:19:28.726 Oh, resilience. 00:19:28.744 --> 00:19:30.385 Oh, I see what you mean. 00:19:30.401 --> 00:19:31.009 Oh. 00:19:31.290 --> 00:19:33.646 Okay, but give me

one, give me one optimism one. 00:19:33.905 --> 00:19:35.041 Oh, let's see. 00:19:35.041 --> 00:19:36.645 What did we do with optimism? 00:19:37.195 --> 00:19:40.316 So there are these little rubber disks. 00:19:40.816 --> 00:19:44.278 these plastic kind of rubbery disks, and each kid gets two, 00:19:44.619 --> 00:19:45.016 Okay 00:19:45.122 --> 00:19:53.076 they- they- We go outside, and they have to move themselves from one spot another spot stepping on the disks. 00:19:53.313 --> 00:19:55.127 So this optimism like,"Oh, I can try. 00:19:55.131 --> 00:20:00.517 I've never done this before, but I'm gonna try this anyways." So they have to move across the playground 00:20:01.171 --> 00:20:03.259 I love the elementary teachers. 00:20:03.280 --> 00:20:05.433 Like, I would just never think of this stuff. 00:20:05.433 --> 00:20:09.561 Like, a gummy worm with a gummy lifesaver life jacket. 00:20:09.561 --> 00:20:10.530 Like this, yes. 00:20:10.576 --> 00:20:11.851 Yes, yes, bring 00:20:12.351 --> 00:20:23.343 I didn't make that up, but my, now that I have this lens of what brain growers are, whenever I see these little kinds of challenges on social media, I'm like,"Oh, that would be great for resilience. 00:20:23.395 --> 00:20:24.451 Oh, and that would be great for flexibility. 00:20:24.590 --> 00:20:25.490 Oh my God. 00:20:26.345 --> 00:20:37.885 So you're doing basically these low-stakes activities in order to foster these, what we call brain growers, which are all, by the way, for everyone listening, skills in math class. 00:20:37.903 --> 00:20:38.958 They are all math skills. 00:20:38.959 --> 00:20:40.232 They're all math-adjacent skills. 00:20:40.232 --> 00:20:53.335 They are all skills that will help students be optimistic when tackling a problem that they can't solve, be resilient when they need to keep going, feel empathetic enough to collaborate with one another and listen to each other and congratulate one another on their thinking. 00:20:53.561 --> 00:21:09.002 I can't remember the other ones, but the, my, my point being that in these short little 10-minute bursts here or 10-minute bursts there, we are actually introducing these students to these skills that will then take them where we want them to go in our math classrooms. 00:21:09.363 --> 00:21:10.096 Right. 00:21:10.214 --> 00:21:13.792 Because then when we get into the content, they have context. 00:21:14.185 --> 00:21:16.786 They've, they've experienced these before. 00:21:16.832 --> 00:21:21.636 They have the language to describe it, yeah, it makes a world of difference. 00:21:21.710 --> 00:21:24.304 So it's very much worth the time. 00:21:24.478 --> 00:21:27.958 And speaking of language, can I share a couple quotes from my kids? 00:21:28.089 --> 00:21:29.968 I would love to hear some quotes 00:21:30.034 --> 00:21:35.077 I hear one, one day they were working on building the house of cards, which is hard. 00:21:35.087 --> 00:21:38.281 That's a really difficult skill for, for little people. 00:21:38.651 --> 00:21:46.534 And I heard one boy say,"Persistence and optimism, my two new favorite things." He says,"It's hard, and it's good." 00:21:47.034 --> 00:21:49.317 Oh my God, how, like how old is this little cutie? 00:21:49.318 --> 00:21:50.789 Like six, seven? 00:21:51.212 --> 00:21:51.232 he's 6! 00:21:51.512 --> 00:21:52.787 Oh my God 00:21:53.027 --> 00:22:07.681 And then on another day, one of my girls was asking this boy, she says,"What's the opposite of resilience?" And she names him, and he says,"I don't know, but the opposite of optimism is pessistimism." 00:22:08.469 --> 00:22:11.363 Stop! Oh my God. 00:22:11.364 --> 00:22:11.998 Oh my God. 00:22:12.306 --> 00:22:17.623 So now you also said that you make these crowns because when they need to borrow, what... 00:22:17.623 --> 00:22:19.734 Like, tell me what you do with the actual physical crowns. 00:22:19.736 --> 00:22:20.601 I love this 00:22:21.101 --> 00:22:26.519 We make one crown the kids help me write the word, whatever it is, optimism. 00:22:26.520 --> 00:22:26.886 They help me. 00:22:26.914 --> 00:22:28.628 We share the pen and they write it. 00:22:29.023 --> 00:22:34.119 And then, that crown is just available during other times of the day. 00:22:34.131 --> 00:22:39.751 Like, if anyone is feeling like they need a little bit more resilience, they can go and put the crown on. 00:22:39.955 --> 00:22:48.925 And I, I say,"You are the kings and queens of optimism now, so you have a crown to wear when you need it." And honestly, they do. 00:22:48.942 --> 00:22:52.311 They, they don't always, but sometimes I, I might even offer it. 00:22:52.334 --> 00:22:54.465 "Do you feel like you need some flexibility right now? 00:22:54.483 --> 00:22:57.913 You can go get the crown." And they will, and they'll put that thing on. 00:22:58.413 --> 00:23:00.018 I absolutely love this. 00:23:00.067 --> 00:23:06.839 Okay, another idea that I know you've told me about and I wanna hear more about is your work you're doing around failure. 00:23:07.221 --> 00:23:08.181 Tell me about that. 00:23:08.738 --> 00:23:09.699 Yeah. 00:23:10.032 --> 00:23:11.509 So, couple things. 00:23:11.663 --> 00:23:12.278 Dr. 00:23:12.317 --> 00:23:28.247 Becky Kennedy is the author of Good Inside, and she also has a great Instagram, she talks about the learning space, and she calls it, it's kind of like the learning pit, but I honestly like the word space a little bit better. 00:23:28.454 --> 00:23:32.807 So she talks about the, the distance between not knowing and knowing. 00:23:32.914 --> 00:23:32.924 Okay 00:23:33.166 --> 00:23:37.099 And if people could see me, I'm making this crazy kind of rollercoaster. 00:23:37.368 --> 00:23:38.403 a sign wave, everyone. 00:23:38.864 --> 00:23:39.784 Yeah, there you go. 00:23:39.794 --> 00:23:41.054 Oh, thank you for describing that. 00:23:41.471 --> 00:23:44.101 And, and we might think,"Oh, I'm- I've almost got it. 00:23:44.125 --> 00:23:45.481 Oh, I'm never gonna get

this. 00:23:45.509 --> 00:23:46.309 This is too hard. 00:23:46.309 --> 00:23:47.596 Well, maybe I know what I'm doing. 00:23:47.644 --> 00:23:52.634 No." And it's just like this wild ride, the distance between not knowing and knowing. 00:23:52.949 --> 00:23:53.587 And Dr. 00:23:53.601 --> 00:23:59.821 Becky Kennedy says that the one emotion we feel in that learning space is frustration. 00:24:00.321 --> 00:24:09.186 And so when we feel frustrated, it's not because we're bad at it, it's because we're new at it, and we're learning something. 00:24:09.189 --> 00:24:12.689 So it's a really a good sign, even though it's so hard. 00:24:13.148 --> 00:24:19.519 And so my job as the, the teacher in the room is to help kids not exit the learning space. 00:24:19.884 --> 00:24:24.123 That doesn't mean that we don't take a break or we ask for help. 00:24:24.132 --> 00:24:27.114 There are strategies we can use when we're in the learning space. 00:24:27.614 --> 00:24:33.508 Exiting it is gonna prevent us from getting to that end, which feels so rewarding. 00:24:33.958 --> 00:24:37.185 So when kids are failing, that is a sign. 00:24:37.196 --> 00:24:39.705 Like,"Oh, you were in the learning space today. 00:24:39.717 --> 00:24:50.986 Congratulations." And so one day, when my kids were at what I call thinking boards, which Peter uses in his work, Well, I'm gonna back up a little bit. 00:24:51.441 --> 00:25:01.673 I learned a strategy from a teacher named Laura Weiss, and she will capture the amazing things kids are saying at their boards and actually write their words down. 00:25:02.287 --> 00:25:11.250 And it just I love how it honors their work, it also, those words become contagious because we highlight them during consolidation. 00:25:11.750 --> 00:25:21.613 so I will jot down words that kids are saying to each other about,"Oh, you did such a good job." Or, or they might say,"Let's start over," or things like that. 00:25:21.615 --> 00:25:24.362 I will capture those on their boards and literally write them down. 00:25:24.732 --> 00:25:27.926 Well, I have a couple kids who will do that for themselves. 00:25:28.173 --> 00:25:33.303 So they will actually write down the words instead of me capturing them. 00:25:33.528 --> 00:25:39.057 So this one group writes,"Let's start over," on their board, and they put a box around it. 00:25:39.645 --> 00:25:43.271 And it was r- they were doing one of these tasks that's kind of puzzle-ish. 00:25:43.936 --> 00:25:51.079 It's super open, but there's only one kind of right answer, and it takes a lot of iterating to get to the right answer. 00:25:51.082 --> 00:25:52.201 So a lot of starting over. 00:25:52.896 --> 00:25:57.020 And they were keeping tallies of their failures. 00:25:57.321 --> 00:26:01.780 And I, I walked past, and I was like,"What are they doing?" So I kinda, I nudge in. 00:26:01.780 --> 00:26:03.886 It's like, talk to me about what what you're doing right here. 00:26:03.887 --> 00:26:09.815 What are you doing?" And

they said,"We're keeping track of our failures." And that it was no big deal for them. 00:26:10.088 --> 00:26:11.655 This was not a bad thing. 00:26:11.655 --> 00:26:12.230 There was no bad 00:26:12.486 --> 00:26:13.983 Why were they doing that? 00:26:14.483 --> 00:26:15.279 I don't, I don't know. 00:26:15.296 --> 00:26:23.923 They were just gonna keep track how many times they fail before they got the answer, and they honestly never did get the answer, and they were fine with that. 00:26:24.412 --> 00:26:29.461 And, in fact, I think they only had three tallies, I think their, their math was wrong. 00:26:29.553 --> 00:26:32.563 If they had really been keeping track, it'd probably been double that. 00:26:33.063 --> 00:26:43.375 But at the end of the task, when we, when I did my consolidation, we celebrated their failures and that they were keeping track of them. 00:26:43.405 --> 00:26:44.673 I thought that was the coolest. 00:26:44.756 --> 00:26:46.210 That is the coolest. 00:26:46.272 --> 00:26:57.334 G- okay, so also, I just wanna clarify, you said when they were at the thinking boards, and by thinking boards, just for anyone who doesn't know what that is, you're just talking about non-permanent vertical surfaces. 00:26:57.856 --> 00:26:58.118 Yep. 00:26:58.458 --> 00:26:59.819 Are we calling them thinking boards now? 00:26:59.820 --> 00:27:00.676 Is this official? 00:27:01.248 --> 00:27:02.547 No, this is just what I've always 00:27:02.637 --> 00:27:03.126 Okay, fine. 00:27:03.138 --> 00:27:03.771 Okay, got it, got it. 00:27:03.772 --> 00:27:05.332 Just che- just checking to see if the 00:27:05.832 --> 00:27:07.934 yeah, I needed a name and that's what I've always called 00:27:07.983 --> 00:27:08.409 I love it. 00:27:08.409 --> 00:27:09.195 I love a thinking board. 00:27:09.199 --> 00:27:09.960 Okay, so thinking boards. 00:27:10.234 --> 00:27:16.542 So when you do the consolidation, what you're talking about there is when you bring the class together to kind of recap what's gone on. 00:27:17.042 --> 00:27:20.976 Okay, so tell me how you celebrated their failures. 00:27:20.977 --> 00:27:21.593 What did you do? 00:27:21.605 --> 00:27:24.256 What's, what's a good way for us to celebrate stuff like that? 00:27:24.756 --> 00:27:29.214 Well, just a couple days ago we did a confetti cannon, 00:27:29.506 --> 00:27:30.994 No, you didn't 00:27:31.057 --> 00:27:32.971 Of course, I still have confetti cannons. 00:27:32.974 --> 00:27:33.585 We did it. 00:27:33.595 --> 00:27:34.222 They love it. 00:27:34.230 --> 00:27:40.299 In fact, cleaning up the confetti cannon is probably more fun than actually, you know, popping it for 00:27:40.511 --> 00:27:42.186 do you wanna come on tour with us? 00:27:42.208 --> 00:27:47.034 Because cleaning up the confetti cannon is not our favorite part when we shoot it during a show. 00:27:47.162 --> 00:27:48.355 some first graders along 00:27:48.548 --> 00:27:49.099 Yeah. 00:27:49.290 --> 00:27:50.131 love that part. 00:27:50.544 --> 00:27:57.041 another one that I just invented, just came to me in the moment, I sent them on a victory lap around the room. 00:27:57.268 --> 00:27:57.893 What does that mean? 00:27:57.894 --> 00:27:58.818 I love it. 00:27:58.818 --> 00:27:59.045 How do we do it? 00:27:59.545 --> 00:28:00.691 They just walked around the room 00:28:00.790 --> 00:28:00.820 Oh my God 00:28:01.056 --> 00:28:04.105 They did a victory lap, they thought that was the coolest thing ever. 00:28:04.105 --> 00:28:05.151 They're, they were beaming 00:28:05.651 --> 00:28:14.153 That is so funny because a victory lap is actually when you stay in school for a whole extra y- year because you failed the year before. 00:28:14.494 --> 00:28:14.818 No, 00:28:15.550 --> 00:28:16.482 Did you know that? 00:28:17.027 --> 00:28:17.811 No 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:18.846 a victory lap is. 00:28:18.858 --> 00:28:19.328 So this 00:28:20.527 --> 00:28:22.257 it means a really fun thing in first grade 00:28:22.772 --> 00:28:24.654 That is so funny. 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:26.770 I love this so much. 00:28:26.789 --> 00:28:34.461 Like, these are all, like, just all these things you're bringing up are these elements that we can be incorporating into our practice, right? 00:28:34.461 --> 00:28:38.563 Regardless of how you choose to teach content, we can always find ways to celebrate. 00:28:38.608 --> 00:28:42.715 I love the idea of walking around the room and just noticing student language. 00:28:42.715 --> 00:28:56.638 You don't have to interrupt in the moment, but writing down little things students are saying, and at the end, you know, recapping and being like,"Hey, here are some of the stuff I heard around the room." It's a great way to value what your students are doing, regardless of whether they get the right answer to something or not, right? 00:28:56.638 --> 00:29:02.971 Just being like,"I loved how so-and-so was supporting this person," and like,"I loved this language." Okay, give us something else. 00:29:02.983 --> 00:29:07.997 What's, what's your, what's your favorite thing right now, your new thing that you're like,"Oof, I'm obsessed with this"? 00:29:08.497 --> 00:29:11.065 Oh, my favorite thing can I share another celebration? 00:29:11.238 --> 00:29:12.332 Of course 00:29:12.615 --> 00:29:20.719 So, we walked to each thinking board and we went,"Ooh, ah." Like they were fireworks. 00:29:21.219 --> 00:29:22.934 I love that. 00:29:23.057 --> 00:29:25.025 Again, simple. 00:29:25.404 --> 00:29:26.166 Simple. 00:29:26.416 --> 00:29:33.642 You know, and it's funny, it's like you- there's a lot of research on this where, you know, your facial expression or your energy is actually contagious, right? 00:29:33.642 --> 00:29:36.733 Like, p- polyvagal theory tells us we've evolved to co-regulate. 00:29:36.990 --> 00:29:38.900 Our energy literally is contagious. 00:29:38.903 --> 00:29:43.915 We are often looking to other people's faces as cues for how we should react or respond.

00:29:44.191 --> 00:29:51.249 So simply the act of being like,"Ooh, ah," and acting excited really does It is contagious, right? 00:29:51.250 --> 00:29:53.175 It lifts up the energy in the room. 00:29:53.432 --> 00:29:56.942 It helps people feel really, really good, and nothing is really required. 00:29:56.942 --> 00:29:58.722 It's just a fun, silly thing to do. 00:29:58.742 --> 00:30:04.008 So I actually I'm all for celebrating, more celebrating, even if it's a bit like... 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:11.398 And I know, guys, I know Tammy's in grade 1, and a lot of you are like,"Okay, this is not gonna fly with my grade 11 class." It is. 00:30:11.654 --> 00:30:12.857 It is going to. 00:30:12.868 --> 00:30:15.951 Like, I promise you, like, I am a high school girly. 00:30:15.951 --> 00:30:21.049 Like, I mostly work with high school students, and they love this shit. 00:30:21.075 --> 00:30:23.075 Actually, Tammy, you will love this. 00:30:23.075 --> 00:30:32.661 David and I, our band went on tour last week, and we visited a few high schools to do workshops with them, and in one of them I did, like, a BTC-style workshop but for songwriting. 00:30:32.957 --> 00:30:36.792 So, like, I used some elements of building thinking classrooms in helping the class. 00:30:36.792 --> 00:30:46.070 I put them into random groups, like, in getting them to co-write a song, which is, like, a very vulnerable thing to do, especially the second week of school when kids don't even know each other yet. 00:30:46.462 --> 00:30:50.410 And it's like maybe there was a little eye roll, maybe there was a little cringe. 00:30:50.412 --> 00:30:52.359 Like, there was a l- definitely a lot of resistance. 00:30:52.682 --> 00:31:04.181 But walking around the room, finding things to compliment kids on, being like,"Oh, I love that line," or,"I love how-- Oh, my God, I love that you guys just worked together on that." These little things, you can see them opening up, right? 00:31:04.181 --> 00:31:06.540 Like, everyone loves a specific compliment. 00:31:06.554 --> 00:31:08.394 Everyone loves to be celebrated. 00:31:08.394 --> 00:31:16.829 So if you can find ways to do that, like, you are going to win your students over, even if it's not super visible in the first place. 00:31:16.836 --> 00:31:25.140 Like, that idea of making crowns and being like,"Guys, who needs to wear the optimism brain grower today?" I promise that will work on a 16-year-old. 00:31:25.201 --> 00:31:26.278 It honestly will. 00:31:26.313 --> 00:31:27.113 Like, it will, right? 00:31:27.113 --> 00:31:30.855 Like, walking around and oohing and aahing, like, people will laugh. 00:31:30.884 --> 00:31:37.069 And, like, it is all about bringing some levity and some good vibes into what can be a stressful sit- situation 00:31:37.558 --> 00:31:42.453 It reminds me of Liesl McConchie who says we need to be dopamine dre- dealers. 00:31:42.835 --> 00:31:47.211 So those are easy, easy ways to deal out some dopamine. 00:31:47.567 --> 00:31:49.362 100%. 00:31:49.898 --> 00:31:50.263 Yeah 00:31:50.623 --> 00:31:59.019 We often talk about joy in math class, and I do feel like sometimes we're, we're almost, like, going at it the hardest way. 00:31:59.095 --> 00:32:04.461 Like, we're like, we're trying to make, like, a quadratic formula problem, like, joyful. 00:32:04.565 --> 00:32:05.263 You know what I mean? 00:32:05.263 --> 00:32:07.798 And it's like, I'm not saying don't try to do that. 00:32:07.807 --> 00:32:18.122 Like, 100% do, but there are all of these ways to create opportunities for joyful experiences around the math problem, right? 00:32:18.138 --> 00:32:22.830 Or, like, in other elements of the math problem that don't require you to rewrite the problem. 00:32:23.107 --> 00:32:28.431 And just like you're mentioning here, all of the things Tammy just mentioned are ways to do that, right? 00:32:28.432 --> 00:32:32.008 So you don't have to rewrite every single question. 00:32:32.019 --> 00:32:35.201 You don't have to make every single question relevant and real life. 00:32:35.201 --> 00:32:45.326 You don't Like, w- we get that you have curriculum that you're often contending with, but creating these opportunities for dopamine being raised around them, we can, we can all do that. 00:32:45.826 --> 00:32:46.357 Yeah. 00:32:46.519 --> 00:33:04.239 It reminds me of just if with my first graders, trying to get them into that positive state of mind that you talk about, that Liesl about, could be I put my task in a box, and I have a st- Post-It note that says,"Do not open until 1 o'clock" right? 00:33:04.246 --> 00:33:06.976 Just that anticipation and that curiosity. 00:33:07.333 --> 00:33:14.361 Little moves like that are, are going to get them in the right state of mind so they can access the content better. 00:33:14.832 --> 00:33:20.599 I love that, and I think i- it's funny, like, just talking to you, how you're like,"Ooh, I've got one. 00:33:20.868 --> 00:33:21.707 Oh, we do this. 00:33:21.894 --> 00:33:23.068 Oh, these rubber discs. 00:33:23.261 --> 00:33:25.355 Oh, this gummy where..." Like, I'm like, what? 00:33:25.532 --> 00:33:47.547 Like, and I, I do think it's funny, like, we talk so much about creativity in math class, but the creativity is often in the way we just present something, or in, like, the, the, you know, the, the flourish of the way we write something down, or like you just said, the p- surprise element, or handing out stickers, or, you know, like creating a victory lap or an ooh and ahh situation. 00:33:47.876 --> 00:33:49.997 Really just trying shit out. 00:33:50.104 --> 00:33:56.646 Try random stuff out, see what makes them smile, and then iterate on it, and it doesn't have to be perfect, and there's no one right way. 00:33:56.647 --> 00:34:08.351 Like Tammy, you just mentioned, like you're on Instagram and you're seeing these little challenges, and you're like,"Ooh, maybe I'll try that as a brain grower." I think that idea of, like, being

interdisciplinary, think about the things you enjoy as an educator. 00:34:08.353 --> 00:34:09.489 What are the things you love doing? 00:34:09.490 --> 00:34:11.139 What are the things that make you happy? 00:34:11.266 --> 00:34:13.969 What are the elements of those things you can bring into your classroom? 00:34:14.528 --> 00:34:14.898 Yeah. 00:34:15.168 --> 00:34:15.536 Yeah. 00:34:16.023 --> 00:34:18.144 'Cause the, a brain is a brain, right? 00:34:18.146 --> 00:34:25.847 We know things about the brain and how the brain functions, whether you're six or you're 55, there are a lot of similarities between the two. 00:34:26.201 --> 00:34:27.731 Yeah, uh, 100%. 00:34:27.753 --> 00:34:29.070 A brain is a brain. 00:34:29.300 --> 00:34:33.027 There are some core human emotions that we all share, you know? 00:34:33.027 --> 00:34:36.967 And there are some core things that always make people feel good, like laughter, right? 00:34:36.967 --> 00:34:38.730 Like, how can you create a moment of laughter? 00:34:39.128 --> 00:34:40.994 How can, you know, these types of things. 00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:50.197 So interestingly, you're, you're dealing with these young, young kids, and we often think s- that, that students need to have years of negative experiences before they develop a math story, right? 00:34:50.871 --> 00:34:51.405 Yeah. 00:34:51.447 --> 00:34:53.471 I, I would love to hear a little bit about that. 00:34:53.471 --> 00:34:57.967 Like, are you seeing students at six or seven years old that already have anxiety around math? 00:34:58.467 --> 00:35:08.510 Well, I'm so glad you brought this up because this has been such a passion of mine for the last few years, and you have- definitely your work has contributed to that, and so has Liesl McConchie. 00:35:08.969 --> 00:35:17.237 In my work, I haven't seen too many kids at the age of six showing anxiety. 00:35:17.239 --> 00:35:20.137 But that doesn't mean that it's not on the inside, right? 00:35:20.199 --> 00:35:22.295 Maybe I just can't see it yet. 00:35:23.351 --> 00:35:32.481 I can think of a girl about four years ago when I introduced my thinking boards for the first time, she's in tears. 00:35:32.981 --> 00:35:41.322 But by the end of the year, she was like, literally, she was rubbing her hands together and say,"Bring it on, Miss McMorrow." I remember her saying that, right? 00:35:41.329 --> 00:35:43.144 So, so it is there. 00:35:43.195 --> 00:35:49.251 And I know your research has said by the age of six, fifty percent of, of our kids are already thinking that. 00:35:49.751 --> 00:35:58.315 even if I don't see evidence of it, in my opinion, I cannot overdo how much I support their math stories. 00:35:58.413 --> 00:35:59.387 I can't overdo it. 00:35:59.483 --> 00:36:01.478 It's literally impossible to overdo it. 00:36:01.907 --> 00:36:08.181 And like Liesl says, the emotional relationships with math is not an extra thing. 00:36:08.405 --> 00:36:09.340 It is the thing. 00:36:09.494 --> 00:36:10.387 It's

the plate. 00:36:10.858 --> 00:36:14.309 She calls it the plate upon which, you know, the content is served. 00:36:14.657 --> 00:36:23.956 So I'm gonna go all out when it comes to supporting their em- emotional relationships with math, even though they're only six. 00:36:24.237 --> 00:36:34.268 And here's one of the things that I have been saying for a while, that I believe they all have this mathematical identity bank account, so to speak. 00:36:34.518 --> 00:36:45.713 And it's my job to deposit and deposit and deposit and deposit, because when they leave me, I have no say in what practices they're going to experience. 00:36:45.833 --> 00:36:53.858 And the likelihood of them experiencing something that rubs up against their mathematical identity is unfortunately likely. 00:36:54.108 --> 00:37:04.485 So if that happens, and there's a withdrawal taken, my hope is that they won't be in the deficit because I have put so many deposits into that bank account. 00:37:04.985 --> 00:37:06.521 I love that. 00:37:06.521 --> 00:37:07.628 Did you make that up? 00:37:08.030 --> 00:37:09.103 I made that up. 00:37:09.184 --> 00:37:11.396 I am obsessed with that. 00:37:12.021 --> 00:37:13.005 I am obsessed with that. 00:37:13.005 --> 00:37:18.878 I really, really love that, and I just, I also just love the idea of, like, you cannot overdo it. 00:37:18.889 --> 00:37:26.358 Like, it's interesting, like, when I do this work with Math Therapy, right, like, there's often this question of like,"Well, my students are so young. 00:37:26.358 --> 00:37:30.652 Like, they probably don't have any, like, math trauma." And I'm like,"First of all, it doesn't even matter." Right? 00:37:30.652 --> 00:37:31.318 Like, it doesn't matter. 00:37:31.442 --> 00:37:45.416 We don't even need to ask the question because Robert Kaplinsky, he's like, loves metaphors, and he has this metaphor where he talks about, like, a waiter, at the beginning of a meal, every glass on your table, like, a waiter comes and will fill up every glass, right? 00:37:45.416 --> 00:37:54.210 Like, later on, like, the waiter will come, and they'll be like,"Do you want more water?" But, like, they usually start by placing a full bottle on the table or just filling up every glass. 00:37:54.521 --> 00:37:57.153 The, if you want water or if you don't, the water is there. 00:37:57.155 --> 00:38:04.179 It's not harming anyone to have the water there, and maybe at some point during dinner you get thirsty, and there it is. 00:38:04.206 --> 00:38:05.121 You can just have a sip. 00:38:05.579 --> 00:38:29.034 And this is what I always say is if we just approach our classrooms with the idea that, hey, there might be some kids in this class that need some extra care because they've had a negative experience with math, and we're here to help them rewrite and revise and change their narrative by, like, you know, creating more positive experiences to water down that negative experience that is lodged in there. 00:38:29.534 --> 00:38:32.621 If we just approach the entire class like that, everyone wins. 00:38:32.621 --> 00:38:34.784 There is nothing bad that can happen from it, right? 00:38:34.784 --> 00:38:39.664 Whereas w- if we go in there assuming everyone's fine, they're tough as nails, like who the fuck cares? 00:38:39.664 --> 00:38:40.411 Like, let's do whatever. 00:38:40.418 --> 00:38:49.659 It's like, chances are there's gonna be a loss experienced by not j-just the kids that already have had a negative experience with math, but now you're creating more negative experiences. 00:38:49.659 --> 00:38:52.295 Like, nothing bad com- from, can come from it, right? 00:38:52.295 --> 00:38:55.210 So, like, I love the way you're putting it too. 00:38:55.211 --> 00:38:56.771 It's like, it, it's a piggy bank. 00:38:56.771 --> 00:38:59.586 Like, you're just trying to deposit and deposit and deposit. 00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:01.001 You don't wanna withdraw. 00:39:01.170 --> 00:39:02.117 Like, why do you wanna withdraw? 00:39:02.135 --> 00:39:03.836 And also, you're right. 00:39:04.155 --> 00:39:10.364 It kinda sucks to be like,"All right, I'm kinda prepping for the fact that a withdrawal will likely be taken, maybe not." And also, I'd like to say something else. 00:39:10.577 --> 00:39:13.552 Sometimes we do make a withdrawal without meaning to, right? 00:39:13.554 --> 00:39:18.342 Like, we are, we're all well-intentioned, and we all, none of them, no one's trying to create a negative math experience. 00:39:18.347 --> 00:39:20.650 But maybe you make an off comment or something happens. 00:39:20.652 --> 00:39:22.054 Like, we can't help it, right? 00:39:22.054 --> 00:39:32.811 Like, so the more you can deposit when that does happen, that withdrawal is stacked up against, you know, 200 days of deposits and hopefully doesn't make much of a dent in the wallet. 00:39:32.831 --> 00:39:33.896 I'm loving this analogy. 00:39:33.896 --> 00:39:34.233 I'm not... 00:39:34.233 --> 00:39:35.081 I can't stop. 00:39:35.581 --> 00:39:36.478 It's really good. 00:39:36.548 --> 00:39:36.597 Well, yes. 00:39:37.097 --> 00:39:43.280 Well, and, and some- sometimes I think some people might even rely on, let's say, BTC. 00:39:43.556 --> 00:39:52.335 I think BTC nurtures identities emo- and emotional relationships with math, but I don't wanna rely on that. 00:39:52.550 --> 00:40:00.686 I, I s- still feel like I can go beyond that and make intentional moves that s- that support the work even more. 00:40:00.686 --> 00:40:04.068 I don't wanna just cross my fingers or leave it to happenstance. 00:40:04.239 --> 00:40:11.971 So I'm gonna do, I'm gonna go above and beyond even those practices that I think really are top-notch when it comes to this work. 00:40:12.507 --> 00:40:14.740 Give me an example of what that might mean. 00:40:15.240 --> 00:40:21.034 So, like, we, we just finished doing a where's the math photo challenge. 00:40:21.367 --> 00:40:35.842 So I spent, I spent a week a picture each day of myself

something I'm passionate about, and I would share the picture and say,"Where's the math?" And they all have to find the math. 00:40:35.842 --> 00:40:47.092 And by the end of the week, I've shared, like, five pictures, and they were so good at finding where all the math was, even beyond what, you know, we would, as adults, maybe even lo- find the math. 00:40:47.487 --> 00:40:55.889 And then I challenged, the families to take a picture of their child doing something that they're passionate about, and that there's math involved. 00:40:55.896 --> 00:40:58.545 So they're not doing math, but there's math there. 00:40:58.878 --> 00:41:08.581 And they send it to me, print it off, and the kiddo shows the picture to the, the class and says,"Where's the math?" Here's what they're, they're experiencing. 00:41:08.606 --> 00:41:13.148 Math is relevant, has everything to do with what I'm passionate about. 00:41:13.416 --> 00:41:14.527 Math is useful. 00:41:14.601 --> 00:41:16.815 Math helps me make sense of the world. 00:41:17.309 --> 00:41:19.960 And those pictures are up on the bulletin board. 00:41:20.791 --> 00:41:22.360 they're gonna stay up all year long. 00:41:22.860 --> 00:41:24.449 That's one thing I will do. 00:41:24.699 --> 00:41:29.534 Another one I'm, I'm gonna do soon is called, um, Mystery Mathematicians. 00:41:29.911 --> 00:41:30.418 What? 00:41:30.639 --> 00:41:36.163 it's similar to, the reading one where you might have a mystery reader come in. 00:41:36.746 --> 00:41:37.297 I don't know if you've 00:41:37.465 --> 00:41:37.958 Wait, what? 00:41:37.972 --> 00:41:38.639 What is this? 00:41:38.657 --> 00:41:39.376 What do you mean? 00:41:39.925 --> 00:41:47.967 A, a mystery reader is when, like, a family member will be invited in to come read to the class, and it's a mystery. 00:41:47.967 --> 00:41:51.771 We don't know who's coming, so there's some clues that we give about who that person might be. 00:41:52.271 --> 00:41:53.405 And then they come, and they read. 00:41:53.608 --> 00:41:55.179 So that's called mystery readers. 00:41:55.208 --> 00:41:56.996 But this is mystery mathematicians, 00:41:57.121 --> 00:41:58.985 I need to go back to elementary school? 00:41:58.985 --> 00:42:01.141 This sounds so fun. 00:42:01.208 --> 00:42:01.449 Over. 00:42:01.561 --> 00:42:01.969 Yes. 00:42:02.451 --> 00:42:02.947 Come on over. 00:42:03.362 --> 00:42:09.195 So, I invite the grown-ups come at some time in the year. 00:42:09.195 --> 00:42:10.516 It's not all the same time. 00:42:11.016 --> 00:42:14.751 they come, and they share how they use math in their everyday life. 00:42:15.586 --> 00:42:20.661 like last year, I had a dad come in who's a plumber, and he brought... 00:42:20.818 --> 00:42:20.996 And 00:42:21.059 --> 00:42:23.255 Oh my God 00:42:23.733 --> 00:42:28.597 visuals or, or, like, something consumable they can give to the kiddos. 00:42:28.672 --> 00:42:32.806 He brought all these little tiny measurement tapes and gave them to the 00:42:33.003 --> 00:42:34.380 No 00:42:34.880 --> 00:42:40.184 I had a mom who came in, and, she made, smoothies in front of them, and 00:42:40.242 --> 00:42:41.181 I'm crying. 00:42:41.583 --> 00:42:41.740 the 00:42:41.911 --> 00:42:42.248 That's... 00:42:42.925 --> 00:42:43.911 I love this 00:42:44.376 --> 00:42:46.463 drink the f- drink the smoothies. 00:42:46.686 --> 00:42:49.871 I had, like, five or six parents come in, and they each... 00:42:49.902 --> 00:42:50.869 or just grown-ups. 00:42:51.137 --> 00:42:57.414 They, they each shared something that, some way that they use math in their everyday life. 00:42:57.809 --> 00:42:59.648 And the kids are experiencing this, right? 00:42:59.668 --> 00:43:10.036 They're seeing, they're seeing themselves in the things that these, these grown-ups are sharing, and they're, they're experiencing, you know, just how math is so useful and relevant. 00:43:10.043 --> 00:43:10.503 So 00:43:10.974 --> 00:43:12.289 I'm obsessed with this. 00:43:12.309 --> 00:43:13.492 I want to come to your class. 00:43:13.536 --> 00:43:16.266 Like, this sound- I want to be a mystery mathematician. 00:43:16.597 --> 00:43:18.353 Oh my God, this sounds so fun. 00:43:18.353 --> 00:43:20.240 Oh my God, like, I love this. 00:43:20.255 --> 00:43:28.610 You have just left us with j- a jam-packed episode here of so many things to try, and I, I love what you just said there. 00:43:28.610 --> 00:43:34.179 You're like,"I'm doing BTC, but I'm also doing other stuff," other stuff that you're curious about, it kind of just seems like, right? 00:43:34.179 --> 00:43:37.865 Like, stuff that you find is cool, and, like, I hope everyone listening is just... 00:43:37.925 --> 00:43:43.818 First of all, I'm so inspired by you, and, like, my mind is now going and, like, thinking about all these cr- these creative things I want to do. 00:43:44.219 --> 00:43:51.445 And I love that you're just trying it out, seeing what works, and going from there, and I think that is such a great message to send to everyone who's listening. 00:43:51.445 --> 00:43:52.567 It doesn't have to be perfect. 00:43:52.815 --> 00:43:53.320 It doesn't... 00:43:53.349 --> 00:43:54.583 It- just, just do something. 00:43:54.585 --> 00:43:55.442 Just try anything. 00:43:55.514 --> 00:44:00.255 You know, I always say, like, the things you're doing right now are getting you the results you're getting right now. 00:44:00.255 --> 00:44:03.105 If you want anything different to happen, you've got to try something different. 00:44:03.250 --> 00:44:04.403 It doesn't matter what it is. 00:44:04.601 --> 00:44:06.916 You just have to try something different. 00:44:07.163 --> 00:44:10.086 If you try something different, something different will happen. 00:44:10.760 --> 00:44:11.135 Yeah. 00:44:11.635 --> 00:44:12.655 Messy movement 00:44:12.708 --> 00:44:15.672 Messy movement, better than paralysis? 00:44:15.713 --> 00:44:17.039 Perfect paralysis. 00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:17.293 This is kind of... 00:44:17.458

--> 00:44:17.706 This is... 00:44:17.759 --> 00:44:18.219 I don't know. 00:44:18.233 --> 00:44:19.023 This is kind of weird. 00:44:19.311 --> 00:44:21.364 Okay, Tammy, we gotta wrap up. 00:44:21.373 --> 00:44:22.775 I could talk to you for hours. 00:44:22.777 --> 00:44:24.463 I can't wait to hang out in real life soon. 00:44:24.927 --> 00:44:28.056 I have two questions for you, 30 seconds to answer each one. 00:44:28.262 --> 00:44:29.248 Oh, okay 00:44:29.382 --> 00:44:29.760 got this. 00:44:30.039 --> 00:44:34.773 The first one is, if you could change one thing about the way math is taught in schools, what would it be? 00:44:35.273 --> 00:44:36.135 Only have 30 seconds. 00:44:36.166 --> 00:44:36.411 That's 00:44:36.476 --> 00:44:36.922 It's okay. 00:44:36.923 --> 00:44:37.280 Whatever. 00:44:37.284 --> 00:44:38.505 This, you're not actually being timed. 00:44:38.519 --> 00:44:39.365 No one's timing you. 00:44:39.865 --> 00:44:40.367 That's good. 00:44:40.855 --> 00:44:49.311 Um, if I could change one thing, I'd want the math to be owned by the kids and not by the teacher, 00:44:49.947 --> 00:44:50.567 What does that mean? 00:44:50.583 --> 00:44:51.530 What does that mean? 00:44:52.030 --> 00:45:01.623 Like, we have to put them in the driver's seat instead of I'm, I'm gonna teach you, now you listen and repeat what I just said 20 more times. 00:45:01.860 --> 00:45:02.197 Yeah 00:45:02.467 --> 00:45:08.161 want them thinking, I want them messy, I want them grappling, so I'm gonna put them in the driver's seat. 00:45:08.505 --> 00:45:09.121 I love that. 00:45:09.282 --> 00:45:14.052 Okay, and finally, if someone was like,"Oh man, your class sounds so cool. 00:45:14.052 --> 00:45:19.003 I love it, but like, I- there's no way I'd be able to do it because I'm just not a math person," what would you say? 00:45:20.206 --> 00:45:20.916 Another one. 00:45:21.356 --> 00:45:26.489 um, there's no such thing as a math person, is what I would say. 00:45:26.619 --> 00:45:32.773 And like, if I can do this work then you can, is kinda what I feel. 00:45:33.215 --> 00:45:37.000 Because I grew up mimicking, That was the way I was taught. 00:45:37.012 --> 00:45:41.221 And I would also say, if you don't feel like a math person, it's not your fault. 00:45:41.721 --> 00:45:42.860 There's nothing wrong with you. 00:45:43.360 --> 00:45:46.632 It's just that we as teachers didn't find the right way to teach you. 00:45:46.686 --> 00:45:48.443 So anyone can do this. 00:45:48.945 --> 00:45:50.000 Thank you so much. 00:45:50.009 --> 00:45:52.023 It's such an honor having you on. 00:45:52.025 --> 00:45:53.240 This was so amazing. 00:45:53.240 --> 00:46:02.817 You are just such an inspiration, and I literally am going to go buy myself gummy worms and gummy Life Savers and make myself my own Band of Freds 00:46:03.317 --> 00:46:06.634 Let me know how that goes because it is not an easy thing to do. 00:46:06.634 --> 00:46:08.588 It'll build resilience, that's for sure. 00:46:09.088 --> 00:46:10.420 Thank you so much, Tammy. 00:46:10.425 --> 00:46:13.465 You're the best, and I can't wait to meet you IRL okay, bye. 00:46:14.481 --> 00:46:14.934 Bye 00:46:18.572 --> 00:46:26.951 what an inspiration, what a legend, what a reminder that it is never too late to learn something new, that we are not the main character of our classrooms, our students are. 00:46:27.284 --> 00:46:29.152 We are ego-driven beings. 00:46:29.275 --> 00:46:30.306 It's unavoidable. 00:46:30.501 --> 00:46:38.501 But next time our ego is feeling a little bruisy, let's all try to channel our inner Tammy, dust off the ugh, and just get to the business of learning something new. 00:46:38.922 --> 00:46:41.789 In the end, we are in charge of our own professional development. 00:46:41.800 --> 00:46:49.456 We can learn to learn something new whenever we want, and there's a community of educators out there doing just that who want to help you. 00:46:49.677 --> 00:46:51.887 So what are you feeling curious about these days? 00:46:52.032 --> 00:46:54.847 Text the podcast by hitting the link in your show notes and tell me. 00:46:55.521 --> 00:46:56.951 Let's crowdsource curiosity. 00:46:56.985 --> 00:47:06.034 I wanna know what you're thinking about and maybe learning about next, and maybe we can find some common patterns and themes actually, maybe we can do a mailbag episode on what you're curious about and what you're learning. 00:47:06.036 --> 00:47:07.545 So honestly, text the podcast. 00:47:07.773 --> 00:47:08.909 What are you curious about? 00:47:08.909 --> 00:47:10.271 What do you want to learn more about? 00:47:10.302 --> 00:47:11.965 What are you learning about these days? 00:47:12.813 --> 00:47:19.291 Math Therapy is hosted by me, Vanessa Vakharia, produced by David Kochberg, and the theme music is by our band, Goodnight Sunrise. 00:47:19.681 --> 00:47:23.784 As always, thank you guys so much for listening, sharing, and being a part of the community. 00:47:23.809 --> 00:47:26.614 If you want more Math Therapy, join our Facebook group. 00:47:26.644 --> 00:47:28.885 We have over 500 amazing members. 00:47:29.106 --> 00:47:32.262 Just hit the link in the show notes to join, and see you next week.