Best DebateMath Podcasts (2025)

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Debate 47 - How Can We Support Teachers? 1:10:27

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15d ago1:10:27

1:10:27

Text us your thoughts! As we’ve done in the past, we wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable to reflect on the past debates and also engage in a discussion around a central question. With all the stress put on teachers and all the content we have to teach (not to mention the greater politic…

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Debate 46 - Should We Teach Analog Clocks? 36:57

1M ago36:57

36:57

Text us your thoughts! What are your thoughts about teaching how to read analog clocks? In this month’s debate we’re diving into a question that might seem small at first, but actually gets at some big ideas about education, tradition, and the skills we think are essential for the next generation, especially in light of all the technology available…

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Debate 45 - More Reading or More Math? 56:19

3M ago56:19

56:19

Text us your thoughts! Imagine you had a magic wand and could add an extra 30–40 minutes to the school day. How would you use it? Would you dedicate that time to Reading or to Math—and why? That’s the debate we dove into, with two teams facing off in this live debate, answering the big question: Should schools spend more time on Reading or on Math?…

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #7 8:54

3M ago8:54

8:54

Text us your thoughts! This is the seventh (and final) episode with our guests demonstrating various classroom debate routines. In this episode, we put everything together: using a discourse routine, modeling listening skills, and preparing both sides of a debate. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into a final example with us! Follow Mike…

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #6 5:03

3M ago5:03

5:03

Text us your thoughts! This is the sixth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this episode, we see another example of the routine where students have to prepare both sides of an argument ahead of time: a Point-Counterpoint Debate. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Fo…

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #5 5:57

4M ago5:57

5:57

Text us your thoughts! This is the fifth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we explore a routine where students have to prepare both sides of an argument ahead of time: a Point-Counterpoint Debate. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn o…

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #4 7:57

4M ago7:57

7:57

Text us your thoughts! This is the fourth of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we dig further into the listening routine of Circle Debates. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social …

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #3 7:13

4M ago7:13

7:13

Text us your thoughts! This is the third of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. In this example, we extend the routine from the previous episodes to really encourage listening. Tune in as guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example of this! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Ch…

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #2 5:43

4M ago5:43

5:43

Text us your thoughts! This is the second of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. Tune in to this very brief example, where guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into a more mathy example! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social media: @zakchamp And check out the FlynnEduca…

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Mini DebateMath Lesson #1 5:06

4M ago5:06

5:06

Text us your thoughts! This is the first of seven episodes where our guests demonstrate various classroom debate routines. Tune in to this very brief debate on pizza, where guest debaters Mike and Zak dive into an example! Follow Mike Flynn on social media: @mikeflynn55 Follow Zak Champagne on social media: @zakchamp And check out the FlynnEducatio…

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Hot Seat #9 - Memorize or From Memory? 32:02

5M ago32:02

32:02

Text us your thoughts! Today we’re diving into one of the most talked-about—and often misunderstood—topics in math education: memorization vs from-memory thinking. At first glance, they might sound like the same thing. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a growing divide among educators, researchers, and even students. Should we be drilling mu…

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Hot Seat #8 - Is Math a Gatekeeper? 29:12

5M ago29:12

29:12

Text us your thoughts! Mathematics has often been considered a gateway to opportunity—but some people argue that, too often, it acts instead as a gatekeeper. But why is that? Is it really a barrier for our students’ future successes? And how much of a problem is this? In this episode, we dive deep into this discussion with Pamela Burdman from Just …

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Hot Seat #7 - Intentional Sequencing? 31:01

5M ago31:01

31:01

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

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Hot Seat #6 - Teach Listening? 23:36

6M ago23:36

23:36

Text us your thoughts! Discourse routines are a big part of many classrooms (and debates). However, what role does listening play and is there a way to teach it? Our “Hot Seat” guest today is here arguing for the statement: Schools Should Teach Listening Skills You can find out more about The Listening Path. You can contact Christine Miles on her w…

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Hot Seat #5 - Math Identity? 40:33

7M ago40:33

40:33

Text us your thoughts! It’s time for another round of Summer Hot Seats! You may have heard talk about math anxiety and helping students to build confidence in math skills. But our guests today want to focus on the idea of math identity. What is it? And how do we foster it? So for this Hot Seat debate, we have two educators here to share why they th…

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Debate 39 - Should We Teach a Curriculum with Fidelity? 1:04:33

7M ago1:04:33

1:04:33

Text us your thoughts! Let’s talk about curriculum resources! Whether you are using a textbook that you chose or your district chose for you, many of you have been asked to use the resource with fidelity. But what exactly is fidelity, and is it a problem to create our own lessons? How much should teachers be expected to use what is included in a cu…

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Debate 38 - Should We Compare the Teaching of Reading to the Teaching of Math? 46:42

8M ago46:42

46:42

Text us your thoughts! Is teaching math the same as teaching reading? Have you ever attended a PD or read about a strategy that works for teaching both reading and were asked to use it in math as well? There are times when these two pedagogies can overlap…but should they? Today, we have a very special “family” episode for you. We are going to hear …

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Debate 37 - Dump the Algorithms? 58:58

9M ago58:58

58:58

Text us your thoughts! Math is full of algorithms. These are generalized procedures or sets of rules to be followed in solving problems of a given type. From the standard algorithms for subtraction and long division in elementary school all the way to the distance formula and the quadratic formula in high school, algorithms are a part of the mathem…

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Debate 36 - Narrow the Grade Bands? 57:28

10M ago57:28

57:28

Text us your thoughts! How narrow should we make the grade bands for teacher certification? When teachers get their certification in a state, it is usually for a specific subject and/or grade band. For instance, a teacher may get a certification in K-8 Elementary Teaching or 7-12 Math Instruction. These bands vary by state and change over time. So …

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Debate 35 - Creating Belonging in Math Class? 1:16:29

1y ago1:16:29

1:16:29

Text us your thoughts! As we’ve done in the past, we wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable to reflect on the past debates and also engage in a discussion around a central question. This year’s question is: How do we help students feel that they belong in math class? Follow Melissa Dean on…

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Debate 34 - Should Politics Be Avoided in Math Class? 1:00:05

1y ago1:00:05

1:00:05

Text us your thoughts! At the time of this recording, we are in an election year and political ads are everywhere. As we get closer to November 2024, it is harder and harder to avoid. Now, while you may not think of math as a course that intersects with political topics, teachers may find it coming up in many ways. So for this episode we gathered a…

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Debate 33 - Is NCTM Worth It? 1:13:32

1+ y ago1:13:32

1:13:32

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

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Hot Seat #4 - Is Data Science a Rigorous Course? 43:17

1+ y ago43:17

43:17

Text us your thoughts! For our final “Hot Seat” of 2024, we wanted to lean into the topic of data science. It’s starting to become a course offered in high schools, but some may wonder if it is a rigorous pathway for students. Is Calculus still the most rigorous course for high school students? We want to hear from our guests from DataScience4Every…

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Hot Seat #3 - Are Problem-Based Lessons Essential? 45:04

1+ y ago45:04

45:04

Text us your thoughts! Do you know what Problem-Based Lessons are? And more importantly, do you think they are important? For this Hot Seat, we hear from educators Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr on why they think: Problem Based Lessons are Essential. Follow the Make Math Moments Podcast Check out Problem-Based Lessons on: makemathmoments.com Take the repo…

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Hot Seat #2 - Is It OK to Quit Teaching? 57:15

1+ y ago57:15

57:15

Text us your thoughts! For this next Hot Seat debate, we talk about the complicated decision to leave education. With many teachers leaving or considering leaving the profession, we brought on two former educators–Laila Nur & Justin Aion–to debate the question: Is it OK to quit teaching? Follow Laila on Twitter: @mslailanur or check out her website…

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Hot Seat #1 - Is Math Dead? 37:04

1+ y ago37:04

37:04

Text us your thoughts! Welcome to our very first Hot Seat debate! In this debate we hear from Sunil Singh and explore his idea that: Math is Dead! Follow Sunil on Twitter: @Mathgarden Check out Sunil’s Website: www.mathsings.com Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts. Don’t forge…

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Debate 28 - A 4-Day School Week? 49:46

1+ y ago49:46

49:46

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

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Debate 27 - The Science of Math? 1:03:29

1+ y ago1:03:29

1:03:29

Text us your thoughts! Have you heard of the Science of Math? It is a movement in the math education world, which aims to use research to inform best practices. However, there has been some push back to this movement. Critics question what and how research was quoted and used. This controversy sounded like a topic for the Debate Math Podcast. Come …

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Debate 26 - 2 LIVE Debates! 50:26

1+ y ago50:26

50:26

Text us your thoughts! This month's episode is a special recording of two LIVE debates at the OMCA 2024 Retreat. Listen as thoughtful math leaders discuss two topics and answer questions from the audience! The first topic is: We need to have common evaluations. The second debate topic is: Teachers spend too much time on direct instruction. Follow u…

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Debate 25 - Should You Follow the Textbook? 1:02:31

2y ago1:02:31

1:02:31

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

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Episode 300 - What to Expect in Season 3! 10:49

2y ago10:49

10:49

Text us your thoughts! Welcome to Season 3! Listen in as Chris & Rob talk about the upcoming season! Listened to the episode? Now, it’s your turn to share! Go to our BlueSky: @DebateMath to share your thoughts. Don’t forget to check out the video version of this podcast on our YouTube channel! Keep up with all the latest info by following @DebateMa…

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Debate 24 - Bringing Joy to Math Class! 1:01:28

2y ago1:01:28

1:01:28

Text us your thoughts! We wanted to end the year by bringing together a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable to reflect on the past debates and also engage in a discussion around the question: How do we bring joy to math class? With politics around education and teaching so often turning negative in the news, we wanted to talk more …

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Debate 23 - What is the BEST Standard of Math Practice? 55:11

2y ago55:11

55:11

Text us your thoughts! If you know the Common Core, then you have probably seen the 8 Standards of Math Practice (or SMPs as we refer to them). Here at the DebateMath podcast, we are HUGE fans of SMP#3 - Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. But we wanted to take some time to highlight some of the other SMPs. So we reache…

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Debate 22 - Ditch Geometry 1:01:21

2y ago1:01:21

1:01:21

Text us your thoughts! Earlier this season we had a lovely debate on whether or not to Ditch Algebra 2. During that debate, our four guests tangentially expressed four very different viewpoints on Geometry. We thought it would be a great idea to get these guests back together to hear more of their thoughts on Geometry. Should we keep it? Is it impo…

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Debate 21 - How Do You Get Students Talking in Math Class? 46:28

2+ y ago46:28

46:28

Text us your thoughts! Join us as we take a break from our usual format for a special Back to School episode! Here at the DebateMath podcast, we highly value discourse in math. On the podcast, we want to elevate the voices of teachers and students in our episodes, and we also want that for our classrooms. We want to encourage student discourse in m…

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Debate 20 - Tech & Math Class 51:31

2+ y ago51:31

51:31

Text us your thoughts! Math class is so often associated with pencil and paper work–students working through steps of symbolic manipulation. But what role does or should technology have in math class? Our world is constantly changing, and how do we adapt to that? From calculators, to apps, to ChatGPT, the resources available keep growing. So how or…

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Debate 19 - Alternative Assessments 1:04:30

2+ y ago1:04:30

1:04:30

Text us your thoughts! Math exams are the typical culminating assessment at the end of the unit or the end of a semester, but what if we didn’t give exams? What if we instead spent that time on an alternative form of assessment. What would that look like? What are the options? In this episode, we have 3 awesome educators each sharing a different wa…

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Debate 18 - Let's Get Digital 53:38

2+ y ago53:38

53:38

Text us your thoughts! It’s final exam season! So we thought it would be a good time to get into a debate about tests. Should we continue using paper tests, or is it time to give tests on computers? Which way is easier? Which method is best for teaching and learning? Should we stick with paper or is it time to say: Let’s Get Digital! Tune in as fou…

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Debate 17 - Follow the Pacing Guide? 58:18

2+ y ago58:18

58:18

Text us your thoughts! Let’s talk about pacing guides. What are they? Why do we have them? How much should we follow them? This topic has caused quite the stir in many schools among colleagues. Some educators believe pacing guides may not be effective, or even necessary! While others believe pacing guides are needed so we stay on track to cover all…

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Debate 16 - AP PreCalc? 57:43

2+ y ago57:43

57:43

Text us your thoughts! Have you heard that there’s is a new AP math exam: AP PreCalc. Yes, the College Board is planning to offer an AP PreCalc exam, starting in the spring of 2024. So should you offer an AP PreCalculus course next school year? What is on the test? What’s more, the College Board has been involved in some controversial headlines lat…

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Debate 15 - Retakes or Corrections 54:38

3y ago54:38

54:38

Text us your thoughts! Suppose some students do not do well on a test or a quiz. What’s the best way for students to improve and then show their improved understanding? They could correct their mistakes for credit or set a date for a retake. Which way do you want students to show mastery? Listen in as our teams discuss what they think is the best w…

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Debate 14 - Ditch Algebra 2 56:34

3y ago56:34

56:34

Text us your thoughts! Let’s talk about Algebra 2! What is it? Why is it important? And most importantly, should we continue to require it? Plenty of high school students struggle in what we call Algebra 2, and many ask the question “when are we ever going to use this?” Some schools and districts now offer alternative pathways for students in their…

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Debate 13 - Is HS Math Relevant? 54:09

3y ago54:09

54:09

Text us your thoughts! We’ve heard the question of the relevance of high school math come up in both our podcast and in many conversations with educators. Do our students need high school math? Is it important to their future careers? What topics should we really emphasize or focus on? In this episode, we speak with four young professionals who are…

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Episode 200 - Reflecting on Season 1 25:49

3y ago25:49

25:49

Text us your thoughts! Chris and Rob take a moment to reflect on the first season of the DebateMath Podcast. Tune in to peek behind the curtain and learn how these debate episodes come together. Listened to the episode? Share your thoughts! Go to our Twitter: @DebateMathPod to share your thoughts. Keep up with all the latest info by following @Deba…

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Debate 12 - What is the Purpose of Math Class? 50:55

3y ago50:55

50:55

Text us your thoughts! In the DebateMath Podcast season finale, we invited back a few of our guests from past debates for a roundtable discussion to engage in a discussion around the question: What is the purpose of math class? Resources Referenced in this Episode: Follow Zak on Twitter: @zakchamp, Website: www.zakchamp.com Follow Dr. Raj Shah on T…

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Debate 11 - Students Should Have Math Homework (LIVE!) 51:21

3y ago51:21

51:21

Text us your thoughts! A LIVE debate on Homework! We are so excited to share the recording of our first-ever live debate at the @PCTMpctm math conference. Listen in as two teams of two debate the resolution: Students Should Have Math Homework. This episode includes live voting and Q&A from the audience. Connect with People in this Episode: Follow S…

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Debate 10 - Calculus & College Admissions 1:04:54

3y ago1:04:54

1:04:54

Text us your thoughts! Calculus is often seen as an important course for competitive college admissions. Some call Calculus the “gold standard.” Should students push to take Calculus? Do colleges want incoming students to have Calculus on their transcript? How might teachers guide students best? Listen in as we debate the hot topic of Calculus and …

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Debate 9 - Elementary Teachers Should Be Content Specialists 1:02:37

3+ y ago1:02:37

1:02:37

Text us your thoughts! Should elementary teachers be content specialists? In most high schools, we are used to teachers being content specialists–in math or history or art etc. Students have a different teacher for each subject. Elementary students typically have one teacher for all content. Teachers are responsible for all subjects at that grade l…

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Debate 8 - I Do, We Do, You Do Must Go! 1:09:39

3+ y ago1:09:39

1:09:39

Text us your thoughts! You may have heard it by a couple different names: I Do, We Do, You Do or the Gradual Release of Responsibility. Some are for it. Some are against it. We often see it debated about on social media and in person. So, we thought it would be a great topic for debate! Listen in as four passionate educators engage in a rich and fi…

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Debate 7 - Cut Quadratics 50:30

3+ y ago50:30

50:30

Text us your thoughts! Quadratics: a staple of high school algebra. From factoring to the quadratic formula, quadratics can span multiple units. Some see quadratics as the building blocks of higher level math. Others ask why we teach it. So let’s talk about quadratics! What is good, bad, or ugly about quadratics? Why are the valued so highly? And m…