What if “common sense” isn’t universal at all—but learned, personal, and shaped by context? Joel and Misty begin with their typical philosophical investigation of the national day. This time it's "Use Your Common Sense" Day.
That reframing sets the stage for a lively conversation with our colleagues Bri Ruiz and Adam Varnes as they launch Sum Shenanigans, a new CPM social series built to deliver practical math‑teaching strategies right where you already scroll.
We dig into the why behind the project: teachers don’t need more theory in abstract; they need clear, adaptable moves they can try tomorrow. Sum Shenanigans pairs long‑form YouTube conversations with quick Instagram reels, so you can choose depth or speed based on your day. The first topics hit two of the biggest challenges in student‑centered classrooms—pacing and collaborative learning. We unpack how to prioritize essential ideas, plan checkpoints, and protect thinking time, then shift to group routines, roles, and talk moves that lift more voices without losing mathematical focus.
From there, we preview upcoming episodes on supporting multilingual learners, working with students with exceptionalities, and sharpening core practices like formative assessment, circulating, and questioning. Bree and Adam keep the tone grounded and human—they’re not presenting as the final word, but as reflective practitioners sharing what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what they’re still testing. That openness is the point: we want to spark a wider conversation so teachers can add their own approaches, surface real‑world constraints, and co‑create better solutions.
Ready to jump in? Watch the long versions on YouTube, catch the bite‑size tips on Instagram, and tell us what you want next. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and drop a comment with your biggest classroom challenge—what should we tackle together?
To celebrate our launch, we have posted our first two episodes on YouTube, Supporting Study Teams and Pacing. Keep an eye out on Instagram for the Reels that will go up soon. We hope you enjoy the series as much as we have making it.

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The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program.
Learn more at CPM.org
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