What if one of the most common terms in math education — conceptual understanding in math — isn’t actually understood the same way across schools, systems, or even math classrooms?

A recent podcast sparked a big question: is conceptual understanding in math poorly defined? The challenge wasn’t just the definition itself, but the claim that conceptual understanding in math may be getting in the way of math fluency. In this episode, Jon Orr, Yvette Lehman, and Beth Curran unpack that tension and wrestle with a deeper issue: maybe conceptual understanding in math is not poorly defined in research, but poorly understood and inconsistently implemented in practice.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why conceptual understanding in math and math fluency should not be framed as opposing goals
• How conceptual understanding in math supports retention, reasoning, and equitable access to math learning
• Why poor implementation of conceptual understanding in math can create confusion and pushback
• How overemphasizing one part of math instruction can unintentionally crowd out purposeful math practice and explicit math instruction
• Why dips in math data should not automatically trigger a rejection of conceptual understanding in math
• How math leaders can build coherence around what conceptual understanding in math actually looks like in math classrooms

Ask yourself: when your team says “conceptual understanding in math,” do you all mean the same thing? If not, that may be the real math improvement work ahead.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.

Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you’ll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.

Take the assessment

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

Some math teachers insist students must always show their math thinking. Others argue that if the math answer is correct, that should be enough. When math grading practices don’t align with math learning goals, frustration grows — for math students and parents alike. The real issue isn’t compliance in math. It’s clarity about what we are assessing in math.

In this episode, we explore:

• The difference between assessing math fluency and assessing math understanding
• Why getting the right answer in math doesn’t always prove deep math understanding
• When requiring students to show their math thinking strengthens math learning
• When over-requiring explanation in math can harm math confidence and math identity
• How math leaders can support math teachers in aligning math learning goals, math success criteria, and math grading practices

Before grading the next math assessment, ask:
What was I trying to measure in math — accuracy or reasoning?

Your answer should determine whether students need to show their math thinking.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.

Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you’ll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.

Take the assessment

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

You’re teaching math to 34 students. You slow math pacing to support the middle, but you can feel yourself losing students who are ready to move.

A listener emailed us after our episode on rigorous Tier 1 math instruction: they don’t want to create opportunity gaps by slowing math down—but they also don’t know how to actually run small group math instruction after the main lesson. We also connect this to a real conversation with a district math team wrestling with Tier 2 math and Tier 3 math supports.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why “high/middle/low” labels get in the way of effective math small grouping
• How CRA math (concrete–pictorial/representational–abstract) can guide flexible math groups after the lesson
• Why CRA in math is not a ladder—and why abstract math isn’t automatically the “top group”
• How to use formative math assessment (including exit tickets) to identify what students need next in math
• How to structure math class so random groups drive discourse, then targeted math groups drive practice and support
• A coaching/leadership math move: “live the math work” in a classroom for a full unit before scaling the strategy
• Why sustained math coaching support (not one-off math PD) builds coherence in math instruction across a system

If you’re a math leader or math coach, ask: What’s one unit where we can co-teach, gather formative math assessment daily, and build CRA-informed math small groups—so we can scale what actually works in real math classrooms?

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.

Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you’ll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.

Take the assessment

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

Testing is around the corner—and teachers are asking: “Do I stop everything and switch into test prep mode?”

Many teachers spend weeks reviewing, drilling, and assigning packets. But students don’t remember what was “taught” months ago, review feels like pulling teeth, and anxiety spikes. The firehose approach overwhelms students and often leaves teachers feeling like they have no choice but to cram harder.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why end-of-year review can overwhelm students and raise anxiety
• What Jon Orr changed after a decade of test-prep cycles (and why he stopped doing month-long review)
• How teaching through problem solving builds real math readiness: stamina, strategy use, and resilience
• How cumulative practice and cumulative assessment reduce the need for cramming
• Why daily independent work time can lower testing anxiety
• How formative assessment and progress monitoring help teachers support students without shifting into panic mode
• What to do if it’s already March: why it’s not too late, and what to start tomorrow

Pick one shift you can start now. Keep math instruction steady. Build habits this month that reduce anxiety now—and make next year’s testing season feel like business as usual.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.

Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you’ll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.

Take the assessment

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

It’s March. The weather is shifting. Spring break is coming. And quietly, many math leaders have already started thinking about next year.

Budgets. Staffing. PD planning. Testing season. Fatigue.

It becomes easy to let this year wind down early—to shift staff meetings to logistics, to soften expectations, to delay the hard work until September. But when we ease off the gas in March, we slow the math improvement flywheel we’ve worked all year to build.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why March fatigue leads math leaders to prematurely shift into “next year mode”
• How easing off math improvement work now disrupts momentum for September
• What “keep the math flywheel turning” actually means in practice
• Why unrelenting focus (not more initiatives) protects system coherence
• How budget pressures and staffing changes make systems even more important
• What finishing strong really looks like for math leaders

Ask yourself: What does finishing strong mean in my role?
Keep one foot in next year—but don’t lift the other foot out of this year just yet.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

If your students can calculate but collapse in math word problems, the issue often isn’t the numbers—it’s the structure.

Many schools default to keyword hunts, graphic organizers, and “pick the operation” routines. But those tools can accidentally train students to guess instead of model what’s happening. The result: multi-step math problems feel like a maze.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn

• Why “keywords/highlighters” often fail (and what they train students to do instead)
• How focusing on math problem types (join/separate/compare, fair share, measured, etc.) strengthens multi-step thinking
• What to assess when students miss word problems (structure breakdown, not just computation)
• How to build cumulative practice so word problems improve all year—not in one unit
• A simple, curriculum-anchored move leaders can run next week

If word problems are your team’s pebble, this episode gives you a clean first step to build shared language, stronger instruction, and better student math outcomes—without adding another program.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

If you wait until every student has mastered a math concept, you might still be in Unit 1 in December.

Many teachers feel they can’t move on until students demonstrate mastery—especially after recent learning gaps. But staying in one math unit for weeks or months often creates a different problem: reduced access to grade-level math, missed standards, and growing opportunity gaps for the entire class. In this episode, Jon Orr, Yvette Lehman, and Beth Curran explore the question teachers are asking right now: When is it okay to move on in math—and how do you do it responsibly?

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why “don’t move on until everyone gets it” is unrealistic for Tier 1 math instruction
• How experienced math teachers plan for concepts to return through spiraling and connections
• Why “moving on” is often an assessment and grading philosophy issue
• How formative math assessment helps teachers move forward without abandoning learning
• How lesson structures can create a “safety net” for Tier 2 support while Tier 1 continues
• How leaders and coaches can support teachers in pacing, rigor, and access to grade-level math
• Why slowing everyone down can unintentionally widen opportunity gaps

If you’re trying to balance pace, rigor, and student understanding in math, this episode will give you a clearer framework and practical moves for moving on with intention.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.

You know math fluency is more than timed tests… but what does that actually look like in your classroom tomorrow?

Many teachers are at the awareness stage: they’ve read, listened, attended PD, and now understand fluency includes flexibility and strategy—not just accuracy and efficiency. But knowing that doesn’t automatically translate into action. Where do you start if you don’t yet know what to assess, what to look for, or what routines to run? In this episode, Jon Orr, Yvette Lehman, and Beth Curran talk through that exact tension and offer realistic first steps that build capacity while you teach.

Listeners Will Learn:

• The difference between basic fact fluency and procedural fluency (and why both matter)
• What “awareness → mechanical → routine → proficient” looks like in math fluency implementation
• Practical first moves: quick assessment, screeners, and number talk-style probes
• How to start building math fluency without pausing grade-level math
• Why teachers often revert to “ones, twos, threes…” memorization—and what to do instead
• Foundational fact clusters that unlock derived facts (not random memorization)
• How leaders and coaches can plan support across implementation stages

If you want a manageable entry point into math fluency—one that builds student fluency and your confidence—this episode will help you take your first step today and plan your next step for next week.

Not sure what matters most when designing math improvement plans? Take this assessment and get a free customized report: https://makemathmoments.com/grow/

Math coordinators and leaders – Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Learn how to follow our 4 stage process. https://growyourmathprogram.com

Looking to supplement your curriculum with problem-based lessons and units? Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

Show Notes Page

Alex Lawson’s What to Look For

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

Get a Customized Math Improvement Plan For Your District.

Are you district leader for mathematics? Take the 12 minute assessment and you’ll get a free, customized improvement plan to shape and grow the 6 parts of any strong mathematics program.

Take the assessment

Are you wondering how to create K-12 math lesson plans that leave students so engaged they don’t want to stop exploring your math curriculum when the bell rings? In their podcast, Kyle Pearce and Jon Orr—founders of MakeMathMoments.com—share over 19 years of experience inspiring K-12 math students, teachers, and district leaders with effective math activities, engaging resources, and innovative math leadership strategies. Through a 6-step framework, they guide K-12 classroom teachers and district math coordinators on building a strong, balanced math program that grows student and teacher impact. Each week, gain fresh ideas, feedback, and practical strategies to feel more confident and motivate students to see the beauty in math. Start making math moments today by listening to Episode #139: "Making Math Moments From Day 1 to 180.