Dan Finkel is an author/educator who believes that humans are wired to be curious from birth, and that play is the secret to maintaining that joy of learning throughout childhood. On today’s season 6 finale, he and Vanessa discuss how teaching kids about math can be so much more fun than we think; it can mean playing board games, counting on their fingers, anything that helps them develop an intuitive sense that there are patterns and structures in the world for them to discover. They also discuss how play-based approaches can even help grown-ups heal from math trauma!

About Dan (Website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Dan Finkel is the Founder and Director of Operations of Math for Love, a Seattle-based organization devoted to transforming how math is taught and learned. Dan is an author and game designer, develops curriculum, leads teacher workshops, and gives talks on mathematics and education. He contributes regularly to the New York Times Numberplay blog and hosts Seattle’s Julia Robinson Math Festival annually.

Show notes:

• Dan’s TED Talk: Five Principles of Extraordinary Math Teaching
• Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” column in Scientific American
• earlyfamilymath.org
• Dan’s book: Pattern Breakers
• Upscale pattern blocks

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Dr. India White learned grit and resilience the hard way: facing down obstacles throughout her life and deciding she wouldn’t back down. Now she coaches teachers and students on developing their own gritty superpowers, and she joins Vanessa today for wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. They discuss her journey from a homeless shelter to a college dorm, how equity is about so much more than just race, and the power of lifting each other up as an antidote to fear.

About India
(Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn)
As a TEDx speaker, I motivate students who are disadvantaged and at-risk of dropping out! As an educational consultant, I help teachers understand equity and grit in a math classroom! As a speaker coach, I help leaders grow their speaking business! As a co-author for Big Ideas Learning, I provide a diverse lens on teaching math for all learners! As a #1 best-selling Published Author, I help aspiring authors thrive and finish writing their book!

Show notes:

• India’s TEDx Talk “The Power of Grit”

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

What if the secret to winning a debate was actually listening to your opponent? What if you could build confidence and overcome anxiety through the practice of public speaking? And HOW does someone go from dreams of Broadway fame to teaching debate in math class?! Find out today as Vanessa chats with math educator/coach Chris Luzniak, host of The DebateMath Podcast!

About Chris (Website, Twitter, Instagram)
Chris Luzniak is an international math consultant and instructional coach. While teaching in New York City public schools he founded the Speech and Debate team, and through this combination of teaching and coaching Chris has developed debate routines that bring student voice and discussion into the math classroom. He coaches teachers in both math and science to develop real-world debate activities for students, hosts The DebateMath Podcast (Subscribe, Twitter, YouTube), and explores these themes further in his book Up for Debate!

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

When Vanessa saw today’s guest deliver a deeply personal talk at a recent math conference, she was left with more questions than answers; all she knew for certain was she had to get him on the podcast. Sean Nank is a math educator who believes that the power of our students' stories is the most valuable tool we can harness in our math classrooms, and he illustrates this by sharing his own journey of growing up in an abusive environment, learning to understand and embrace his OCD, and the fateful day that math, for real, saved his own life.

On that note, a heads up that today’s episode involves a brief discussion early on about abuse and suicide.

About Sean (Website, Twitter)
Sean Nank, PhD, is an award-winning math educator and author. He has worked in various positions with the United States Department of Education, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Science Foundation, and the California Department of Education. Sean currently serves on the Executive Board at the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) and is the Associate Editor of their Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership (JMEL), and works at Amplify as a math content designer.

Show notes:

• Sean’s 2022 ShadowCon talk: “Mathematics saved my life”

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Today’s another one for the teachers, featuring Jon Orr & Kyle Pearce of the Make Math Moments empire - they have a podcast, a framework, workshops & courses & virtual summits galore, and who knows probably even a cooking show at this point?! They join Vanessa today to discuss the SHOCKING realization early in their career that not all students would be as excited about math as they were … which propelled them to adapt their teaching methods to fuel curiosity in kids so they don’t just get the right answers, but rather develop a true understanding of what they’re learning in class and beyond.

About Make Math Moments:
(Website, Podcast, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Make Math Moments is on a mission to provide an opportunity for all mathematics educators around the world to access professional learning opportunities that will elevate their teaching practice and promote an equitable learning experience for all students.

Show notes:

• https://growyourmathprogram.com
• Jon Orr on Twitter
• Kyle Pearce on Twitter
• Vanessa’s episode on Make Math Moments podcast

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

We’re often talking about trauma from the student perspective: how it happens in the classroom, and how it follows them into adulthood. But one group is often overlooked in this discussion - teachers! Today Vanessa chats with educator Brittany Hege about the challenges teachers often face in keeping up with changing pedagogies, while already being strapped for time and often struggling with math traumas of their own! This is an honest and heartfelt discussion about how education can evolve without leaving either students or teachers behind, how shame in the classroom can lead to anxiety for both, and how curiosity and community can lay the path to healing.

About Brittany (Website, Insta, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter)
Brittany Hege is a math educator who has worked with students and teachers in both upper elementary and middle grades. She holds a master's degree in Elementary Mathematics Education and is passionate about helping teachers grow their understanding of the math concepts they teach. Brittany believes in the power of experiencing math through hands-on work and uses her platform, Mix and Math, to equip upper elementary teachers with the knowledge and confidence to inspire a generation of empowered math learners.

Show notes:

• mixandmath.com/
• Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/c/MixandMath/about

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Of the truly infinite things Vanessa likes to rant about, few top the list like math’s marketing problem - which is why she was elated to chat with social media mathstar Howie Hua! Today Howie shares how his own experiences with math anxiety sucked the joy out of math when he was a student, and how he started to bring it back for both himself and his students when he became a teacher. He’s built a massive following on TikTok and beyond by sharing quick and fun explainer videos and math memes, and his enthusiasm for learning is a true delight - enjoy!

About Howie (Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube)
Howie Hua is a math instructor at Fresno State teaching math to future elementary school teachers. He has built a large following online, sharing short teaching tips, memes, and math explainer videos on TikTok and other social media platforms in a mission to make math more fun and accessible to all.

Show notes:

• Howie’s website & linktree
• The birthday paradox

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

When you picture a mathematician, what comes to mind? Now … what about a “mathematical explorer”? Well, that’s what Francis Su calls himself, and when Vanessa picked up his book Mathematics for Human Flourishing, she couldn’t put it down. On today's episode they explore how mathematical discovery can unleash the wonder and curiosity innate within us all. They also discuss some deep questions, like why do people have different emotional reactions to math compared to other fields? How can humans cultivate the virtues we'll need to keep AI in check? And why is change so hard, both in educational reform but also in our own lives?

About Francis (Website, Twitter)
Francis Su is an award-winning professor and author who writes about the dignity of human beings and the wonder of mathematical teaching. The Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and a former president of the Mathematical Association of America, his work has been featured in Quanta Magazine, Wired, and the New York Times.

Show notes:

• S5E02 w/ Deborah Peart, head of the "Mather" movement

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)