K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/

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

K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us 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

In this episode, Jon Orr talks with Mona Iehl about her upcoming session at the 2026 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit. Mona, a former math avoider turned author, explains why students need opportunities to talk about their thinking in math, and why teachers don’t need more word problems. They need ways to bring the problems already in their curriculum to life.

Mona shares the moment she realized she was recreating the math classroom she hated, how a math coach introduced her to the idea of nudging instead of telling, and the daily routine she built around one rich task. She also names a barrier many teachers overlook: helping students learn to listen to each other.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• Why Mona hopes her students leave believing their voice matters in math
• How talk gives students a low-stakes way to try out their reasoning
• Why we don’t need more word problems, just better ways to use the ones we have
• How teachers can adapt curriculum tasks to fit the students in front of them
• The moment a self-described math avoider realized she was recreating the classroom she hated
• What a “nudge” is and how it differs from simply telling students what to do
• A daily routine of launch, grapple time, sharing, discussion, and one more problem
• How replacing textbook characters with students’ own names makes strategies personal
• Why listening is the barrier most teachers don’t see coming
• How changing “tell me” to “tell us” shifts who students are talking to

Choose one word problem from tomorrow’s lesson and ask: How could I bring this off the page? Plan a short launch, give students time to grapple, and pick two students to share their strategies with the class. Then notice your language as you circulate. When a student is stuck, what nudge could you offer instead of an explanation? And when students share, are you saying “tell me” or “tell us”?

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

We’ve partnered with them to help bring more collaborative learning into classrooms. Whether you’re supporting one class or math instruction across multiple schools, find the right way to get started at wipebook.com/mathmoments.

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.

K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/

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

K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us 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

In this episode, Jon Orr and Yvette Lehman tackle a common problem in math improvement planning: leaders setting key results for teachers. They explain why year-long targets are often too far away to drive action, why quarterly milestones keep momentum going, and why the people creating the change should be the ones setting the targets.

Yvette walks through a K–12 school that chose the first Standard for Mathematical Practice as its objective, then had each PLC commit to its own short-term change, including a key result focused on just three students. Jon and Yvette also share advice for system leaders supporting many schools: learn the conditions for success in one place before trying to scale.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• Why key results should be set by the people who will create the change
• Why six- or nine-month targets are too far out, and why quarterly milestones work better
• How key results differ from end-of-year achievement scores
• How a K–12 school used the first Standard for Mathematical Practice as its shared objective
• How each PLC chose its own short-term change based on what students were showing
• A real key result focused on three students retelling a problem without the numbers
• What makes a strong key result: a baseline, a clear bar, a date, and multiple sources of evidence
• The leader’s role in protecting PLC time and connecting every team back to the objective
• Why system leaders should learn the conditions for success in one school before scaling to many

Look at the key results or targets your team is working toward right now and ask: Who wrote these? If they were set at the leadership level, consider bringing your PLCs together to choose their own short-term change instead. Ask each team what they’re seeing in students, what one move they could realistically commit to this quarter, how they’ll gather evidence, and when they’ll bring it back to share.

Show Notes Page

Love the show? Text us your big takeaway!

We’ve partnered with them to help bring more collaborative learning into classrooms. Whether you’re supporting one class or math instruction across multiple schools, find the right way to get started at wipebook.com/mathmoments.

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.

Jon Orr and Sue Looney preview her Make Math Moments Virtual Summit session and share how stories, memorable characters, and a four-step story lens can help teachers build resilient problem solvers in math.

Register for the 2026 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit for FREE.

K-12 Math Leaders: Download our free Math Coherence Compass to help your teammates, system leaders, and educators create aligned instructional practices—without adding another initiative. https://makemathmoments.com/coherence-compass/

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

K-12 Math Leaders: Ready to design your math improvement plan with guidance, support and using structure? Partner with us 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

In this episode, Jon Orr talks with Sue Looney about her upcoming session at the 2026 Make Math Moments Virtual Summit. Sue, who began her career as an English major, explains why stories are a powerful and often overlooked way to help students build resilience in math. She describes resilient problem solvers as students who aren’t afraid when the fog rolls in, and shares how characters, historical math tasks, and a four-step story lens can help students see those qualities in themselves.

Jon and Sue also tackle the question every teacher and coach will ask: where does this fit in an already busy day? Sue offers practical ways to start small, connect with what’s already happening in ELA, and build toward regular problem solving time.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• What Sue hopes teachers will say about teaching math 15 years from now
• What resilient problem solving looks and sounds like in a math classroom
• Why students need “foggy” problems instead of packaged ones with an obvious path
• How stories help students connect with characters who show resilience
• How an ancient magic squares legend became a children’s book about perseverance
• A preview of the four-step story lens Sue will share at the summit
• Why holding up a mirror to students may be the most important step
• How to find time for stories by starting small and connecting to ELA
• Why human qualities like curiosity and perseverance matter more as technology advances

Think about a story you already love, whether it’s a picture book, a novel, or a classic like The Odyssey. What problem does the main character face, and how do they stay with it when things get hard? Look for one place in the coming week where you could share that story with students, name the resilient qualities you notice, and then ask: Do you see yourself in this character? What would it take to bring those qualities into our math class?

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.