Math on the Rocks

Ep 72 - Nolan Fossum is rethinking instruction through cartoon math

Nolan Fossum invites us into the learner’s seat by experiencing math in an unfamiliar way. Using a “cartoon base-10” system, he creates moments of productive struggle that mirror what many students feel when they don’t yet have fluency. In this episode, Nolan explores how counting, deriving, and reasoning through models like ten frames, number lines, and base-10 blocks can build deep understanding. Rather than relying on memorized facts, he highlights how students can develop flexible strategies by connecting ideas and using what they know. You’ll hear how this experience shifts perspective on student struggle, the importance of manipulatives, and why slowing down to build conceptual understanding matters. Nolan also connects this work to mathematical practices, student engagement, and the role of challenge in learning. If you’ve ever wondered what it truly feels like to not “just know” the math, this episode offers a powerful reminder and practical insights for supporting all learners. CONTACT / RESOURCES Nolan Fossum nolan.fossum@innovamat.com linkedin.com/in/nolan-fossum-1688851b5 Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences [https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences]    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series [https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series]  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/ [https://www.cmcmath.org/]  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f]  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a [https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a]  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089]

Ep 71 - Screens screens everywhere screens

Scott and Duane get together to chat about math, but Duane gets grumpy and jumps up on his soap box to complain about schools using too much EdTech throughout the day. We know students go home and endlessly scroll on their phones, so schools should be very picky and choosy about whether to add to the screen time at school. Also, the EdTech we use at school should augment the teacher rather than replace the teacher. Give this episode a listen and leave a comment. Links mentioned in this episode: ✚  Parents push for reduced screen time a year after Los Angeles Unified bans cellphones      https://edsource.org/2026/reducing-screen-time-lausd/755025 [https://edsource.org/2026/reducing-screen-time-lausd/755025]  ✚  Adults Lose Skills to AI. Children Never Build Them.    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-algorithmic-mind/202603/adults-lose-skills-to-ai-children-never-build-them [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-algorithmic-mind/202603/adults-lose-skills-to-ai-children-never-build-them]  ✚  The first generation less cognitively capable than their parents     https://fortune.com/2026/02/21/laptops-tablets-schools-gen-z-less-cognitively-capable-parents-first-time-cellphone-bans-standardized-test-scores/ [https://fortune.com/2026/02/21/laptops-tablets-schools-gen-z-less-cognitively-capable-parents-first-time-cellphone-bans-standardized-test-scores/]   ✚  Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath testifies to US Senate about EdTech damaging our children      https://www.commerce.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/doc/Horvath_Written%20Testimony.pdf [https://www.commerce.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/doc/Horvath_Written%20Testimony.pdf]   Check out the CMC conferences coming up: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences [https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences]    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series [https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series]  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/ [https://www.cmcmath.org/]  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f]  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a [https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a]  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089]

Ep 70 - Mark Alcorn on goals, agency, and meaningful mathematics

In this episode, Mark Alcorn (educator, coach, and founder of the Sum of It All podcast) invites us to rethink something deceptively simple: goals in math classrooms. Rather than treating goals as compliance-driven statements or posted objectives, Mark challenges us to see them as powerful drivers of student thinking, engagement, and agency. Mark explores how, even when we don’t name goals explicitly, they still exist and shape classroom experiences. He unpacks common barriers (“bad warm-up bands”) that keep goals from being meaningful, including performance-focused language, overly broad standards, and goals written only for teachers.  CONTACT / RESOURCES Mark Alcorn mark@mark4math.com [mark@mark4math.com] Instagram: mark4math Linkedin.com/in/mark4math [http://linkedin.com/in/mark4math] LEARN with the California Mathematics Council… ✚  Join us in our monthly Inspiring Math Minds webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series [https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series]  ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/ [https://www.cmcmath.org/]  ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:      https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew [https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew]  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f]  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a [https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a]  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089]

Ep 69 - Talking about MKT. The Sweet Sauce.

We all got together to chat some more about mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and why it is so important for teachers to have it. Who is responsible for supporting teachers in their development of MKT? When is it supposed to happen? We have more questions than answers in this episode. We know that answer is in part…DOING MATH TOGETHER. When teachers do math together, this is when we develop our MKT. RESOURCES… ✚  Register for our FREE webinar series:      https://theothermath.com/index.php/2026/03/30/our-next-inspiring-math-minds-webinars/ [https://theothermath.com/index.php/2026/03/30/our-next-inspiring-math-minds-webinars/]  ✚  High-Quality Instructional Materials:      https://edushare.ing/HQIM [https://edushare.ing/HQIM]  ✚  What is Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching?      https://edushare.ing/whatismkt [https://edushare.ing/whatismkt]  ✚  California Mathematics Framework describes HQIM in Chapter 13      https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/ [https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/] Register for our conferences: ✚  Check out our conferences here:       https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences [https://www.cmcmath.org/conferences]    Learn about our monthly webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series [https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series]  As always, we hope you visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/ [https://www.cmcmath.org/]  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f]  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a [https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a]  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089]

Ep 68 - Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

This is our final podcast episode before our symposium. So we spend a little time talking about how cool we are…and why folks should attend our symposium. Then our main topic is all about Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), why teachers need MKT, and how to spread & scale building teacher capacity for MKT. Some MKT resources ✤ Better teacher preparation leads to better student results https://www.nctq.org/policy-area/elementary-math/ [https://www.nctq.org/policy-area/elementary-math/] ✤ MKT and High-quality Instruction https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07370000802177235 [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07370000802177235] ✤ Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Pedagogical Knowledge for Mathematical Problem Solving https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/9/15/1811 [https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/9/15/1811] ✤ Math through other's perspectives https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2015/08/26/thinking-about-math-from-someone-elses-perspective [https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2015/08/26/thinking-about-math-from-someone-elses-perspective] ✤ Conceptual Understanding versus Procedural Fluency. Teachers need MKT https://kappanonline.org/beyond-the-math-wars-focus-on-teachers-to-improve-instruction/ [https://kappanonline.org/beyond-the-math-wars-focus-on-teachers-to-improve-instruction/] REGISTER FOR OUR CONFERENCES: ✚  CMC Central Symposium in Bakersfield, March 13 & 14, 2026:       https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium [https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central-symposium]    LEARN with the California Mathematics Council… ✚  Join us in our monthly Inspiring Math Minds webinars and get on our mailing list to be notified:      https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series [https://www.cmcmath.org/cmc-central/virtual-learning-series]  ✚  Visit the California Math Council website:      https://www.cmcmath.org/ [https://www.cmcmath.org/]  ✚  Become a member of the California Math Council:      https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew [https://camc.memberclicks.net/member-info-join-renew]  SUBSCRIBE! ✚  YouTube (video & audio):      https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvolZqLMhJmlKZXVW-HMWHmGsXXaeH09f]  ✚  Spotify (video & audio):        https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a [https://open.spotify.com/show/7A17FvtyV8FiFJ0SWoTiQm?si=44d81611497e4c7a]  ✚  Apple Podcast (audio only):        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-on-the-rocks/id1728772089]