Building Math Professional Development Teachers Want

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In this episode, Jon Orr talks with Hillary Larbus, Mallory Messenger, and Courtney Fain, elementary math coaches in Dublin City Schools near Columbus, Ohio. As part of a team of eight math coaches serving 15 elementary schools, they noticed their math professional development felt disjointed, especially while much of the district’s attention was on literacy.

They share how the team used the Make Math Moments District Program Assessment to align, narrowed a detailed district vision to two priorities, and chose teacher content knowledge as their focus. They describe the eight-session, for-credit course they built where teachers do the math first and bring back student work, and how monthly and weekly team meetings, content leads, and coaching cycles keep their work connected and sustainable.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• What a team of elementary math coaches learned about planning and meeting teachers where they are
• How the Make Math Moments District Program Assessment helped eight coaches find common ground
• How the team distilled a detailed district vision into student discourse and problem solving
• Why building teacher content knowledge became the highest-leverage focus
• How an eight-session, for-credit course gave teachers time to do the math themselves
• How teachers brought student work back to reflect on what they tried in their classrooms
• What participant feedback revealed about teachers’ appetite for math PD
• How a month-by-month coaching plan supported the rollout of a new curriculum
• How content leads, opt-in coaching cycles, and administrator partnerships extend the team’s reach
• Why shared decision making helps math improvement survive turnover

Look at the math professional development your team offered last year and ask: Was it connected by a clear focus, or was it a collection of one-off sessions? Choose one priority that matters across all of your schools, map out how teacher learning could build toward it over the year, and decide how you’ll gather feedback from the teachers doing the work in classrooms.

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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.