Articles

A 26-century old fable becomes part of a new fable on more effective math instruction. In ancient Greece around the 6th century BC, there was a storyteller named Aesop who formulated a collection of stories titled Aesop’s Fables. In one of the most famous fables, a tortoise challenges a speedy hare to a race. As…

In Part 1 of this series, The Language of Expectations, we explored how everyday teacher language communicates beliefs about who is capable of doing mathematics. In Part 2, When Students Say “I’m Just Not a Math Person,” we focused on how our responses in key moments can either reinforce or disrupt fixed ideas about ability.…

At some point in the school year, almost every math teacher hears it. Sometimes it’s said quietly, almost as an aside: “I’m just not a math person.” Sometimes it’s said with a shrug: “I’ve never been good at math.” And sometimes it’s said with finality: “My brain just doesn’t work that way.” These statements can feel discouraging, especially…

Math teachers care deeply about equity. We plan carefully, select meaningful tasks, and work hard to build classrooms where students feel safe to try. And yet, some of the most powerful messages students receive about who they are as mathematicians don’t come from our curriculum or assessments but from our everyday language. The words we…

When students think mathematically, they’re not just recalling facts or repeating steps, they’re making sense of ideas, connecting patterns, and applying reasoning in new ways. But for too many students, math still feels like a subject of repetition where success comes from mimicking procedures rather than creating or critiquing ideas. As we’ve explored in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, students remember what…

Introducing the Summer Teacher Lab: A Transformative Week of Learning for Teachers and Students In Summer 2026, Math Medic Foundation, in collaboration with Math Medic, will launch the Summer Teacher Lab, a powerful, weeklong professional learning experience in Grand Rapids, MI. Inspired by the groundbreaking Elementary Mathematics Lab developed by Deborah Loewenberg Ball at the University of Michigan, this…

Picture a student in your class who finally blurts out an answer. Maybe they hesitated, maybe they looked nervous, but at last, they say: “Is it… 42?” If you’re like me, you’ve probably responded instinctively: “Yes, that’s right!” or “No, not quite.” Then you moved on. But here’s the problem: if the only thing students…

When you think back on what you learned in school, certain moments stand out. Maybe it was a lively debate in English class, or a science lab where you got your hands messy. For most of us, we remember the things we thought hard about. That’s no accident. Cognitive psychologist Dan Willingham has put it…

By Karen Sleno It’s the start of a new year and everyone is optimistic. You are about to implement student-centered math lessons into your classroom (maybe for the first time), but are wondering how the students will respond. What if your questions are met with silence? What if the group dynamic just doesn’t seem to…

As we begin a new school year, we thought it was a good time to reflect on our mission – now 3.5 years since we began operating. In early 2022, Math Medic Foundation published an article titled “4 Ways That Improving Math Outcomes Helps Us All.” In it, we identified four key ripple effects that occur when…