The Beyond My Years podcast from Amplify has kicked off a special math series, featuring two podcast episodes and a bundle of new resources (see below!) for math educators. In this first episode, host Ana Torres chats with Matt Cash, director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Lake Elsinore Unified School District, in California, about math leadership and change management. Together, Matt and Ana discuss the importance of listening to educators during adoption processes, the power of creating systems that support teachers, and the best ways to build unity around instructional approaches.

Show notes:

• Check out the full change management bundle — including the change management playbook— at amplify.com/MathChangeManagement
• Get bite-sized advice from leading thinkers in math education on:
  • Math change management.
  • Student-centered math practices.
  • Find more videos on math instruction at amplify.com/MathClassroomAdvice.
• Subscribe to Beyond My Years for recent conversations with Dan Meyer, Keri Brown, Fawn Nguyen, and more leading math educators at.amplify.com/BMY

Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., the New York Times bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, recently joined Host Ana Torres on the Beyond My Years podcast to discuss her new landmark research on school cell phone policies. In this episode, Angela highlights the many complexities surrounding student cell phone use in schools and why there is a need to conduct research, such as her “Phones in Focus” study, to look at which phone policies are actually yielding the best outcomes. She also suggests four ingredients that set young people up to reach their goals. Finally, Ana and Beyond My Years Classroom Insider Eric Cross reflect on Angela’s insights, and Eric shares the strategies he plans to implement to provide mentors to his students.

Show notes:

• Subscribe to Beyond My Years at.amplify.com/BMY.
• Participate in Dr. Duckworth's research phonesinfocus.org
• Explore Angela Duckworth’s website: https://angeladuckworth.com/
• Read: Schools don’t know how well cellphone policies are working. You can help

Dan Meyer recently joined the Beyond My Years podcast to share some of his favorite strategies (and hard-earned lessons) for engaging students in math class.

Listen in, as Dan joins host Ana Torres to share his journey in education, including his early struggles to engage students. In this episode, The right questions for the “wrong” answers, Dan provides models for grounding lessons in real life, giving students more opportunities to show off their personalities, and reframing mistakes and “wrong answers” as valuable answers to different questions. He also touches on technology use in the classroom and how to know when it's the right tool for the job. Ana and Classroom Insider Eric Cross then reflect on Dan’s insights, and Eric shares his top takeaways for the classroom.

Remember to subscribe to the Beyond My Years podcast to hear more insights and lessons from leading education thinkers.

Show notes:

• Subscribe to Beyond My Years at.amplify.com/BMY.
• Subscribe to Dan’s Substack, Mathworlds.
• Read Dylan Kane’s blog, Five Twelve Thirteen.