Math Therapy

Math Therapy explores the root causes of math trauma, and the empowering ways we can heal from it. Each week host Vanessa Vakharia, aka The Math Guru, dives into what we get right and wrong about math education, and chats with some of today’s most inspiring and visionary minds working to make math more accessible, diverse, and fun for students of all ages. Whether you think you’re a "math person" or not, you’re about to find out that math people don’t actually exist – but the scars that math class left on many of us, definitely do. And don’t worry, no calculators or actual math were involved in the making of this podcast ;)

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Math Therapy

Season 5 trailer

May 08, 2023 • The Math Guru • Season 5

We have some serious A-list math celebs coming at your podcast feeds over the next 10 weeks - here's a little sample until season 5 launches this Thursday!

[00:00] Vanessa Vakharia: Hi, I'm Vanessa Vakharia, aka, The Math Guru, and you're listening to Math Therapy, a podcast that explores the root causes of math trauma, and the empowering ways we can heal from it. We're about to launch Season Five, and I know I'm biased, but I can tell you this is our most inspiring and empowering batch of episodes yet.

I'm diving into the juiciest topics in math education with some of the biggest names in the game, like we have serious A-List math celebs hitting your feed in the coming weeks. Here's a little sample of what's in store.

[00:30] Crystal Watson: Nobody walks into a room and says, "I can't read y'all!" Like, but everybody says, I'm not a math person. And I say, we are all math people. We just do it differently. Right?

[00:40] Peter Liljedahl: Everyone can be mathematical, and being mathematical is a process. It's a verb. Given a rich opportunity to engage with others on an interesting activity, everyone can be mathematical. Whatever that looks like.

[00:53] Deborah Peart: For me, when I was teaching, I had to have my own practice so that I could successfully work with students. imagine the teacher who has her teeth clenched and is like, "everyone calm down!" Everyone, it's, you know

[01:08] Vanessa Vakharia: Oh God, I'm so stressed.

[01:11] Robert Kaplinsky: It's really important to normalize that everyone struggles. It's normal to struggle, and actually without struggle, there's no growth.

[01:18] Liesl McConchie: Math trauma is rooted in either an isolated traumatic experience that the student has had, or a series of repeated traumas that have been building up over time.

[01:31] Jo Boaler: Lots of evidence now that if you don't believe in yourself, your brain doesn't react well, particularly in times of struggle so what you believe will actually change how your brain is working, and that happens in every second of the day.

[01:48] Vanessa Vakharia: And now you're right, I can't even track, I don't even know what my question is, but just answer it.

[01:52] Dan Meyer: Your brain is such an exciting place. Yeah. This is a

[01:54] Vanessa Vakharia: It's cuz we're, it's cuz we're both geminis. You get it?

Season Five kicks off May 11th with a fascinating and hilarious conversation with none other than Dan Meyer, who went viral in 2013 with his Ted Talk " Math Class Needs a Makeover". Until then, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast wherever you listen, and follow me @themathguru on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.