Radical Math Talk with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
01/03/23 • 17 min
“Sometimes the strongest math learners are the ones who are the slowest processors. They just need a little bit more time to think through certain concepts. So we have to reframe our understanding of what it means to be strong in math.” - Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
Today, Allison interviews Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, the author of Shaping the Teacher Identity: 8 Lessons That Will Help Define the Teacher in You and From Inaction to 'In Action': Creating a New Normal for Urban Educators. A 15-year veteran urban educator, the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC, and a proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. He was honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession.
Kwame discusses:
- The origins of the Radical Math Talk Podcast
- The problems with empasizing speed, pacing, and high-stakes testing
- How learning math is like learning a new language
- It’s okay to let older students use manipulatives
- Redefining what it means to be good at math
- The benefits of Howie Hua videos
- Creating a sense of belonging in math class
Connect with Kwame:
- Website - https://www.identitytalk4educators.com
- Identity Talk 4 Educators LIVE Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/identity-talk-4-educators-live/id1509599570
- Radical Math Talk Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/radical-math-talk/id1592658139
- YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8mP1u2wPVb4UAuct9cM_Yw
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kwam_the_identity_shaper
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/identityshaper
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-sarfo-mensah-76142482/
- Patreon - Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is creating multimedia content and ABAR community spaces for educators | Patreon
Find the Allison Loves Math playlists at https://www.allisonlovesmath.com/blog, including
- Playlist for Elementary School Teachers
- Playlist for High School Teachers and College Professors
- Playlist for Parents
Get Allison’s Books:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Allison-Dillard/e/B07PV43V59
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Allison%20Dillard%22
- Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/author/604645715/Allison-Dillard
- Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=allison%20dillard
- And other online retailers
“Sometimes the strongest math learners are the ones who are the slowest processors. They just need a little bit more time to think through certain concepts. So we have to reframe our understanding of what it means to be strong in math.” - Kwame Sarfo-Mensah
Today, Allison interviews Kwame Sarfo-Mensah, the author of Shaping the Teacher Identity: 8 Lessons That Will Help Define the Teacher in You and From Inaction to 'In Action': Creating a New Normal for Urban Educators. A 15-year veteran urban educator, the founder of Identity Talk Consulting, LLC, and a proud graduate of Temple University, Kwame holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. He was honored as the 2019 National Member of the Year by Black Educators Rock, Inc. for his unwavering commitment to the advancement of the teacher profession.
Kwame discusses:
- The origins of the Radical Math Talk Podcast
- The problems with empasizing speed, pacing, and high-stakes testing
- How learning math is like learning a new language
- It’s okay to let older students use manipulatives
- Redefining what it means to be good at math
- The benefits of Howie Hua videos
- Creating a sense of belonging in math class
Connect with Kwame:
- Website - https://www.identitytalk4educators.com
- Identity Talk 4 Educators LIVE Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/identity-talk-4-educators-live/id1509599570
- Radical Math Talk Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/radical-math-talk/id1592658139
- YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8mP1u2wPVb4UAuct9cM_Yw
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kwam_the_identity_shaper
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/identityshaper
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-sarfo-mensah-76142482/
- Patreon - Kwame Sarfo-Mensah is creating multimedia content and ABAR community spaces for educators | Patreon
Find the Allison Loves Math playlists at https://www.allisonlovesmath.com/blog, including
- Playlist for Elementary School Teachers
- Playlist for High School Teachers and College Professors
- Playlist for Parents
Get Allison’s Books:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Allison-Dillard/e/B07PV43V59
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Allison%20Dillard%22
- Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/author/604645715/Allison-Dillard
- Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=allison%20dillard
- And other online retailers
Previous Episode
Using Measurement, Data and Geometry as Anchors in Elementary Math with Marianne Strayton
Can you solve it algebraically, arithmetically, and geometrically? - Marianne Strayton
Apple | Spotify | Google Podcast | Amazon Podcasts
Today, Marianne Strayton, President of AMT New York State, talks about using engaging, real-world contexts as anchors to learning math. She shares how to start the year with measurement, data, and geometry standards and use them as powerful catalysts to teach the rest of the year’s curriculum.
Dr. Marianne Strayton, President of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State, is a full-time K-5 Math Interventionist in the Clarkstown Central School District in New York and a part-time senior curriculum developer for Eureka Math. Her master's degree centered around elementary STEM education and her doctoral work focused on overarching curriculum and teaching principles. She has become one of the authors of the Math MileMarkers children's book series and has published articles in NCTM and ASCD publications.
Connect with Marianne on Twitter: @MSeducateEdD
Find the Allison Loves Math playlists at https://www.allisonlovesmath.com/blog, including
- Playlist for Elementary School Teachers
- Playlist for High School Teachers and College Professors
- Playlist for Parents
Get Allison’s Books:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Allison-Dillard/e/B07PV43V59
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Allison%20Dillard%22
- Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/author/604645715/Allison-Dillard
- Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=allison%20dillard
- And other online retailers
Next Episode
Math is FigureOutAble with Pam Harris
As a young student and far too long as a young teacher, I actually bought into the myth that math was rote memorizable... I now have a different bent. - Pam Harris
Listen & Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Google Podcast | Amazon Podcasts
Today, Allison interviews Pam Harris, the author of Building Powerful Numeracy and host of the Math is FigurOutAble Podcast. A former secondary mathematics teacher, Pam is a K-12 mathematics education consultant, a T3 (Teachers Teaching with Technology) National Instructor, and a nationally known speaker.
Pam discusses:
- What is means for math to be “FigureOutAble”
- How algorithms do (and do not) play a role in math classrooms
- How to deal with pushback from teachers to cling to teaching algorithms first
- A fun routine for teaching numeracy with ten partners and hundred partners
Connect with Pam:
- Website - https://www.mathisfigureoutable.com/
- Math is FigureOutAble Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/math-is-figure-out-able-with-pam-harris/id1518815325
- YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8CDrD-XCeQHzekywDKxreg
- Instagram - @pamharris_math
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/457333671628039
- Twitter - @pwharris
Find the Allison Loves Math playlists at https://www.allisonlovesmath.com/blog, including
- Playlist for Elementary School Teachers
- Playlist for High School Teachers and College Professors
- Playlist for Parents
Get Allison’s Books:
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Allison-Dillard/e/B07PV43V59
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Allison%20Dillard%22
- Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/author/604645715/Allison-Dillard
- Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=allison%20dillard
- And other online retailers
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