Description:
Finding Joy in Math
What if we told you that joy in math isn’t about being happy—it’s about the deeper sense of fulfillment that comes from perseverance, growth, and belonging? In this episode of Math Universally Speaking, we explore how to cultivate joy in math through three key approaches: inspiring courage, making math relevant to students’ lives, and keeping all students in the game.
We’ll dive into the role of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in fostering a culture of high expectations, relevance, and proactive support—ensuring every student can engage meaningfully with grade-level math. From challenging biases around speed and intelligence to implementing just-in-time scaffolds, this conversation is about reimagining math instruction as a space where every learner thrives.
Join us in reshaping the narrative of math education! Follow Math Universally Speaking on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Castbox, and Spotify, and be part of the conversation on social media using #MathUniversallySpeaking.
References:
CAST. (2024). Universal design for learning guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Rufo, J., & Martiello, R. (2024). Conquering math myths with Universal Design: An inclusive approach to instruction K-8. ASCD.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Washington, DC: Authors. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, & Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics. (2021). Continuing the journey of mathematics learning: 2021 and beyond. https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Continuing-the-Journey-2021-and-Beyond
Transcript
Welcome to Math Universally Speaking! I’m your host, Ron Martiello, and today we’re diving into a topic that is often misunderstood—joy in mathematics. I am sure that many of us do not see a natural connection between joy and math. So let me make this argument: joy is not being happy. I hear “I just want my students to be happy.” Sometimes deeper lessons can be sacrificed for short term happiness. Joy isn’t about feeling good all the time—it’s about the deeper sense of fulfillment that comes from perseverance, growth, and belonging. And in our classrooms, it’s our responsibility to nurture and sustain that joy for every student.
We’re going to explore three ways we can cultivate joy in math: through inspiring courage, making math relevant for life, and ensuring students stay in the game. Each of these connects directly to Universal Design for Learning, reinforcing access, engagement, and agency. So, let’s jump in.
Section 1: Challenge Bias and Inspire Courage
Joy in math starts with fostering a culture where every student believes they can do math. But that doesn’t happen by chance—it takes collective courage. Courage not just from students, but from teachers, support staff, and administrators who create and sustain environments where learning can thrive.
Creating this culture of learning means setting high expectations and truly believing in every student’s potential to grow and succeed. It means actively identifying and removing Our own biases that can discourage engagement in the process. For example, speed should not be used to judge students when they are learning new concepts. Historically, speed has been equated with “math intelligence”, but this is misleading. Some students enter new concepts with different experiences and levels of prior knowledge, while others may quickly calculate answers without a deep understanding of the problem. Judgments that connect speed to math ability can kill the joy of those working hard to learn.
Instead, let’s celebrate the process and allow it to happen without the constraint of time. Let’s reinforce understanding and perseverance. Students may need time and extra repetitions to make sense of math, and patience from educators can fuel the very resilience we aim to cultivate. Math can be tough to learn, and that struggle is part of the journey.
We must also challenge old mindsets ingrained in our own Math DNA. If we waver in our expectations, we risk sending the message that struggle means failure. Instead, let’s inspire students to be courageous, embrace the process, and find joy in their own math identities.
Section 2: Math for Life
For students to find joy in math, they need to see its relevance to their lives. Math is deeply personal—it carries generational, cultural, and societal connections that shape how students engage with it. While textbooks attempt to reflect diverse perspectives, true relevance comes from responding to the unique interests and experiences of the students in our classrooms. .
A teacher recently shared an experience teaching box-and-whisker plots. The textbook examples weren’t sparking interest, so we brainstormed datasets that would. We landed on Broadway shows, sports, music streaming, social media influencers, and cosmetics—topics that resonated with her students. By centering learning around topics that matter to students, we design opportunities for deeper engagement and more meaningful connections to mathematical concepts.
This is UDL’s Multiple Means of Engagement in action—optimizing relevance, value, and authenticity. When students see themselves in the math they’re learning, they invest in it. It stops being just a school subject and starts becoming a tool for understanding the world around them.
Section 3: Keeping Students in the Game
Finally, joy does not come from exclusion. Too often, as early as kindergarten, students who need extra support are pulled out of core instruction. While well-intentioned, these interventions can sometimes lead to watered down content, a focus over-proceduralizing, and strip away opportunities for conceptual understanding.
Instead of removing students, we need to build bridges that keep them in the game. This is where Just-In-Time learning, also known as accelerated learning, come in. Rather than waiting for gaps to grow, we use formative and summative assessments to identify student strengths and determine next steps needed to support upcoming learning. Any other staff members who can provide support can work together in building and implementing scaffolds up to grade-level instruction. For example, if data shows students may struggle with fractions as numbers, we revisit second-grade standards on partitioning shapes to build a foundation. Then, we connect that understanding to fractions as numbers before diving into the core lesson where students will be discussing numerators and denominators. Staff members move together in a coordinated effort to provide small group mini-lessons, ensuring students are ready for new, grade-level topics.
You can find this right in the UDL Framework under Multiple Means of Representation—using prior knowledge to new learning. It’s a proactive approach that keeps joy alive by ensuring students experience growth and belonging, rather than frustration and exclusion.
Closing
Joy in math isn’t about momentary happiness—it’s about creating an environment where students exercise their agency, grow stronger in the struggle, and fully contribute in the process. By fostering collective courage, making math relevant, and keeping students in the game, we can sustain that joy and ensure that every student sees themselves as a capable mathematician.
I know how busy you are, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to be part of this conversation. If this episode resonated with you, I’d love for you to stay connected! Follow Math Universally Speaking on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Castbox, and Spotify. Or even subscribe to the Math Universally Speaking website. And if you have a moment, join the conversation on social media using #MathUniversallySpeaking.
Until next time, let’s keep reimagining math as a gateway to opportunity and joy. See you soon!
Professional Development
- Challenging Biases in Math Instruction:
- The episode discusses how speed has historically been associated with math intelligence, often discouraging students who need more time to process concepts. Reflect on your own experiences—how have you seen this bias impact students? What shifts can you make in your practice to celebrate perseverance and understanding rather than speed?
- Making Math Relevant and Engaging:
- The podcast emphasizes the importance of connecting math to students’ personal interests and lived experiences. Think about a recent math lesson you taught. How could you have made the content more relevant to your students? What steps can you take to integrate student voices into the design of future lessons?
- Keeping All Students in the Game:
- Just-in-time learning and scaffolding are highlighted as ways to ensure students remain engaged with grade-level content. What are some proactive strategies you and your colleagues can implement to support students who may struggle with new concepts? How can collaboration among staff members ensure that interventions build understanding rather than create barriers to participation?
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