Math is Figure-Out-Able!

#MathStratChat - April 2, 2025

• Pam Harris, Kim Montague

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In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 2, 2025. 


Note: It’s more fun if you try to solve the problem, share it on social media, comment on others strategies, before you listen to Pam and Kim’s strategies.


Check out #MathStratChat on your favorite social media site and join in the conversation.

Twitter: @PWHarris

Instagram: Pam Harris_math

Facebook: Pam Harris, author, mathematics education


Want more? Check out the archive of all of our #MathStratChat posts!

Pam  00:00

Hey, fellow mathers! Welcome to the podcast where we laugh a little bit and Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam! 

 

Kim  00:07

And I'm Kim.

 

Pam  00:08

And this episode is a MathStratChat episode. We were just laughing before I hit the button, so there you are. Where we chat. 

 

Kim  00:14

Whole episode before the episode sometimes.

 

Pam  00:16

It's true. We're going to chat about math strategies because every Wednesday evening, I throw out a math problem on social media, and people from around from around the world chat about the strategies they use, and comment on each other's thinking. Let's do it. 

 

Kim  00:27

Okay. So, this Wednesday, the problem was 28 plus 49. And we're curious how you solve this problem. Pause the podcast. Solve it. The problem is 28 plus 49.

 

Pam  00:38

Curious how we solve the problem, but I'm going to go first today. 

 

Kim  00:41

Okay.

 

Pam  00:41

Calling it, I'm calling it. I'm going to think about 28 and 50. 28 and 50 is 78. But I was only supposed to add 49, so I'm going to back up one, and that's 77.

 

Kim  00:54

Okie doke. I'm going to think about 28 as four 7s, and I'm going to think about 49 as seven 7s. So, I have four 7s and seven 7s is eleven 7s, which is 77.

 

Pam  01:09

Nice.

 

Kim  01:10

Yeah. 

 

Pam  01:11

A little multiplication in there to think about addition. 

 

Kim  01:13

Yeah. 

 

Pam  01:14

Teacher's sometimes say... Go ahead. What were you going to say? 

 

Kim  01:16

Do you remember when I told you, "Yeah, that's fun to play with. But nobody actually really like would want to solve that way?"

 

Pam  01:22

Yeah. 

 

Kim  01:22

Totally lied. Totally lied back then.

 

Pam  01:25

Yeah, I came across this when I was doing just addition problems and subtraction problems, and people started sharing that strategy with me, yeah. And I was like, "That's a thing?" And the more I built it in me, the more it shows up, and the more I hear it from people. And yeah.

 

Kim  01:40

100% true. 

 

Pam  01:42

And...

 

Kim  01:42

This is a new one for me, so I just had never considered it. And so, in the beginning it was like, "No." And it was one of those moments where I got to experience what other people have experienced when they say, "People don't do that." 

 

Pam  01:54

Yeah.

 

Kim  01:55

Yeah, it was cool. 

 

Pam  01:56

And, teachers, it's a fantastic way of taking students who may not have developed some addition strategies or multiplication facts and build both at the same time. 

 

Kim  02:06

Yeah.

 

Pam  02:07

Yeah, it's a nice older kids strategy.  Alright.

 

Kim  02:10

Very cool. Alright. Well, we can't wait every week to see what you all do. Join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems. And be sure to comment on each other's strategies. 

 

Pam  02:19

We post the problems on Wednesdays around 7:00 pm Central time. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStratChat. Then join us here to hear what we're thinking about the problem. We love having you as part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement. Math is Figure-Out-Able!