Math is Figure-Out-Able!
Math teacher educator Pam Harris and her cohost Kim Montague answer the question: If not algorithms, then what? Join them for ~15-30 minutes every Tuesday as they cast their vision for mathematics education and give actionable items to help teachers teach math that is Figure-Out-Able. See www.MathisFigureOutAble.com for more great resources!
Math is Figure-Out-Able!
#MathStratChat - April 29, 2026
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In today’s MathStratChat, Pam and Kim discuss the MathStratChat problem shared on social media on April 29, 2026.
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.
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Pam 0:01
Hey, fellow math-ers! Welcome to the podcast where Math is Figure-Out-Able. I'm Pam Harris.
Kim 0:07
And I'm Kim Montague.
Pam 0:09
And this episode is a MathStratChat episode because we chat about our math strategies. Every Wednesday evening, I throw out a math problem on social media, and people from around the world chat about the strategies they use and comment on each other's thinking. And listen in the car while Kim and I solve the problem.
Kim 0:24
Okay, so this week, our math problem is three-halves divided by one-sixth. How would you solve this problem? Pause, solve however you'd like. The problem is three-halves divided by one-sixth.
Pam 0:37
Alright, Kim, what you got?
Kim 0:41
Okay, so three-halves divided by one-sixth. I wondered about scaling that up, so that I could not have a fraction in the denominator. So, I thought about scaling it times 6. So, then I had eighteen-halves divided by 1. And I know that eighteen-halves is 9.
Pam 1:05
Nicely done. I like it. I like it. So, I also thought about that one, but there's two that I was thinking about. One is I could think about three-halves in terms of sixths. So, I know there's six-sixths in a whole. But I have another half because three-halves is like 1 and a 1/2. So, I have another three-sixths. So, six-sixths and three-sixths is nine-sixths. So, the problem is equivalently nine-sixths divided by one-sixth. So, it's like asking how many one-sixths are in nine-sixths, and I know that's 9.
Kim 1:35
Yeah, nice.
Pam 1:36
Nice
Kim 1:37
Well, we can't wait to see what you do every week. Please join us on MathStratChat and let us know how you think about the problems. And comment on each other's strategies.
Pam 1:45
Hey, maybe I'll just mention I used a quotative strategy and you used a partitive strategy. I'll just mention that. Alright, y'all, we post the problems on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Central. When you answer, tag me and use the hashtag MathStratChat. Then join us here to hear how we're thinking about the problem. Thanks for being part of the Math is Figure-Out-Able movement! Math is Figure-Out-Able!