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Five years ago, Vanessa fell head over heels in love with a Christmas movie. The plot twist? This wasn't one of the countless Hallmark romcoms she actually consumes throughout the year - this was a movie about a little girl who literally saves Christmas with math!

Back then she interviewed Producer Lyn Sisson-Talbert and Writer/Director David E. Talbert about their groundbreaking Netflix film Jingle Jangle, so we’re resharing the conversation today as Christmas approaches.

On that note, we'll be taking a break next week but will be back in your feed Jan 1st to give you some inspiration to make 2026 a great year in the classroom. Until then, happy holidays!!

Contact us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
• Math Therapy: Text the Podcast

More Math Therapy:

• Get the book: Corwin, Amazon
• Audiobook: Audible, Spotify
• Merch store: Shop here

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Getting students to think is a hot topic - but what does it actually mean? When kids are asked to "show their thinking", can we really blame them for being like "WTF?!?!"

Today on Math Therapy, Vanessa explores the surprising number of ways we can define & interpret "thinking", and shares 5 strategies to demystify it in the classroom:

1. Explain what thinking actually means
2. Normalize that the thought process isn't always quick
3. Give prompts that invite students into a conversation
4. Outer process - talk it out before writing it down
5. Model your own thinking as a teacher

How do YOU define thinking? Let us know below!

Contact us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
• Math Therapy: Text the Podcast

More Math Therapy:

• Get the book: Corwin, Amazon
• Audiobook: Audible, Spotify
• Merch store: Shop here

Send us a text! (US messaging rates apply)

Since our humble (and as you'll find out, quite disorganized) start in 2019, Math Therapy has come a long way ... and today we celebrate our 100th episode!

Join host Vanessa Vakharia and producer David Kochberg as they reminisce and argue about:

• The (mostly) true origin story of Math Therapy
• Where the “final 2 questions” came from
• Fave past episodes
• Dream future guests
• If ChatGPT listens to our show

Whether you've been listening from the start or just finding this show now, thank you for listening and being part of the change we all want to see in math education.

And please please please SHARE this podcast with someone that needs to hear it, and let US know what you want to hear in the next 100 episodes!

Past episodes mentioned:

• What the Blue Jays taught us about math education (Nov 2025)
• Pi Day in Prison (Seriously) (Mar 2023)
• “Dude Walls” & the lost women of science w/ Katie Hafner (May 2022)
• Dancing on the moon w/ Dr. Merritt Moore (Apr 2022)
• Can math predict the Oscars? w/ Ben Zauzmer (Mar 2022)
• How math rehabilitated a murderer w/ Christopher Havens (Jun 2021)
• I’m not a math person, don’t @ me w/ Bex (Jun 2021)
• Recalculating your destiny w/ Miguel Escobar (Jun 2020)
• A mathemagical crisis w/ Jonah Babins (Oct 2019)

Contact us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: Instagram, TikTok, Email
• Math Therapy: Text the Podcast

More Math Therapy:

• Get the book: Corwin, Amazon
• Audiobook: Audible, Spotify
• Merch store: Shop here