What Makes People Engage With Math — Professional Development Guide

Transform how your team thinks about math instruction with this ready-to-use, 60-minute professional development workshop. Built around the TEDx talk “What Makes People Engage With Math” (Eddie Woo), this session helps teachers discover how relevance, visualization, and storytelling can make mathematics memorable, meaningful, and inspiring.

What’s Included

• Facilitator Guide (DOCX): A complete script with timing, key talking points, and reflection prompts.
  
• Workshop Objectives: Teachers will explore how to:
  
  • Connect math to real-world relevance.
    
  • Use visualization and animation to simplify abstract ideas.
    
  • Incorporate storytelling, mystery, and emotion to deepen engagement.
    
  • Reflect on their current practices.
    
  • Commit to one action step to implement right away.
    

• Suggested Agenda (60 minutes):
  
  • 5 min — Welcome & introductions
    
  • 10 min — Watch the TEDx talk
    
  • 10 min — Individual reflection
    
  • 15 min — Small group discussion
    
  • 10 min — Whole group debrief
    
  • 10 min — Action step & closing reflection
    

• Discussion Questions + Facilitator Insights: Seven engaging questions with guidance to keep conversation meaningful and practical.
  
• Participant Page: Reflection prompts plus space to write one concrete action step for classroom use.
  

Why Teachers & Leaders Love This PD

• Turnkey: Just follow the guide—no extra prep needed.
  
• Flexible: Use as a full 60-minute workshop or break into shorter PLC/department meeting segments.
  
• Applicable Across Grade Levels: Works with elementary, middle, and high school math.
  
• Student-Centered: Focuses on curiosity, discovery, and making math both useful and beautiful.
  

How to Use

• Whole-staff PD: Run the full session during an in-service day.
  
• PLC/Department Meeting: Break into 15–20 minute discussion blocks.
  
• Instructional Coaching: Pair the reflection + action step with follow-up coaching cycles.
  
• New-Teacher Induction: Share strategies to build engaging math classrooms from the start.
  

Skills & Frameworks Reinforced

• Student engagement & motivation
  
• Relevance & real-world connections
  
• Visualization of abstract concepts
  
• Storytelling & narrative in instruction
  
• Growth mindset & persistence in problem-solving