
Episode #3
See It! Say It! Symbolize It! with Dr. Patrick Sullivan
See It! Say It! Symbolize It! with Dr. Patrick Sullivan ROUNDING UP: SEASON 5 | EPISODE 3 Representations, language, and symbols are all important ingredients in building students' conceptual understanding and fluency. But how can we understand the relationship between those three ingredients? And what happens if we leave any one of them out of the recipe? In this episode, we explore these questions with Dr. Patrick Sullivan, professor of mathematics at Missouri State University. BIOGRAPHY Dr. Patrick Sullivan teaches mathematics content and methods courses for future K–12 teachers at Missouri State University. His work focuses on helping teachers unleash children's mathematical brilliance, particularly in the areas of number, fractions, multiplication, and mathematical reasoning. He has published in the areas of elementary mathematics education, mathematical authority, technology-supported learning, and statistics education. Dr. Sullivan is the author of See It, Say It, Symbolize It (Solution Tree), which challenges educators to rethink how mathematics is taught and learned. He is also the past president of the Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the founder and director of the Young Mathematics Teacher Academy, a program designed to encourage and mentor high school students interested in becoming mathematics teachers. Formerly, he served as a school leader and high school mathematics department chair. He has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the Missouri Teacher Educator of the Year Award. RESOURCES See It, Say It, Symbolize It book Unleashing Mathematical Brilliance website CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction • Building Mathematical Understanding 00:32 - Grandma Edna's Math Lesson 05:44 - See It, Say It, Symbolize It 09:21 - Concept Images & Fractions 14:07 - Language as the Connector 21:46 - Equal Exchange 26:02 - Making Sense of Symbols 32:51 - Connecting Math Across Grades 37:43 - Wrapping Up TRANSCRIPT Click here for a full episode transcript.


