This episode of my weekly radio/TV show Cool Cat Teacher Talk spotlights two important topics. First, I Have eight news stories that you’ll want to hear about AI. Then, I have interviews with math educators Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams and Dr. Gina Kling, co-authors of Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention. We’ll dive into how to help children learn math in a low-stress way and they’ll give us their favorite math games. Then, at the end of the show, I’ll unpack the wrongful death suit against ChatGPT and share the lessons we can learn (and how I’m talking about it to my students.)
A note from Vicki: So, the past two months have been important ones in our house. My 82-year old dad finished his race of life. I had to be there at his bedside because I wanted to be. Time is precious and I wouldn’t trade anything for those last moments with him. October has been my first month without him. September was my final month with him and it was hard for all of us and packed full of moments that I’ll treasure. As a result, I kept teaching my class and I kept posting on radio and TV, but I took a break from the blog, the newsletter, and posting my shows to YouTube and my podcast feed. As a result, you have lots of amazing educators coming your way. I have quite a backlog of episodes that I need to post and it is my plan to go ahead and post them all instead of slowing down.
🫶 I appreciate all of you who follow what I share and are right back here learning something else new. I’m here to helpl and to spread the news of amazing teaching practices and reaching this generation in challenging times. I promised my Dad the day before he died that I would tell the truth (like he did) even when it was hard or unpopular. My passion is helping you teach with encouragement, hope, and practical ideas of what works. This is an important time in history and our students need us!
So, get ready for quite a few episodes of both Cool Cat Teacher Talk and the 10 Minute Teacher. I’ve got some catching up to do!
See the Show on YouTube
Fun Math Games and AI Safety News You Need to Know
Listen to the Show’s Podcast
What You’ll Hear in Today’s Show
- 5 Edtech Tools TEachers are Talking About (Snorkl, Diffit, TeachAid.ca, Book Creator, Google Notebook LM)
- 8 News stories educators are talking about
- Low-Stress Math Learning – Replace anxiety with confidence through games.
- The Research on Timed Tests – Why they fail and what to do instead.
- Parent Partnerships – Changing the “I’m not a math person” mindset.
- AI Literacy and Safety – Understanding the wrongful death case and AI companion dangers.
- Faith and Technology – Why we must teach discernment, not dependence.
Today’s Guests
My guests today are Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams and Dr. Gina Kling, co-authors of Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention.
They share research-based strategies to make math low-stress, engaging, and effective—and they explain why timed tests don’t actually build fluency.
“When students are under pressure to be fast, it blocks their thinking.” – Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams
Instead of racing against the clock, students can play games that develop strategy, recall, and confidence. These aren’t “fluff” games; they’re powerful learning tools that actually improve retention and performance.
Math Games that Work
Here are a few teacher-tested favorites from the show:
- 🎯 Salute – Great for addition and subtraction practice. Students hold up cards and use logic to find missing addends or factors.
- 🍀 Lucky 13 – Encourages addition strategy while keeping it fun.
- ✋ Go Fish for 10s – Perfect for early fluency with number combinations.
- 🔢 Rectangle Fit – Think Tetris meets multiplication; helps visualize area and factors.
- ➖ Subtraction Stacks – A simple dice game for subtraction facts.
- 🎮 Trios – A multiplication “Connect 3” game that adds strategy and collaboration.
Dr. Kling reminds us that purposeful games are key—games should always reinforce mathematical thinking, not just speed.
“We’re not advocating for less math. We’re advocating for better math.” – Dr. Gina Kling
You can find free downloadable games and assessment tools on the Math Fact Fluency companion website through the Kentucky Center for Mathematics.
AI in the News: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know
In the final segment, I’m joined by John Davis, our show’s producer, to discuss an important—and heartbreaking—story: the first wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, after a teen named Adam Raine became entangled in unhealthy conversations with ChatGPT.
We discuss:
- Why young people often turn to AI “friends” instead of humans
- The Eliza Effect, where people attribute human emotions to chatbots
- Common Sense Media statistics showing that 70% of teens use AI companion apps
- The danger of AI tools pretending to care or show empathy
“AI isn’t your friend, your therapist, or your thought partner. It’s an algorithm.” – Vicki Davis
This conversation isn’t about fear—it’s about wisdom.
AI can be a powerful learning tool when used safely, but we must protect kids from manipulative systems and teach them that humans come first.
News Story Links
Nano Banana model of Google Gemini – https://gemini.google/us/overview/image-generation/?hl=en
Use Meshy.ai to turn what you create into a 3D object – https://www.meshy.ai/
Transform your 3D object into video – https://hailuoai.video/
Gemini is the top free iPhone app – https://9to5google.com/2025/09/13/gemini-top-free-apple-app-store/
85-year long Harvard study says relationships are the real key to happiness – https://www.openculture.com/2025/09/what-an-85-year-long-harvard-study-says-is-the-real-key-to-happiness.html
Most teachers are teaching themselves to use AI and only 19% of schools have an AI policy – https://www.npr.org/2025/08/19/nx-s1-5503984/ai-summer-camp-schools-education
Continuing decline in math and reading scores – https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/09/us/student-testing-scores-drop-hnk
The negative impact of a 4-day school week on learning – https://journalistsresource.org/education/four-day-school-week-research/
Warnings about people using AI as a psychotherapist – https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/ai-sycophancy-isnt-just-a-quirk-experts-consider-it-a-dark-pattern-to-turn-users-into-profit/
Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams – Bio as Submitted
Jennifer Bay-Williams is a national leader in mathematics education, working with teachers and leaders for over thirty years to support effective mathematics teaching. Her national leadership includes serving as a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Board of Directors, as secretary and president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) (president and secretary), as lead writer to the AMTE Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Mathematics. She is currently a member of the TODOS: Mathematics for All Board of Directors. Dr. Bay-Williams is a prolific writer. She has authored 18 books, 40 journal articles, and 23 book chapters, and offered over 400 presentations and workshops for mathematics teachers and leaders.
Dr. Bay-Williams is a professor at the University of Louisville (Kentucky), where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics education and works in local schools to support effective mathematics teaching and learning. Before becoming a teacher educator, Jennifer taught K-12 mathematics in Missouri and in Perú.
Dr. Gina Kling – Bio as Submitted
Dr. Gina Kling has been fortunate to serve the mathematics education community in a variety of ways throughout her 25-year teaching career. Gina is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and teaches mathematics for future elementary school teachers. Since 2011, she has worked as a curriculum developer for the elementary mathematics curriculum Everyday Mathematics (based at the University of Chicago) with a focus on grades K–3. For the past 15 years, Gina has focused her research on helping children learn their basic facts in meaningful ways, work that she often shares through professional development with practicing teachers throughout the country. She has authored numerous articles on teaching and assessing basic facts as well as a book, Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention.
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