About Dave Mitchell

30 years of making math matter

Dave Mitchell taught mathematics for 30 years in the public school system at the high school level, including at Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ontario. Over three decades in the classroom, he saw firsthand what works and what doesn't when it comes to helping students genuinely connect with math.

After retiring 22 years ago, Dave didn't slow down. He dedicated himself to developing engaging educational materials and presenting workshops at teachers' conventions across Canada and the United States. What started as a passion project grew into a comprehensive library of resources that thousands of educators have used to transform their classrooms.

His mission has always been simple but powerful: to transform how students experience mathematics—from something to endure into something to enjoy, talk about, and explore. Every puzzle book, every song, every paper-folding activity was designed with one goal in mind—making students want to do math.

Dave believes math should spark conversation—between students, between students and teachers, and around the dinner table at home. When a child comes home singing the times tables or showing off a geometric construction they folded from a single sheet of paper, math stops being homework and starts being something the whole family can share.

Dave Mitchell with his students in the classroom

30 Years in the Classroom

Taught high school mathematics in the Ontario public school system for three decades, developing and refining hands-on teaching methods that reached students of every ability level.

Complete Puzzle Book Library

Developed a complete library of puzzle books covering basic arithmetic through advanced operations—each one designed to make practice feel like play.

Multiplication Songs CD

Created the Multiplication Songs CD—learn every times table through music. Students who know the songs know their tables, period.

Math Music in Mayhem

Produced Math Music in Mayhem and its sequel—math-music connections designed for older students, making abstract concepts stick through rhythm and melody.

"Can You Fold Under Pressure?" Parts 1 & 2

Created two DVDs of paper-folding constructions that reveal the mathematics hidden in a single sheet of paper. Geometry, symmetry, and spatial reasoning—all through hands-on folding.

"What Would Picasso Say?"

Created a DVD teaching ruler and compass math art—where geometry meets creativity. Students learn mathematical precision while producing artwork they're proud of.

0 YouTube Views

Published a YouTube song about radius, diameter, area, and circumference that resonated with teachers and students around the world—now at over three million views and counting.

Workshops Across North America

Presented workshops at teachers' conventions across Canada and the United States, sharing practical, classroom-ready strategies with educators at every level.

0 Excellent Ratings

More than ninety percent of attending teachers rated Dave's workshop presentations as "Excellent"—a level of approval that is virtually unheard of in professional development.

Featured on CBC Radio's Morningside

In 1996, Dave appeared on CBC Radio's Morningside with Peter Gzowski—a national broadcast that was selected for "Best of Morningside" that evening and replayed during summer programming.

“In 30 years of teaching, I learned one thing above all else: when you make math fun—when you connect it to music, to art, to puzzles that feel like games—students don't just learn it. They talk about it. They share it. And that conversation is where real understanding begins.”
— Dave Mitchell

In 1996, Dave Mitchell appeared on CBC Radio's Morningside with Peter Gzowski—one of the most widely listened-to programs in Canadian broadcasting history—to explain how he uses math and music to engage students in ways traditional methods simply cannot.

The interview resonated so strongly that the segment was selected for the "Best of Morningside" broadcast that same evening and was replayed again during CBC's summer programming. Listeners from across Canada responded with significant positive feedback, many writing in to say they wished they'd had a teacher like Dave when they were in school.

Being featured on Morningside was more than a personal milestone—it was national recognition that Dave's approach to math education represented something genuinely different and genuinely effective.

In the Press

Newspaper article about Dave Mitchell's math and music teaching methods

of attending teachers rated Dave's presentations as "Excellent"

Workshops delivered at teachers' conventions across Canada and the United States

Speaker evaluation forms rating Dave Mitchell as Excellent

“Outstanding! Dave, you are an engaging and informative speaker. Love your musical ideas, truly memorable!”
— Workshop Attendee, Speaker Evaluation

“REALLY Excellent! The best I've seen for math! Thank you! You are inspiring!”
— Workshop Attendee, Speaker Evaluation

“Dave has given me at least a dozen ideas for hands-on math manipulatives. I cannot wait to incorporate his ideas into my geometry units. Come back again!”
— Workshop Attendee, Speaker Evaluation

Want to Bring Dave's Materials to Your School?

Dave has spent decades creating, testing, and refining materials that make math the subject students actually talk about. Whether you're an administrator exploring a district-wide solution or a teacher looking for something that genuinely works, there's a path forward.

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