Chris is a former head of mathematics in Scotland who now works for La Salle education. Like me, he has undergone something of a mid-career crises when he started to engage in educational research. However, we have reached slightly different conclusions in a number of key areas. In this conversation we delve deep into those areas, as well as discussing how to create or choose a good mathematical task. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they ...
Jun 09, 2019•3 hr 13 min•Ep. 84
Michael is a maths teacher and blogger from the US. I have been a fan of Michael's writing for a long time, and it was fascinating to get the opportunity to talk in depth about areas of pedagogy that are close to our hearts. We talked about the difficulty of moving schools, our views on problem solving and then the big one... Example-Problem Pairs (spoiler alert: we don't agree upon the best way to use them!) For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ide...
May 25, 2019•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 83
Mark McCourt returns to the podcast by popular demand! In his previous appearance back in 2016 , Mark claimed he had never marked a book in his life. Now in 2019 Mark shares his wisdom on all things to do with teaching for mastery, including his views on problem solving, starters, schemes of work, and much more. This is a corker of an episode. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbar...
May 10, 2019•2 hr 48 min•Ep. 82
Episode 1 of my new podcast series where I go behind the scenes of an awarding body in an attempt to answer the questions you want to ask. This episode is all about the language used in exam papers! To access all episodes in the series, please visit the Inside Exams home page . For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/inside-exams-episode-1/...
May 02, 2019•37 min•Ep. 81
Join me and Jo Morgan for 2 days at the ATM MA joint maths conference, for discussions about the evolution of maths vocabulary, problem solving, lesson observations, listening to learners, visual representations and much much more! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-atmma-2019-conference-day-2/...
Apr 16, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 80
Join me and Jo Morgan for 2 days at the ATM MA joint maths conference, for discussions about the evolution of maths vocabulary, problem solving, lesson observations, listening to learners, visual representations and much much more! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-atmma-2019-conference-day-1/...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 79
Pete is Director of Maths & Numeracy in a secondary school in the Midlands. He is a Secondary Mastery Lead for the EMS Maths Hub, and Maths SLE & PD Lead. He is also the author of Visible Maths - a book that looks at using visual representations to help students sense-make. In this conversation we take a deep-dive into all things visual, as well as discussing planning sequences of lessons and running a maths department. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites...
Apr 06, 2019•3 hr 16 min•Ep. 78
Join Jo Morgan and I for a jam-packed discussion following the excellent Educating Northants Conference about mastery at primary, a knowledge curriculum, multiple mathematical methods, dual coding, variation starters... and a breathing exercise. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-educating-northants-2019/...
Mar 30, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 77
Simon Cox and I sat down to discuss our key takeaways from the excellent sessions we saw at researchEd Blackpool 2019. Hear reflections on workshops by the likes of Mark McCourt, Mark Lehain, Anne Watson, Oliver Caviglioli, Colin Foster, Simon Cox and Ben Gordon. It's a good one! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-researched-blackpool-2019/...
Mar 23, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 76
Alex Quigley is a former English teacher and now Senior Associate at the Education Endowment Foundation. He is also the author of one of my favourite books of any genre over the last 12 months - Closing the Vocabulary Gap . In this interview we delve into the importance of vocabulary across all subjects, and I discover an exciting way of introducing students to a new concept. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the ...
Mar 09, 2019•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 75
Jemma is Head of Maths at Haybridge High School and Sixth Form in Worcestershire. Jemma is a governor at a primary school, and a professional development lead for the NCETM. She is also the creator of one of my favourite educational blogs - jemmaths.wordpress.com - and the author of How To Enhance Your Maths Subject Knowledge . In this conversation we go deep into Jemma's planning process for a sequence of lessons, and talk about the importance of silence! For more information about today’s gues...
Feb 22, 2019•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 74
Naveen Rizvi is Maths Curriculum Advisor for United Learning, and has previously taught at Michaela and Great Yarmouth schools, both of which have been in the public eye over the last few years. In what will no doubt prove a controversial episode (always good for the listening figures!) Naveen takes us through how she plans a sequence of lessons on rearranging formulae, completed with a scripted resource booklet which you can download from the podcast page. It is fascinating listening. For more ...
Feb 09, 2019•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 73
Chris Smith is a maths teacher, Pi Day lover, TED Talker, popular newsletter writer, and the 2018 Scottish teacher of the Year. In this conversation we cover everything from lesson planning, time-management, running successful revision days, and the role of fun in maths lessons. Enjoy! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/chris-smith-injecting-fun-into-lessons-re...
Jan 25, 2019•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 72
David Didau is a former English teacher turned educational consultant, blogger and author. He has written two of my favourite educational books of all time: What If Everything You Knew About Education Was Wrong? and What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Psychology , which he co-wrote with former podcast guest Nick Rose . David now has a new book out - Making Kids Cleverer: A manifesto for closing the advantage gap - and it is a little on the controversial side! In this thought-provoking convers...
Jan 06, 2019•2 hr 34 min•Ep. 71
In this special podcast to celebrate Jo's 100th Maths Gem blog post, we end up talking about so much more than resources - although there is plenty of chat about that, so don't you worry. We also cover the role of fun in lessons, practical use of cognitive science in teaching, SSDD problems, what Jo has learned this year, and plenty more besides. Oh, and there is even a quiz! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the ...
Dec 17, 2018•2 hr 54 min•Ep. 70
Dr Helen Williams has been teaching, and learning about mathematics teaching, for over 30 years. Her particular expertise is in learning maths with children from 3 to 8 years of age, which is most certainly not my area of expertise! In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss exactly what an early years maths lesson might look like, why manipulatives are so important for children of all ages, and why Helen is not exactly sold on Cognitive Load Theory! For more information about today’s guest, ...
Dec 02, 2018•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 69
Professor Becky Allen is Professor of Education at UCL Institute of Education, co-creator of TeacherTapp, and the co-author of The Teacher Gap . Here we discuss just how happy (or unhappy!) teachers are, and what the very best schools are doing about it. We also discuss the mistakes schools make in terms of Pupil Premium students and measuring progress, both of which may well contribute to teacher unhappiness, with little positive benefits. There is so much in this conversation! For more informa...
Nov 19, 2018•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 68
Bernie Westacott is a master of teaching key mathematical concepts in a visual way, using manipulatives and other representations. In this episode he takes me through 3 demonstrations: introducing number, operations with negative numbers, and simultaneous equations. In a world first for the Mr Barton Maths Podcast, this episode is available in both audio and also video so you can see Bernie in action, and watch me struggle! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, re...
Nov 08, 2018•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 67
Dr Hannah Fry is a mathematician, and a legend. In this interview we discussed her career, books, and TV work, covering topics such as the role maths can play in relationships, parenting, solving crime and driverless cars. The includes a discussion of Hannah's book Hello World, which is outstanding. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/hannah-fry-algorithms-love-...
Oct 29, 2018•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 66
After MathsConf16 at Glasgow High School on 6th October 2018, Stuart Welsh ( @maths180 ) and I sat down to share our thoughts and takeaways on the sessions we had seen. We discuss atomising - which was very much the word of the day - provocative statements in maths education, teaching perimeter, solving linear equations with 100% success guaranteed, and much, much more. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show n...
Oct 07, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 65
After researchED Scotland at Dollar Academy on 22nd September 2018, Chris McGrane ( @ChrisMcGrane84 ) and I sat down to share our thoughts and takeaways on the sessions we had seen. We discuss the 7 myths of education, the role of metacogntion, feeding forward, curriculum, variation and smashing the bell-curve. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-take...
Sep 23, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 64
Jeremy is a Professor of mathematics education researcher at UCL Institute of Education, the co-author, along with Dylan Wiliam, of Mathematics Inside the Black Box, and the co-creator of the ICCAMS project. We had a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion that covered is findings on a project into the best way to teach low-achieving students, the importance of mathematical stories, how to deal with relevance in mathematics, and the key role fingers have to play in learning! For more information...
Sep 16, 2018•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 63
In this episode, I got to interview one of my all-time heroes, Simon Singh. Simon is the author of some of my favourite books, including Fermat's Last Theorem and the Codebook. But not content with retelling some of the most wonderful stories about our subject, Simon also wants to help develop mathematics excellence through his work with the Parallel Project. This is an episode not to be missed. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mentio...
Sep 09, 2018•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 62
Slice of Advice returns, and in this episode over 30 world-class educators give their answer to the question: What does the first lesson with your class look like? You will hear about specific activities, setting expectation, establishing routines, and much more from the likes of Bruno Reddy, Mark McCourt, Jemma Sherwood, Jo Facer, and many more besides. I love this episode! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the s...
Aug 30, 2018•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 61
Following his game-changing appearance on the podcast in early 2017, Greg Ashman returns to talk about his wonderful book, The Truth about Teaching . And this is one sequel that does not disappoint. We cover everything from effect sizes to growth mindset, calling in at game-based learning, slow-motion problem solving and whole class feedback along the way. This is definitely one to share with your non-maths teaching colleagues. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites...
Aug 07, 2018•2 hr 25 min•Ep. 60
In an experimental episode, I asked 50+ of my favourite people one question: "what did you learn this year?". You will hear from the likes of Dylan William, Andrew Smith, Katharine Birbalsingh, Claire Sealy, Andrew Percival, Dan Meyer, and many others talking all things from feedback, work-life balance, signalling, metacognition, working abroad, and everything in between. A must listen for teachers of all subjects and age groups. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websit...
Jul 17, 2018•3 hr 44 min•Ep. 59
After the JustMaths on 25rd June 2018, Jo Morgan ( @mathsjem ) and I sat down in Alton Towers to share our thoughts and takeaways on the sessions we had seen. We discuss the interesting ways AQA are using their exam questions, Mel and Seagar's secrets of their success, Ofqual's take on last summer's GCSEs, Edexcel's reaction to Year 11s Twitter postings, Jo's favourite new maths resource sites, and just why am I both dangerous and clueless? For more information about today’s guest, plus links to...
Jul 01, 2018•32 min•Ep. 58
After the LaSalle Maths Conference in Manchester on 23rd June 2018, Jo Morgan ( @mathsjem ) and I sat down to share our thoughts and takeaways on the sessions we had seen. In a cracker of an episode (if I do say so myself!), we discuss AQA's Level 2 Certificate, the role of storytelling, Desmos, teaching indices in depth, working in a department with non-specialists, intelligent variation, and plenty more. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas ...
Jun 23, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 57
I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the Festival of Education. And if that wasn't enough, I also got to reflect on each day's session with Kris Boulton ( @Kris_Boulton ) from a sun-soaked Master's garden. So sit back, relax and listen to us discuss everything from curriculum, knowledge, reading, measuring progress, Ofsted, and even Love Island For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http...
Jun 22, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 56
With the summer 2018 Maths GCSEs finally behind us, I thought it would be nice to reflect on the experiences of teachers and students over the first two years of sitting of the new GCSE Maths specification. And who better to join me on this voyage of discovery than my very own Head of Department, Karen Wilkinson, and the Head of Maths at Edexcel, Graham Cumming. Settle yourselves down for an enlightening discussion on good and bad questions, tiering decisions, and much, much more. For more infor...
Jun 18, 2018•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 55
