Mr Barton Maths Podcast

In this episode, Craig, Ollie, and special guest Zach Groschel discuss various topics related to education. They start by introducing themselves and discussing their current locations. Then, they dive into the importance of standardizing entry and exit routines in schools. They also explore the concept of relentless precision in holding high standards and the obstacles to understanding that teachers may face. Overall, the conversation highlights the need for clear expectations, effective coaching, and ongoing support in education. The conversation covers obstacles to understanding, effective explanations, checking for listening, refining the list, gradual release of responsibility, six direct instruction shifts, and self-explanation. The conversation explores the pre-test effect, the value of mass practice, the importance of discriminative contrast in interleaving, and the role of similarity in interleaving. You can access the show notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-8 Time-stamps:

Cognitive psychologist, Nick Soderstrom, joins me to talk about all things memory and retrieval. We discuss the important distinction between learning and performance, and then dive into four desirable difficulties: testing, spacing, interleaving and pre-testing. Links can be found in the show notes: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/how-to-remember Time-stamps: Memory, learning, and career paths with a cognitive psychologist. (7:04) The importance of retrieval practice in learning. (12:25) Learning vs performance in education. (17:51) Retrieval practice and testing in education. (24:26) The benefits of testing students and how it can improve learning. (29:35) Effective feedback strategies in teaching. (36:11) Math testing formats and feedback. (43:03) Retrieval practice in math education. (47:37) Using retrieval practice and spacing to improve learning. (51:33) Spaced repetition in teaching fractions. (56:30) Optimal spacing for effective learning. (1:01:01) Optimal retrieval practice for learni

Teacher, author and my arch-rival podcaster, Ollie Lovell, joins me from the land Down Under for the seventh of our monthly chats. We each share three things we have been thinking about from the world of education recently. In this episode, we discuss CPD, checking for understanding, rehearsal, lesson planning, and more. For show notes, videos and links please visit this page: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-7 Time-stamps: Plan CPD around the in-between times (10:04) Questions to ask during CPD (17:52) Ask Who got 8/10? (28:16) Importance of rehearsal when coaching (35:42) Move slowly (50:47) What’s harder, planning lessons from scratch, or adapting existing lessons? (57:27)

Where to begin? Mark McCourt has done it all. From maths teacher, head of maths, head teacher, Ofsted inspector, CEO, founder, and the creator of MathsConf. I first met Mark almost 20 years ago, and have learned from him ever since. This is Mark’s 3rd appearance on the podcast, and given he recently announced his retirement, I fear it may be his last. To access the show-notes, please visit: Time-stamps: Retirement and career changes. (4:43) Potential and ability in education. (13:30) The meaning of "ability" in education. (21:31) Teaching methods and class organization. (25:30) Teacher performance and subject-specific knowledge. (33:28) Education trends and subject matter in schools. (38:06) Education sector fear and lack of agency among teachers. (44:14) Assessing student learning and understanding. (53:21) Teaching methods and mini whiteboards. (58:59) Maths education and manipulatives. (1:03:41) Using manipulatives in math education. (1:10:22) Maths education and teacher t

The episode features a conversation with Ofsted's Maths Subject Lead, Steve Wren. We discuss everything from inspections, subject deep-dive, lesson observations, book scrutinies, COVID and more. For show notes, please visit: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/ofsted Time-stamps: Education career, controversies, and accents. (13:13) Maths education, policy, and personal interests. (15:31) Maths education and refereeing football. (20:56) Football refereeing and teaching career insights. (23:27) Lesson planning and the importance of cutting losses. (26:31) Ofsted inspections and their practicalities. (29:12) School inspection process and expectations. (35:33) School inspection and grading. (39:09) School inspection process and leadership. (42:40) Ofsted inspections and deep dives in a secondary school. (49:15) Maths curriculum and lesson observations. (51:13) Teaching maths in a school. (55:22) Ofsted inspections and lesson quality. (1:00:18) Ofsted inspections and consistency in teaching pra

For this special episode (kindly sponsored by Casio Education), Ollie Lovell and I are joined by Emma Turner and Tom Sherrington to discuss coaching, the view form the back of a lesson, pre-testing, implied competencies and more! Access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-6 Time-stamps: Be wary of the view from the back of your lessons (05:29) Implied competencies at primary (21:52) The Montessori approach (37:01) Why cannot Craig not make pretesting work? (58:45) Is coaching in groups better than one-to-one? (1:21:53) The power of manipulatives (1:35:15)

Vic Simms is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at Ulster University. Her recent research interests have been in understanding the influence of the home environment on early mathematical development, understanding influences on development from cross-country perspectives and developmental differences (for those children born preterm or with genetic conditions). This episode is part of my Research in Action mini-series, where I interview a researcher from the Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University about their chosen area of interest, and the implications for maths teaching and learning. You can access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/research-in-action-25 Time-stamps: Introduction to today’s topic. (6:29) How parents engage with their children. (11:20) Differences between the quality of the interactions and the frequency. (15:37) The ideal combination of frequency and quality. (19:58) The home mathematics environment in China. (24:35) The hierarchy of what parents

Kinga Morsanyi is a developmental psychologist, and currently a Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Cognition at Loughborough University. Her main focus is on mathematics learning, but her research interests also encompass reasoning and decision-making, the motivational and emotional aspects of learning, and educational approaches to improving thinking and mathematics skills. Kinga is also researching the atypical development of cognitive skills, in autism and in developmental dyscalculia. This episode is part of my Research in Action mini-series, where I interview a researcher from the Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University about their chosen area of interest, and the implications for maths teaching and learning. You can access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/research-in-action-24 Time-stamps: Introduction to Kinga. (0:14) Craig's background. (2:08) Maths Anxiety. (8:52) The bias for positive findings in research. (15:17) What is dyscalculia and what does it mean? (19:

Dave Hewitt taught in schools for 11 years, including as Head of Department working with all-attainment classes from Years 7-11. Dave has since been working in teacher education for over 30 years, initially at the University of Birmingham and then setting up the mathematics PGCE at Loughborough University in 2014. Dave was last on the show back in 2020 when we discussed when to tell students how to do something. This episode is part of my Research in Action mini-series, where I interview a researcher from the Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University about their chosen area of interest, and the implications for maths teaching and learning. You can access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/research-in-action-23 Time-stamps: Dave's background. (2:07) The law of efficiency and short term success. (7:36) The subordination of teaching to learning. (13:16) Children can abstract from a world of complexity. (19:49) Direct access to students. (25:15) Direct access vs. prior knowle

Teacher, author and my arch-rival podcaster, Ollie Lovell, joins me from the land Down Under for the fifth of our monthly chats. We each share three things we have been thinking about from the world of education recently. In this episode, we discuss instructions, the Split-Attention Effect, backwards-faded worked examples, and the first lesson with a new class. For show notes, videos and links please visit this page: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-5/ Time-stamps: Front-loading instructions (09:09) Backwards fading for worked examples (12:51) Never write what you don't understand (28:36) Hands-up who thinks they know the answer (40:02) Do you really understand the Split-Attention Effect? (49:50) First lesson with a new class (58:36)

Camilla Gilmore is the Developmental Psychology and lead of the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning. She has done research for 20 years focused on learning mathematics in particular looking at cognitive aspects (e.g. executive function skills that we discussed back in episode 151) This is part of my Research in Action mini-series, where I interview a researcher from the Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University about their chosen area of interest, and the implications for maths teaching and learning. You can check out the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/research-in-action-22/ Time-stamps: The importance of early years maths. (7:38) What are the age groups of early learners? (11:52) How much variation is meaningful and how much incidental? (15:42) Early years and executive functions. (21:11) Cognitive load theory and extraneous load. (27:13) How retrieval practice works in early years. (31:10) The month of birth effect on learning. (35:33) How much do emotional aspects

Jodie Hunter is a visiting professor at Loughborough University from Massey University, New Zealand. We discuss developing culturally responsive mathematics education in classrooms with students from diverse ethnic groups including Indigenous and migrant groups through building on culture as a strength. This is part of my Research in Action mini-series, where I interview a researcher from the Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University about their chosen area of interest, and the implications for maths teaching and learning. You can check out the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/research-in-action-21/ Time-stamps: Jody's background. (1:53) What do you mean by early algebra? (7:34) Cultural representation of mathematics in school. (14:17) The power of geometric patterns. (21:39) How children's academic achievement accelerates. (26:56) Shoehorning in inverted commas and real-life applications. (31:58) Strategies on how to integrate cultural learning into maths. (38:06

Paul Howard-Jones joins me to discuss how and why teachers use (and don't use) research to inform their teaching. This is part of my Research in Action mini-series, where I interview a researcher from the Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University about their chosen area of interest, and the implications for maths teaching and learning. You can access the show notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/research-in-action-20/ Time-stamps: Paul's background. (4:15) Why research doesn’t play out as well in the classroom? (10:36) How do researchers and educators work together? (16:27) The shift towards evidence of impact in research. (22:30) Understanding the why and how of the research. (29:23) Implementation adaptation and sustainment. (36:26) How to break down barriers to research. (43:10) Advice for teachers who value research. (48:51) Fostering a culture of innovation in the classroom. (54:06) The research community’s take on practical classroom techniques. (59:30) What Pa

Teacher, author and my arch-rival podcaster, Ollie Lovell, joins me from the land Down Under for the fourth of our monthly chats. We each share three things we have been thinking about from the world of education recently. In this episode, we discuss live coaching, shared lesson plans, CPD, Dylan Wiliam and more. For show notes, videos and links please visit this page: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-4/ Time-stamps: Is this now correct? (5:29) Some elements of good teaching I don't use enough in CPD (11:14) Moving towards shared lesson plans (26:26) Live coaching (44:12) When are you ready to be a head of department? (1:04:26) Task structures (1:14:21)

Science teacher, Pritesh Raichura, shares his insights about how to ensure 100% of our students are listening, thinking and understanding at each stage of a lesson. From All-Hands-Up Cold Calling, to high-frequency checks for listening, this episode is jam-packed with incredible, practical insights. You can access the resources and videos from the episode here: https://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/170-how-to-secure-100-student-engagement-with-pritesh-raichura/ Useful time-stamps: Welcome to Pritesh (06:51) Pritesh's favourite failure (10:37) What does Pritiesh mean by attention? (19:25) What does 100% attention look like? (22:53) Is 100% attention really achievable? (28:15) What is the relationship between attention and behaviour? (33:44) All-Hands-Up Cold Call (46:06) How do you secure attention when students are practising independently? (1:16:37) Show Call (1:20:35) High-frequency checks for listening (1:25:20) Desks in rows (1:43:05) S-L-A-N-T (1:58:10) Silence as a default (2:08

Teacher, author and my arch-rival podcaster, Ollie Lovell, joins me from the land Down Under in the second of our monthly chats. We each share three things we have been thinking about from the world of education recently. In this episode, we discuss connections, worked examples, teacher knowledge, iPads and more. For show notes, videos and links please visit this page: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-3 Time-stamps: Be explicit about connections (05:27) A quadrilogy for worked examples (14:07) Expectations of teacher knowledge have fallen over time (29:44) The best use of iPads I've seen (41:21) Buy some timer dice! (52:02) Rewards for revision (54:55)

Experienced heads of department, Femi Adeniran and Matt Findlay, join me for an epic conversation about leading a maths department. We cover everything from consistency versus autonomy, departmental meetings, handling parental complaints and allocating sets. You can access links to the resources discussed, time-stamps and videos on the podcast show-notes page here: https://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/168-how-to-lead-a-maths-department-with-femi-adeniran-and-matt-findlay/ Time-stamps: Matt's favourite failure (06:26) Femi's favourite failure (10:38) Matt's route into becoming a head of department (15:45) Femi's route into becoming a head of department (18:17) How many year's classroom teaching should you have before becoming a head of department? (21:02) How strong a teacher does the head of department need to be? (24:41) What does your timetable as a head of department look like? (28:43) Do you find you are teaching more these days than 5 years ago? (32:38) Does your teach

Teacher, author and my arch-rival podcaster, Ollie Lovell, joins me from the land Down Under in the second of our monthly chats. We each share three things we have been thinking about from the world of education recently. In this episode, we discuss reasons students don't understand things, behaviour, copying things down, and more! For show notes, videos and links please visit this page: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-2 Time-stamps: Three reasons students don’t know the answer (06:06) Three reflections on behaviour in schools (19:22) Develop competing hypotheses when observing teaching and learning (37:11) Further thoughts on the Myth of Copying Things Down (47:19) Rethinking To-Do Lists (1:06:13) End the day on a positive (1:16:24)

Teacher, author and my arch-rival podcaster, Ollie Lovell, joins me from the land Down Under in the first of our monthly chats. We each share three things we have been thinking about from the world of education recently. In this first episode, we discuss checking for understanding, curriculum, PowerPoint and more! For show notes, videos and links please visit this page: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-1/ Time-stamps: The crucial role of curriculum (05:18) No hints before a check for understanding (14:19) Diagnosis in coaching (24:12) The Tick Trick (39:29) The power of a slideshow for teaching mathematics (45:32) How to get better sleep (59:24)

For links to the resources discussed in the episode and videos of our conversation please visit the episode show-notes page here: https://tipsforteachers.substack.com/p/how-to-be-more-evidence-informed?sd=pf Time-stamps How does Peps find good quality research to share with teachers? (08:44) How does Peps summarise research so teachers can quickly digest and apply it? (14:29) What is a piece of research we both believe in, but wish was not true? (21:53) Willpower is overrated (48:20) Consistency before challenge (59:26) Interruptions leave a wake (1:07:04) Mind your modes (1:12:47) What's happening in AI right now, and what does it mean for education? (1:23:33) Coaching chat! (1:37:23) Peps' new book (1:49:58) My takeaways (1:51:57)