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Mr Barton Maths Podcast

Mr Barton Maths Podcast

By Craig Barton

Craig Barton interviews guests from the wonderful world of education about their approaches to teaching, educational research and more. All show notes, resources and videos here: www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/
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#159 Introducing... Tips for Teachers!

Mr Barton Maths PodcastMar 25, 2022

00:00
59:25
#187 How to coach responsively with Josh Goodrich

#187 How to coach responsively with Josh Goodrich

In this episode, Craig Barton interviews Josh Goodrich, the co-founder and CEO of Step Lab, about his experience as an English teacher and his work in teacher education. They discuss the importance of instructional coaching and the challenges schools face in implementing effective coaching programs. Josh emphasizes the need for schools to de-implement ineffective practices and create a culture that supports coaching. He also introduces the concept of mental models and how they impact teachers' ability to change their practice. The conversation highlights the importance of awareness, insights, goals, and specific technical knowledge in coaching teachers. The conversation explores the coaching process and the importance of challenging misconceptions, using critical evidence, and introducing new ideas. It emphasizes the need for observation, hypothesis formation, and gathering evidence to support coaching sessions. The conversation also discusses the use of a framework for lesson observation and the importance of diagnostic questions. Additionally, it highlights the value of rehearsal and planning for implementation, as well as the inclusion of why diagnostics and suggested actions in coaching. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the significance of rehearsal in building habits and shaping teaching techniques. In this conversation, Josh and Craig discuss the implementation of coaching in education. They explore the journey of overcoming the initial awkwardness of coaching and the importance of planning forward. They emphasize the need to link coaching to learning objectives and the value of scripting and refining coaching sessions. They also share stories of coaching challenges and lessons learned. The conversation delves into the effectiveness of live coaching and the benefits of group rehearsal. They discuss the logistics of small group coaching and the role of diagnostic questions. Finally, they reflect on the changing perspectives on coaching and the importance of mental models in coaching.


You can access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/how-to-coach


  1. Education, teaching, and music with a former English teacher. (5:33)
  2. Teaching strategies and reflecting on early years of teaching. (12:19)
  3. Teacher's struggles with classroom management and improvement with coaching. (15:35)
  4. Instructional coaching in education. (20:50)
  5. Implementing coaching programs in schools. (27:10)
  6. Coaching and changing teacher practice. (30:00)
  7. Improving teaching methods through mental models. (35:10)
  8. Teacher experience and mental models. (37:52)
  9. Coaching teachers to overcome misconceptions in the classroom. (42:55)
  10. Teaching framework and lesson planning. (49:35)
  11. Coaching techniques for teachers. (52:18)
  12. Teaching strategies and classroom observations. (57:44)
  13. Coaching techniques for math lessons. (1:01:52)
  14. Coaching techniques for teachers. (1:05:22)
  15. Coaching techniques for teachers. (1:10:48)
  16. Improving teaching methods through rehearsals and planning. (1:15:49)
  17. Rehearsing teaching techniques to improve effectiveness. (1:19:30)
  18. Coaching techniques for teachers. (1:23:21)
  19. Coaching experiences and diagnostic strategies. (1:27:31)
  20. Live coaching in education. (1:32:37)
  21. Coaching in education, including feedback and classroom management. (1:35:11)
  22. Coaching techniques in education. (1:40:32)
  23. Improving coaching in a department. (1:45:31)
  24. Coaching and teaching methods. (1:48:50)
  25. Coaching in education with valuable insights. (1:54:15)


Mar 14, 202402:12:34
#186 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 10 (with Ollie Lovell)
Feb 22, 202401:17:46
#185 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 9 (with Ollie Lovell)
Jan 22, 202401:32:34
#184 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 8 (with Ollie Lovell and Zach Groshell)

#184 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 8 (with Ollie Lovell and Zach Groshell)

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:

  1. Standardizing classroom entry and rewards for students. (8:45)
  2. Classroom management strategies for quiet and focused learning. (13:06)
  3. Implementing a new behavior system in a school. (16:55)
  4. Implementing a behavior change initiative in schools. (22:56)
  5. Improving school standards through coaching and precision. (26:07)
  6. Holding high standards in schools. (30:42)
  7. Sustaining high standards in teaching and coaching. (36:18)
  8. Coaching in education, obstacles to understanding. (41:03)
  9. Obstacles to understanding in teaching. (44:50)
  10. Clear explanations in teaching. (49:57)
  11. Teaching strategies and checklists for effective explanations. (55:30)
  12. Gradual release of scaffolding in teaching. (1:02:22)
  13. Teaching strategies for language learning. (1:07:30)
  14. Gradual release of responsibility in teaching. (1:12:21)
  15. Teaching strategies and frameworks. (1:16:09)
  16. Self-explanation in education. (1:19:37)
  17. Self-explanation in teaching and learning. (1:23:42)
  18. Self-explanation in teaching and learning. (1:28:28)
  19. Pre-testing and interleaving in math education. (1:32:42)
  20. Motivating students through math education. (1:37:42)
  21. Interleaving and spaced practice in learning. (1:41:05)
  22. Teaching math concepts through spaced repetition and interleaving. (1:48:32)
  23. Interleaving and practice strategies in education. (1:51:49)
  24. Teaching, learning, and poetry. (1:57:31)
Dec 12, 202302:04:16
#183 How to help students remember things with Nick Soderstrom

#183 How to help students remember things with Nick Soderstrom

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:

  1. Memory, learning, and career paths with a cognitive psychologist. (7:04)
  2. The importance of retrieval practice in learning. (12:25)
  3. Learning vs performance in education. (17:51)
  4. Retrieval practice and testing in education. (24:26)
  5. The benefits of testing students and how it can improve learning. (29:35)
  6. Effective feedback strategies in teaching. (36:11)
  7. Math testing formats and feedback. (43:03)
  8. Retrieval practice in math education. (47:37)
  9. Using retrieval practice and spacing to improve learning. (51:33)
  10. Spaced repetition in teaching fractions. (56:30)
  11. Optimal spacing for effective learning. (1:01:01)
  12. Optimal retrieval practice for learning. (1:05:36)
  13. Using hints and cues in retrieval practice. (1:10:03)
  14. Formative assessments and learning vs performance. (1:13:30)
  15. Interleaving and its benefits in learning. (1:17:41)
  16. Interleaving in math education. (1:23:55)
  17. Math education techniques and interleaving. (1:27:53)
  18. Interleaving practice in education. (1:31:41)
  19. Pre-testing in education. (1:36:57)
  20. Assessing students' prior knowledge in math lessons. (1:44:24)
  21. Pre-testing in education and its potential effects on students. (1:47:35)
  22. Pre-testing and its benefits in education. (1:52:48)
  23. Retrieval practice and its effectiveness in learning. (1:57:43)
  24. Learning strategies and debunking myths. (2:02:21)
  25. Learning styles, desirable difficulties, and technology in education. (2:08:32)
  26. Learning vs performance in education. (2:14:37)
  27. Learning strategies and research-backed techniques for teachers. (2:20:22)
Nov 30, 202302:25:22
#182 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 7 (with Ollie Lovell)
Nov 03, 202301:12:12
#181 Mark McCourt: Tips for teachers, Mastery, Reflections and Retirement

#181 Mark McCourt: Tips for teachers, Mastery, Reflections and Retirement

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: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/mark-mccourt-part-3/


Time-stamps:

  1. Retirement and career changes. (4:43)
  2. Potential and ability in education. (13:30)
  3. The meaning of "ability" in education. (21:31)
  4. Teaching methods and class organization. (25:30)
  5. Teacher performance and subject-specific knowledge. (33:28)
  6. Education trends and subject matter in schools. (38:06)
  7. Education sector fear and lack of agency among teachers. (44:14)
  8. Assessing student learning and understanding. (53:21)
  9. Teaching methods and mini whiteboards. (58:59)
  10. Maths education and manipulatives. (1:03:41)
  11. Using manipulatives in math education. (1:10:22)
  12. Maths education and teacher training. (1:16:35)
  13. Inadequate teacher training in the UK. (1:22:47)
  14. Teaching math concepts in a personalized manner. (1:28:42)
  15. Math education and assessment methods. (1:33:34)
  16. Formative assessment and teacher vulnerability. (1:41:00)
  17. Teaching mathematics with formal language and forward-thinking methods. (1:44:53)
  18. Teaching methods and fear of inspections. (1:51:26)
  19. The power of education and knowledge transfer. (1:59:05)
  20. Education as a maturation process. (2:05:01)
  21. Mastery approach in education with a focus on math and FE. (2:15:16)
  22. FE college math reset issues. (2:20:03)
  23. Improving mathematical literacy through precise language use. (2:27:29)
  24. Educational approach and its impact on school performance. (2:33:45)
  25. The importance of shared values and beliefs in schools. (2:40:44)
  26. The effectiveness of Ofsted and potential systemic problems. (2:46:23)
  27. Ofsted's effectiveness and potential biases. (2:52:34)
  28. Education system and curriculum design. (2:56:56)
  29. Maths education, curriculum, and technology. (3:04:41)
  30. Mastery-based education and assessments. (3:09:48)
  31. The role of teachers in education and the potential for online learning. (3:14:19)
  32. The importance of classroom experience in teaching. (3:21:58)
  33. Career challenges and personal growth. (3:26:44)
  34. Teaching, grief, and pride in education. (3:31:41)
  35. Retirement, relationships, and personal growth. (3:40:39)
  36. Education, values, and priorities with Mark McCourt. (3:45:59)
Oct 25, 202303:54:14
#180 Surviving and thriving an Ofsted inspection with Ofsted's Maths Subject Lead Steve Wren

#180 Surviving and thriving an Ofsted inspection with Ofsted's Maths Subject Lead Steve Wren

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:

  1. Education career, controversies, and accents. (13:13)
  2. Maths education, policy, and personal interests. (15:31)
  3. Maths education and refereeing football. (20:56)
  4. Football refereeing and teaching career insights. (23:27)
  5. Lesson planning and the importance of cutting losses. (26:31)
  6. Ofsted inspections and their practicalities. (29:12)
  7. School inspection process and expectations. (35:33)
  8. School inspection and grading. (39:09)
  9. School inspection process and leadership. (42:40)
  10. Ofsted inspections and deep dives in a secondary school. (49:15)
  11. Maths curriculum and lesson observations. (51:13)
  12. Teaching maths in a school. (55:22)
  13. Ofsted inspections and lesson quality. (1:00:18)
  14. Ofsted inspections and consistency in teaching practices. (1:04:45)
  15. Using mini whiteboards in the classroom. (1:07:45)
  16. Using books to support deep dives in education. (1:11:37)
  17. Effective lesson observations and deep dives in education. (1:15:14)
  18. Inspector training and subject expertise in education. (1:18:27)
  19. Keeping bias out of inspections and tailoring approaches to individual schools. (1:21:55)
  20. Effective department meetings in schools. (1:26:44)
  21. Maths education report and its findings. (1:29:32)
  22. Maths education challenges and solutions. (1:34:23)
  23. Teaching methods and exam preparation in schools. (1:39:01)
  24. Secondary school teaching strategies and retention. (1:43:47)
  25. Primary and secondary school math education. (1:48:12)
  26. Problem-solving in math education. (1:52:30)
  27. Effective problem-solving strategies in math education. (1:56:35)
  28. Maths education balance and practice. (2:00:12)
  29. Problem-solving in math education. (2:04:43)
  30. Using departmental meetings to support math problem-solving skills. (2:07:06)
  31. Curriculum design and problem-solving strategies. (2:11:02)
  32. Problem-solving strategies in math education. (2:16:07)
  33. Sharing high-quality educational resources and Ofsted's research review. (2:18:51)
  34. Maths education and the importance of balancing different perspectives. (2:23:56)
  35. Ofsted's stance on marking and feedback. (2:28:39)
  36. Effective math teaching methods and workload management. (2:32:53)
  37. Using centrally planned resources in maths lessons. (2:36:26)
  38. Maths education during COVID-19 pandemic. (2:40:29)
  39. Maths education, homework, and curriculum. (2:45:51)
  40. Ofsted inspections and curriculum development. (2:49:35)
  41. The future of math teaching and the importance of skilled teachers. (2:53:04)
  42. Educational blogs and podcasts for personal growth. (2:57:30)
Sep 29, 202303:08:04
#179 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 6 (with Ollie Lovell, Emma Turner and Tom Sherrington)

#179 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 6 (with Ollie Lovell, Emma Turner and Tom Sherrington)

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:

  1. Be wary of the view from the back of your lessons (05:29)
  2. Implied competencies at primary (21:52)
  3. The Montessori approach (37:01)
  4. Why cannot Craig not make pretesting work? (58:45)
  5. Is coaching in groups better than one-to-one? (1:21:53)
  6. The power of manipulatives (1:35:15)
Sep 25, 202301:52:28
#178 Research in Action 25: The impact of the home environment on maths attainment with Vic Simms

#178 Research in Action 25: The impact of the home environment on maths attainment with Vic Simms

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:

  1. Introduction to today’s topic. (6:29)
  2. How parents engage with their children. (11:20)
  3. Differences between the quality of the interactions and the frequency. (15:37)
  4. The ideal combination of frequency and quality. (19:58)
  5. The home mathematics environment in China. (24:35)
  6. The hierarchy of what parents should do for their environment. (29:08)
  7. The role of shape and space in mathematics development. (34:31)
  8. The maths environment at home and literacy. (41:53)
  9. The role of first impressions in learning and performance. (49:25)
  10. Teacher perception of a student. (52:51)
  11. How parents can help their children think more intentionally. (59:04)
  12. The weak relationship between mathematics environment and learning outcomes. (1:02:19)
Aug 30, 202301:08:59
#177 Research in Action 24: Dyscalculia latest developments with Kinga Morsanyi
Aug 23, 202301:11:11
#176 Research in Action 23: Economy versus Efficiency with Dave Hewitt

#176 Research in Action 23: Economy versus Efficiency with Dave Hewitt

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:

  1. Dave's background. (2:07)
  2. The law of efficiency and short term success. (7:36)
  3. The subordination of teaching to learning. (13:16)
  4. Children can abstract from a world of complexity. (19:49)
  5. Direct access to students. (25:15)
  6. Direct access vs. prior knowledge. (33:12)
  7. Assess the knowledge of your students. (41:32)
  8. The power of learning generated examples. (45:59)
  9. Not enough time for maths. (50:35)
  10. Teachers are not assessors. (55:19)
  11. Fluency-based learning. (1:00:02)
  12. Assessments are not just about assessment. (1:04:45)
  13. How to get students to explain things. (1:09:25)
  14. Discussing departmental meetings around the task. (1:14:51)
  15. How to assess where students are in the mind. (1:18:38)
  16. Being creative in the classroom. (1:24:21)
  17. What’s an example of something you’ve changed your mind about? (1:29:45)
  18. Building Thinking Classrooms. (1:32:36)
  19. The importance of enthusiasm and believing in mathematics. (1:38:47)
  20. Mimicry and direct instruction. (1:45:05)
Aug 16, 202301:50:21
#175 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 5 (with Ollie Lovell)
Aug 15, 202301:11:18
#174 Research in Action 22: Early years mathematics with Camilla Gilmore

#174 Research in Action 22: Early years mathematics with Camilla Gilmore

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:

  1. The importance of early years maths. (7:38)
  2. What are the age groups of early learners? (11:52)
  3. How much variation is meaningful and how much incidental? (15:42)
  4. Early years and executive functions. (21:11)
  5. Cognitive load theory and extraneous load. (27:13)
  6. How retrieval practice works in early years. (31:10)
  7. The month of birth effect on learning. (35:33)
  8. How much do emotional aspects play a role? (39:47)
  9. Positive attitudes to maths in early years. (44:26)
  10. What secondary teachers can learn from early years teachers? (48:39)
  11. How did you change your mind about the centre? (54:20)
Aug 09, 202301:00:43
#173 Research in Action 21: Developing culturally responsive mathematics education with Jodie Hunter

#173 Research in Action 21: Developing culturally responsive mathematics education with Jodie Hunter


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:


  1. Jody's background. (1:53)
  2. What do you mean by early algebra? (7:34)
  3. Cultural representation of mathematics in school. (14:17)
  4. The power of geometric patterns. (21:39)
  5. How children's academic achievement accelerates. (26:56)
  6. Shoehorning in inverted commas and real-life applications. (31:58)
  7. Strategies on how to integrate cultural learning into maths. (38:06)
  8. Advice for teachers on how to help students. (43:58)
  9. The role of comparative judgement in evaluating student responses. (47:45)
  10. Getting students to look at other students' responses. (53:07)
  11. Quality-assured resources for teachers. (58:58)
Aug 02, 202301:04:21
#172 Research in Action 20: How teachers use (and don't use) research with Paul Howard-Jones

#172 Research in Action 20: How teachers use (and don't use) research with Paul Howard-Jones

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:

  1. Paul's background. (4:15)
  2. Why research doesn’t play out as well in the classroom? (10:36)
  3. How do researchers and educators work together? (16:27)
  4. The shift towards evidence of impact in research. (22:30)
  5. Understanding the why and how of the research. (29:23)
  6. Implementation adaptation and sustainment. (36:26)
  7. How to break down barriers to research. (43:10)
  8. Advice for teachers who value research. (48:51)
  9. Fostering a culture of innovation in the classroom. (54:06)
  10. The research community’s take on practical classroom techniques. (59:30)
  11. What Paul is currently working on in the field. (1:05:53)
Jul 27, 202301:13:32
#171 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 4 (with Ollie Lovell)
Jul 19, 202301:31:08
#170 How to secure 100% student engagement with Pritesh Raichura

#170 How to secure 100% student engagement with Pritesh Raichura

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:

  1. Welcome to Pritesh (06:51)
  2. Pritesh's favourite failure (10:37)
  3. What does Pritiesh mean by attention? (19:25)
  4. What does 100% attention look like? (22:53)
  5. Is 100% attention really achievable? (28:15)
  6. What is the relationship between attention and behaviour? (33:44)
  7. All-Hands-Up Cold Call (46:06)
  8. How do you secure attention when students are practising independently? (1:16:37)
  9. Show Call (1:20:35)
  10. High-frequency checks for listening (1:25:20)
  11. Desks in rows (1:43:05)
  12. S-L-A-N-T (1:58:10)
  13. Silence as a default (2:08:36)
  14. The instruction sandwich (2:18:44)
  15. Making routines work in the classroom when they are not whole-school policies (2:26:51)
  16. The three phases of questioning (2:33:41)
  17. Backload the means of participation (2:45:51)
  18. Turn and Talk (2:52:24)
  19. Mini-whiteboards (3:10:59)
  20. Head down, fist on head for answering multiple choice questions (3:21:38)
  21. Pritesh's Big 3 (3:30:02)
Jun 28, 202303:45:03
#169 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 3 (with Ollie Lovell)
Jun 14, 202301:06:56
#168 How to lead a maths department with Femi Adeniran and Matt Findlay

#168 How to lead a maths department with Femi Adeniran and Matt Findlay

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:

  1. Matt's favourite failure (06:26)
  2. Femi's favourite failure (10:38)
  3. Matt's route into becoming a head of department (15:45)
  4. Femi's route into becoming a head of department (18:17)
  5. How many year's classroom teaching should you have before becoming a head of department? (21:02)
  6. How strong a teacher does the head of department need to be? (24:41)
  7. What does your timetable as a head of department look like? (28:43)
  8. Do you find you are teaching more these days than 5 years ago? (32:38)
  9. Does your teaching suffer with all the other things you have to give attention to? (40:00)
  10. How does your workload compare to a teacher with a full time-table? (46:39)
  11. How often would you be pulled out of a lesson to deal with something? (52:13)
  12. How do you balance the need for consistency across your department with a desire for teacher autonomy? (56:46)
  13. What are the non-negotiables that members of your team have to follow? (1:32:54)
  14. What do your departmental meetings look like? (1:57:13)
  15. How do you ensure good practice is shared around the department? (2:21:51)
  16. How do you support less experienced colleagues, non-specialists, those who are struggling? (2:23:16)
  17. How do you deal with directives from SLT that you don't agree with? (2:41:26)
  18. What do you do to help non-specialists (particularly SLT) understand what the characteristics of high-quality T&L in maths are? (2:48:37)
  19. How do you deal with difficult members of the department who are reluctant the make changes? (2:54:59)
  20. How do you deal with parental complaints? (3:00:48)
  21. How do you allocate teaching sets? (3:05:19)
  22. Final reflections (3:19:37)
  23. Craig's takeaways (3:32:42)
May 25, 202303:42:36
#167 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 2 (with Ollie Lovell)
May 16, 202301:24:54
#166 Tools and Tips for Teachers: Episode 1 (with Ollie Lovell)
Apr 30, 202301:10:11
#165 How to be more evidence-informed with Peps Mcrea

#165 How to be more evidence-informed with Peps Mcrea

Peps McCrea makes his third appearance on the podcast, this time to take a deep dive into how we can be more evidence-informed as teachers. We discuss his process for identifying and summarising key research finds, and then discuss some key pieces of research and their implication for the classroom. I learned so much from this one. For links to the resources discussed in the episode and videos of our conversation please visit the episode show-notes page here: https://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/how-to-be-more-evidence-informed-with-peps-mcrea/


Time-stamps

  1. How does Peps find good quality research to share with teachers? (08:44)
  2. How does Peps summarise research so teachers can quickly digest and apply it? (14:29)
  3. What is a piece of research we both believe in, but wish was not true? (21:53)
  4. Willpower is overrated (48:20)
  5. Consistency before challenge (59:26)
  6. Interruptions leave a wake (1:07:04)
  7. Mind your modes (1:12:47)
  8. What's happening in AI right now, and what does it mean for education? (1:23:33)
  9. Coaching chat! (1:37:23)
  10. Peps' new book (1:49:58)
  11. My takeaways (1:51:57)
Apr 14, 202301:59:55
#164 How to plan a maths lesson with Craig Latimir

#164 How to plan a maths lesson with Craig Latimir

In this episode I talk to fellow maths teacher, Craig Latimir, about his process for planning a lesson... and it takes us 3 hours. But this is one of my favourite conversations I have had on the podcast. It should be useful whatever your level of teaching experience, but particularly useful for those n the early stages of their career. I wish I had had someone like Craig to stop me from making so many planning errors in the early days! For resources and videos from this episode just follow this link: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-maths-lesson


Useful time-stamps:

  • Craig and I discuss our past lesson planning crimes (15:01)
  • Craig shares his key principles for lesson planning (22:45)
  • Craig tells us the first thing he thinks about when planning (52:18)
  • Craig discusses how he plans and delivers the Do Now (57:18)
  • Then the exposition (1:20:37)
  • Then modelling (1:29:04)
  • Then how he questions and checks for understanding (1:44:32)
  • Then how he responds to those checks (1:59:56)
  • Then the practice phase (2:08:00)
  • And finally the end of the lesson (2:16:15)
  • I begin my reflection on all I learned from Craig (2:55:36)
Mar 29, 202303:08:02
#163 How to observe a lesson with Adam Boxer
Mar 06, 202302:19:17
#162 Beyond survival - a conversation with Jamie Thom
Jan 30, 202355:22
#161 The future of the Mr Barton Maths podcast
Jan 24, 202319:34
#160 Ollie Lovell: relations, regulation, leadership & tools for teachers
Apr 01, 202201:47:50
#159 Introducing... Tips for Teachers!

#159 Introducing... Tips for Teachers!

This episode of the Mr Barton Maths Podcast is a taster of my new project: Tips for Teachers (check out the website here: tipsforteachers.co.uk )

Each episode of the Tips for Teachers podcast features a guest sharing 5 tips to improve any aspect of teaching life.

To get you in the mood, I wanted to share one tip from each of my first five guests:

  • Adam Boxer: To reduce “choppy time” in lessons, use a Front Loaded Means of Participation and wait for Golden Silence
  • Jo Morgan: Don’t forget the respond part of responsive teaching
  • Tom Sherrington: Start with whoever got 8 out of 10
  • Jemma Sherwood: Plan sequences not lessons
  • Harry Fletcher-Wood: Do less, but better

Please help support the Tips for Teachers podcast by:

1. Subscribing on your podcast platform of choice (you can find links to the most common platforms here: tipsforteachers.co.uk/podcast)

2. Rating and reviewing the Tips for Teachers podcast

3. Telling your friends and colleagues about it

4. Visiting the Tips for Teachers website: tipsforteachers.co.uk

Thanks so much!

Mar 25, 202259:25
#158 Adam Boxer: explanations, retrieval and maths & science working together
Dec 16, 202102:58:53
#157 Dan Draper: Overlearning and conceptual leaps
Oct 21, 202101:58:53
#156 Paul Rowlandson: Getting mixed up with interleaving
Sep 27, 202102:20:40
#155 Jo Morgan - depth and sequencing of the maths curriculum
Sep 13, 202101:48:08
#154 Tom Harbour: engaging parents in their children's learning
Jul 18, 202101:48:15
#153 Research in Action 19: Teaching mixed-attainment with Tom Francome
Jul 12, 202101:44:53
#152 Research in Action 18: Comparative judgement with Ian Jones
Jul 05, 202101:31:16
#151 Research in Action 17: Executive function with Camilla Gilmore
Jun 28, 202101:29:39
#150 Research in Action 16: Writing a maths curriculum with Colin Foster
Jun 21, 202101:40:55
#149 Research in Action 15: Children’s early understanding of number with Francesco Sella
Jun 14, 202101:07:01
#148 Research in Action 14: Counting in the animal kingdom with Krzysztof Cipora
Jun 07, 202101:18:59
#147 Research in Action 13: The self-explanation effect and how experts read maths differently with Lara Alcock
Jun 01, 202101:32:05
#146 Research in Action 12: Inquiry as a way of being with Barbara Jaworski
May 24, 202101:48:42
#145 Research in Action 11: University transition and oral assessments with Paola Iannone
May 16, 202101:16:14
#144 Christian Bokhove: Coherence, textbooks and research best bets
Apr 30, 202102:28:33
#143 Anne Watson and Kris Boulton in conversation
Apr 16, 202103:17:53
#142 Conference Takeaways: Mathematical Association Conference 2021 – Day 3

#142 Conference Takeaways: Mathematical Association Conference 2021 – Day 3

Join Jo Morgan (@mathsjem) and I as we reflect on what we learned from Day 3 of the Mathematical Association 2021 virtual conference, discussing topics such as:

  • Colin Foster's brilliant opening keynote about what it means to "understand" something
  • Angles as a measure of turn
  • TIMMS data
  • Good tasks and how to adapt them
  • And more!

You can access all the links on the episode show notes page here: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-mathematical-association-conference-2021-day-3/

Apr 10, 202101:19:59
#141 Conference Takeaways: Mathematical Association Conference 2021 – Day 2

#141 Conference Takeaways: Mathematical Association Conference 2021 – Day 2

Join Jo Morgan (@mathsjem) and I as we reflect on what we learned from Day 2 of the Mathematical Association 2021 virtual conference, discussing topics such as:

  • Hannah Fry's keynote on communication
  • Transition from GCSE to A Level this summer
  • Talking maths with your children
  • Parental support for learning in general
  • My session on misconceptions with area and perimeter
  • And more!

You can access all the links on the episode show notes page here: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-mathematical-association-conference-2021-day-2/

Apr 09, 202101:07:23
#140 Conference Takeaways: Mathematical Association Conference 2021 - Day 1

#140 Conference Takeaways: Mathematical Association Conference 2021 - Day 1

Join Jo Morgan (@mathsjem) and I as we reflect on what we learned from Day 1 of the Mathematical Association 2021 virtual conference, discussing topics such as:

  • Black mathematicians, 
  • Creating a Low Threshold High Ceiling Classroom, 
  • What makes a good task?, 
  • Misconceptions
  • Paper folding
  • Ratio and proportion
  • Mathematical diagrams
  • Ofsted

You can access all the links on the episode show notes page here: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/conference-takeaways-mathematical-association-conference-2021-day-1/

Apr 01, 202101:07:03
#139 Michael Pershan: Teaching with worked examples - part 2
Mar 19, 202101:59:36
#138 Michael Pershan: Teaching with worked examples - part 1
Mar 19, 202102:22:20