Mr Barton Maths Podcast

Trevor is AQA’s Chief Examiner for the Maths GCSE. We spoke about when the GCSE maths writing process starts, who is involved, what makes a good question and what makes a bad question, what are the difficulties, how exams are marked, and much more. This is a great listen now we have finally made it through the first new specification GCSE cohort, and essential listening as we prepare for the next!...

Nick is a former science teacher who now works as a researcher for TeachFirst. He is also the co-author of the outstanding book What Every Teacher needs to know about Psychology . We spoke about inducing cognitive conflict, the dangers of differentiation, whether growth mindset is really a thing, and much more! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ide...

Ed returns to the show following the launch of his book Yes, but why? Teaching for Understanding in Maths . This time around we spoke about why maths puzzles are important, what makes a good puzzle, how maths lessons are taught in Japan, what we can learn from this approach, and how much student discussion should happen during examples. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the w...

Kris is, quite possibly, the cleverest person I know. Will Emney describes him as "cerebral". Kris is a former maths teacher who was second in department at King Solomon Academy, where he worked alongside fellow podcast guest Bruno Reddy , achieving incredible GCSE results in challenging circumstances. Kris now works for TeachFirst, where he is Associate Director of Participant Development. We spo...

Robert and Elizabeth Bjork are my heroes. The Godfather and Godmother of memory (my name for them, not theirs!), and they have transformed my teaching. It was an honour to talk to them. We spoke about how memory works, why forgetting is so important, why tests are far more than tools of assessment, when and why to make learning difficult, optimal spacing schedules, how to interleave successfully,...

Dani Quinn, the Head of Maths at Michaela Community School, returns! In the follow-up to the controversial first interview we spoke about the behaviour policy at Michaela, the practice of drilling, teaching for understanding and the staff culture. I wonder if I will get told to "go to hell" as a result of this one. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and...

Daisy is one of the leading assessment figures in education in the UK. Her two books - Seven Myths about Education and Making good progress? - have transformed my teaching practice. We spoke about what makes a good assessment, the importance of planning examples, the power of multiple choice questions, the dangers of an over-reliance on past papers, comparative judgement and more! For more informa...

Greg is a head of maths in Australia and a prolific and influential blogger at Filling the Pail. We spoke about the implications of Cognitive Load Theory for planning and teaching mathematics (although the lessons are applicable to all subjects), and why Greg prefers direct instruction as opposed to inquiry based approaches to learning. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the w...

Paul is a maths teacher and a leading expert on bar modelling. We spoke about planning for understanding, bar modelling, advice on questioning, what Paul learned from his trips to Shanghai and Tokyo, advice for teacher training and 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.mrbarton...

Tom is the UK's leading figure on behaviour in schools, and the founder of ResearchEd. We spoke about in depth about managing behaviour in the classroom, including addressing some common myths. We also spoke about how best to tackle teacher workload, and what Tom considers to be the most important pieces of educational research. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites,...

John is an experienced maths teacher and the legend behind the ridiculously good Corbett Maths. We spoke about planning and delivering lessons using a flipped learning approach, the process that goes into creating maths videos, writing good maths questions, and advice for new teachers. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please vi...

Dylan Wiliam is my hero. I know this is a big claim, but I think this interview is an absolute must-listen for teachers of all subjects, possibly all humans full-stop. We spoke about feedback, planning, questioning, research, lesson observations, what Dylan wishes he had known when he started teaching, and so much more. I genuinely have listened back to this interview more than 5 times, and I pick...

Ed is a maths teacher, blogger, Twitterer, teacher trainer, and the author of Yes, but why? Teaching for Understanding in Maths . We spoke about good questioning, dodgy plenaries, creating a safe learning environment, and false conventional wisdom 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.mrb...

At the time of recording, Beth had just finished her first year as a maths teacher. We spoke about the pressures of being an NQT, maintaining a work-life balance, and Beth shares her top tips for surviving and thriving during a gruelling year. 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.mrbarto...

Jamie is an experienced maths teacher at the high achieving Tiffin School. He is also the creator of the outrageously good Dr Frost Maths website. We spoke about planning sequences of lessons, the importance of internalising concepts, and teaching high achievers. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page...

Mark is a legend in the world of maths education. He is a former head of maths, Ofsted Inspector, Headteacher, creator of emaths, creator of Complete Maths, and the organiser of the amazing La Salle Maths Conferences. We spoke about Ofsted lesson observations, teacher training, being Head of Department and why Mark has never marked a book in his life! For more information about today’s guest, plus...

Stef is in charge of the PGCSE programme at Nottingham University, and was my tutor when I trained there many years ago. We spoke in-depth about the lesson planning process, habits of successful trainees, and the most common reasons for teachers leaving the profession. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show note...

Will is a genius. He is a head of maths, blogger, and the creator of Numeracy Ninjas. He also has a keen interested in cognitive science, and memory in particular. We spoke about  being a successful Head of Department, prior learning dependency flow and the fascinating subject of memory. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, pl...

Dan is possibly the most famous maths teacher in the world. His TED talk and subsequent work on 3 Act Math had a huge influence on my career. We spoke about good and bad uses of technology in teaching and learning, the future of Desmos and the excellent Aspirin and Headache series. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit...

Charlie is a very important man in the world of maths education. He is the head of both the MEI and the NCETM, as well as still finding time to teach maths. We spoke about the importance of times tables, Mastery teaching and the best and worst features of the new maths GCSE. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the sho...

Bruno is incredible. He is the former head of maths at the pioneering King Solomon Academy, and the creator of the global dominating Times Tables Rockstars. We spoke about creating the right culture in lessons and in school, homework and written feedback, mixed attainment classes, Mastery, Shanghai, and much, much more! For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resource...

Mel is part of the award winning JustMaths team, a prolific blogger, and experienced maths teacher. We spoke about running a maths department, moving to a new school, and her now award-winning way of preparing students for the demands of the Maths GCSE. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://w...

Jo is a maths teacher, head of maths, and award winning blogger. Her Resourceaholic blog is a must visit for all maths teachers, and her Maths Gems posts are always overflowing with gold. We spoke about organising resources, blogging, Twitter and advice for NQTs. For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page...

On this episode I interviewed four Year 13 students about their experience in their recent Oxford and Cambridge interviews, which should be useful for anyone thinking of applying or helping a student prepare. 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/4-oxbridge-intervie...

As part of my trilogy of interviews with the awarding bodies about the new Maths GCSE, and what it is like to do their job, I spoke to Neil Ogden from OCR. 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/3-neil-ogden-maths-specialist-at-ocr/