Why purpose matters

In this episode, Anna is joined by Craig Barton, former secondary maths teacher, host of the Mr. Barton Maths Podcast, author of How I Wish I’d Taught Maths, and a new Tips for Teachers book series. Craig reflects on how his teaching evolved after engaging deeply with learning science and educational research.

Together, they explore what effective explicit instruction looks like in math from atomisation and worked examples to checking for understanding, purposeful practice, and problem solving across the I do, we do, you do phases. This practical, research-informed episode is essential for educators looking to improve math outcomes by aligning instruction with how learning works.

This episode is also available in video at www.youtube.com/@chalktalk-stokke

SHORT COURSE 

La Trobe Short Course:  Evidence-informed Mathematics Teaching – An Introduction https://shortcourses.latrobe.edu.au/evidence-informed-mathematics-teaching

CRAIG BARTON'S BOOKS & WEBSITE

Order How I Wish I’d Taught Maths here: https://shorturl.at/rGTin

Craig Barton’s Tips for Teachers books & websites: https://mrbartonmaths.com/

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:22] Introduction
[00:05:09] What changed Craig’s mind about how to teach math
[00:09:07] When struggle isn’t productive
[00:12:29] Essential components of a well-structured, explicit instruction lesson
[00:14:54] An introduction to atomisation
[00:16:16] Purposeful practice
[00:21:08] More on atomisation
[00:23:58] Examples of atomisation
[00:27:03] Summary of atomisation
[00:27:49] How to deal with wide skill ranges in the math classroom
[00:31:36] Engelman & Carnine’s Theory of Instruction
[00:32:30] Tips for the ‘I do’ stage
[00:38:24] Importance of checking for listening
[00:44:17] Tips for the ‘We do’ stage
[00:45:51]  A ‘we do’ fraction example
[00:49:23] Atomisation helps with struggle
[00:52:24] Tips for the ‘You do’ stage
[00:54:13] How to use purposeful practice
[00:55:24] How to set students up to solve non-routine problems
[01:03:56] How to effectively teach problem solving
[01:09:05] The importance of structure
[01:09:53] Can explicit instruction in math be interactive?
[01:12:01] Where to find Craig
[01:13:08] Final thoughts

RELEVANT PREVIOUS EPISODES 

Cognitive load theory with Greg Ashman
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-thbad-13cea56

Raising student achievement with Dylan Wiliam
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-kduiw-15bba36

Project Follow Through:  Direct Instruction’s overlooked success with Marcy Stein
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-a9fqx-17a2ffb

Using the Instructional Hierarchy to teach math with Brendan Lee
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-3zux7-193d0fc

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

https://www.annastokke.com/transcripts/ep-63-transcript

MUSIC

Intro & Outro: Funk Jazz Big Band -  ColorFilmMusic

Website: www.annastokke.com

FB: Chalk & Talk

IG: @chalkandtalkpodcast

Tiktok: @chalkandtalkpodcast

X: @rastokke

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-stokke-3a1b4c

Bluesky: @rastokke.bsky.social