Gareth Metcalfe, a resource creator dedicated to improving math education, joins to discuss his innovative project on deconstructing word problems. He shares strategies on breaking down complex questions to enhance comprehension. Gareth emphasizes the importance of visual modeling, slow reveal tasks, and effective lesson design to create meaningful learning experiences. The conversation also covers common pitfalls teachers face when adapting word problems and offers practical insights to refine teaching methods, enabling students to develop their mathematical thinking.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Effective Word Problem Design
Design word problems with slow reveal to prevent immediate guessing.
Use pairs of similar questions to highlight subtle changes and deepen understanding.
insights INSIGHT
Avoid Overloading Word Problems
Avoid covering too much information which leads to vague discussions.
Focus on key information and vary questions to build understanding gradually.
question_answer ANECDOTE
A Helpful Modeling Anecdote
A teacher’s advice shaped modeling: be specific on what counters represent.
Children benefit from clear, directed visualization steps in word problems.
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Lessons Learned from Research, Conversations with Experts, and 12 Years of Mistakes
Craig Barton
In this book, Craig Barton shares his journey from a traditional teaching approach to one informed by educational research. He discusses various practical strategies such as Supercharged Worked Examples, Silent Teacher, SSDD problems, low-stakes quizzes, diagnostic questions, Purposeful Practice, and self-explanations. Barton emphasizes the importance of understanding how students think and learn, the limitations of short-term memory, and the need for deliberate practice and formative assessments. The book is designed to help maths teachers of all levels reflect on and improve their teaching methods[1][2][4].
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
In this book, Daniel Kahneman takes readers on a tour of the mind, explaining how the two systems of thought shape our judgments and decisions. System 1 is fast, automatic, and emotional, while System 2 is slower, effortful, and logical. Kahneman discusses the impact of cognitive biases, the difficulties of predicting future happiness, and the effects of overconfidence on corporate strategies. He offers practical insights into how to guard against mental glitches and how to benefit from slow thinking in both personal and business life. The book also explores the distinction between the 'experiencing self' and the 'remembering self' and their roles in our perception of happiness.
Episode 223: In this episode of Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I’m joined by Gareth Metcalfe and Elliot Morgan to explore the ideas behind Gareth's latest project: Deconstructing Word Problems. After three years of development and classroom testing, Gareth shares the thinking and pedagogy that underpin his approach to designing word problems that genuinely help students understand mathematical structures—not just guess at operations.
We discuss:
The process of breaking down worded questions so that children can process them more effectively.
How to design lessons that go beyond isolated word problems and towards connected, meaningful experiences.
The role of visual modelling, slow reveal tasks, and redundant information in developing mathematical thinking.
Pitfalls teachers often encounter when adapting word problems and how to avoid them.
How teachers and schools can get the most out of Gareth’s new resources at icmaths.com/deconwq2.
Whether you’re a teacher looking to refine your use of word problems or a maths lead developing school-wide consistency, this episode is packed with practical insight and classroom-tested strategies.
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Join the discussion on Discord via our unseen question submission channel.
Thinking Deeply about Primary Education 
