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 should do for their environment. (29:08) The role of shape and space in mathematics development. (34:31) The maths environment at home and literacy. (41:53) The role of first impressions in learning and performance. (49:25) Teacher perception of a student. (52:51) How parents can help their children think more intentionally. (59:04) The weak relationship between mathematics environment and learning outcomes. (1:02:19)

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? (19:34) Differences between students with dyscalculia and those without. (25:32) Diagnostic criteria for dyscalculia. (32:17) New developments in the field of dyscalculia. (37:02) Gender differences in dyscalculia. (44:23) Is it possible to outgrow dyscalculia? (48:38) Comorbidities between dyslexia and dyscalculia. (58:23) The modularity of the mind. (1:02:54)

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 knowledge. (33:12) Assess the knowledge of your students. (41:32) The power of learning generated examples. (45:59) Not enough time for maths. (50:35) Teachers are not assessors. (55:19) Fluency-based learning. (1:00:02) Assessments are not just about assessment. (1:04:45) How to get students to explain things. (1:09:25) Discussing departmental meetings around the task. (1:14:51) How to assess where students are in the mind. (1:18:38) Being creative in the classroom. (1:24:21) What’s an example of something you’ve changed your mind about? (1:29:45) Building Thinking Classrooms. (1:32:36) The importance of enthusiasm and believing in mathematics. (1:38:47) Mimicry and direct instruction. (1:45:05)

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 play a role? (39:47) Positive attitudes to maths in early years. (44:26) What secondary teachers can learn from early years teachers? (48:39) How did you change your mind about the centre? (54:20)

Jodie Hunter, visiting professor at Loughborough University from Massey University, New Zealand, discusses developing culturally responsive mathematics education, the power of geometric patterns, strategies for integrating cultural learning into math, and the role of comparative judgement in evaluating student responses.

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 Paul is currently working on in the field. (1:05:53)

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 practical insights on ensuring 100% student engagement, including All-Hands-Up Cold Calling, high-frequency checks for listening, desks in rows, S-L-A-N-T, silence as a default, instructional sandwich, turn and talk, and using mini-whiteboards.

Teacher, author and podcaster Ollie Lovell joins the host to discuss connections, worked examples, teacher knowledge, iPads, timer dice, and rewards for revision.