Mr Barton Maths Podcast

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)

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)

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)

Naveen Rizvi is Maths Curriculum Advisor for United Learning, and has previously taught at Michaela and Great Yarmouth schools, both of which have been in the public eye over the last few years. In what will no doubt prove a controversial episode (always good for the listening figures!) Naveen takes us through how she plans a sequence of lessons on rearranging formulae, completed with a scripted resource booklet which you can download from the podcast page. It is fascinating listening.

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/naveen-rizvi-part-1-scripted-lessons-examples-and-social-media/

Dr Helen Williams has been teaching, and learning about mathematics teaching, for over 30 years. Her particular expertise is in learning maths with children from 3 to 8 years of age, which is most certainly not my area of expertise! In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss exactly what an early years maths lesson might look like, why manipulatives are so important for children of all ages, and why Helen is not exactly sold on Cognitive Load Theory!

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/helen-williams-early-years-teaching-and-manipulatives/