I hope this will be the first of a series of episodes investigating AI's role in education. Specifically, I am interested in how AI can save teachers time, help them do their jobs better, or ideally both. I am also interested in the role AI may play in the future in acting as an intelligent 1-to-1 tutor for our students. So, in this first conversation, Neil and I cover the basics of what exactly AI is, cover some of Neil’s use cases for the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and NotebookLM, and then Neil reins me back in when I get a bit carried away about where education might be heading.

You can view the show notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/ai-in-education-1

This is the third in our series of conversations where we seek to agree upon a maths lesson structure. This time around, we continue our discussion of the Do Now, this time focusing on the choice of content, and what students do whilst working on the Do Now. As ever, we go super deep. So, I hope people enjoy it.

Show-notes: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/lesson-structure-3

In this episode, Ollie and I tried something different. I’ve been working with a school to help develop a departmental lesson structure with their maths team. I know Ollie had been doing something similar with a school he has been working with, so it seemed a good idea to chat through our ideas to see where we agreed and differed.

My original plan was to cover this all in one pod. But, as you will hear, I may have been a bit optimistic about that. So, we are going to turn this into a series of episodes. Given how far we got in this conversation, we should just about wrap up our dive into a lesson structure by 2029.

Access the show notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/lesson-structure-2

In this episode, Ollie and I tried something different. I've been working with a school to help develop a departmental lesson structure with their maths team. I know Ollie had been doing something similar with a school he has been working with, so it seemed a good idea to chat through our ideas to see where we agreed and differed.

My original plan was to cover this all in one pod. But, as you will hear, I may have been a bit optimistic about that. So, we are going to turn this into a series of episodes. Given how far we got in this conversation, we should just about wrap up our dive into a lesson structure by 2029.

You can access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/lesson-structure-1

Ollie Lovell sent me a recording of a maths lesson he had recently taught in a school he has been supporting. I suggested we discuss the lesson, centring around Ollie’s planning, the decisions he made, and his responses in the lesson. Fortunately, Ollie agreed, hence what you are listening to now.

I have shared the video clips from the sections of the lesson that we discussed on the show-note page here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/ollie-lesson

In this conversation, Craig Barton and Ollie Lovell discuss various topics related to teaching and professional development. They touch on the importance of aligning pedagogy in schools and the potential benefits and drawbacks of co-constructing instructional practices. They also discuss effective strategies for delivering CPD, including cold calling participants and switching partners during activities. Craig shares his takeaways from attending CPD sessions by Doug Lemov and from Ollie's conversation with Harry Fletcher-Wood. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of thoughtful and intentional approaches to teaching and professional development. In this part of the conversation, Craig and Ollie discuss the importance of effective training and the role of habits in learning. They also explore the power of writing as a tool for participation and reflection. They highlight the need for visible writing to facilitate discussion and the benefits of rewriting to deepen understanding. They also discuss the importance of pushing conversations to a higher level to uncover underlying beliefs and assumptions. Finally, they reflect on the challenges of one-off PD sessions and the value of distilling wisdom into actionable takeaways. You can view the shownotes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-14

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In this conversation, Craig and Ollie discuss various topics, including their health, their rankings as education influencers, and the importance of breaking down concepts into smaller atoms for effective teaching. They also explore the idea of sharing what students need to hear rather than showing off one's knowledge, and the challenges of atomization in teaching. Ollie shares his experience working with a school and the importance of focusing on specific areas for improvement. Craig highlights the value of breaking down routines and processes in teaching and the need to assess or teach each atom separately. They also discuss the curse of knowledge and the benefits of pairing experienced and less experienced teachers. The conversation explores the idea of productive struggle in education and the importance of curriculum resources. It discusses the benefits of students struggling with tasks and the role of teachers in helping them struggle at a higher level. The conversation also delves into the relationship between curriculum and pedagogy, highlighting the need for both to be addressed in teaching and learning. The importance of shared and prescriptive curriculum resources is emphasized, as well as the need for teachers to see themselves as curriculum designers. The conversation concludes with a discussion on gratitude and the power of storytelling. In this conversation, Craig Barton and Ollie discuss the benefits and drawbacks of discovery-based learning in mathematics. Craig shares his experience observing a teacher who used a discovery approach to teach geometry theorems, which initially made him skeptical. However, he found that the students were engaged and able to explain the theorems effectively. They discuss the importance of efficiency and strategic use of discovery activities in the curriculum. Ollie shares his love for teaching in ways that allow students to make connections on their own. You can view the shownotes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-13

In this conversation, Craig Barton and Ollie discuss various topics including recovery from illness, feedback, and teaching methods. They explore different approaches to going through responses from starters in the classroom, such as working through every answer quickly, circulating and addressing specific questions, and using mini whiteboards. They also discuss the importance of setting the tone for the lesson during the do now activity. Additionally, Craig introduces the concept of atomisation in teaching and the NPPPN sequence for teaching categorical atoms. They highlight the importance of using examples and non-examples to help students understand and categorize knowledge. In this part of the conversation, Craig and Ollie discuss the importance of using effective examples and non-examples when teaching concepts. They also explore the key factors that contribute to the success of high-achieving schools, such as sustained professional learning and a shared approach to teaching. Additionally, they discuss how pedagogy may differ when teaching senior students and the importance of providing feedback in a supportive and constructive manner. You can access the show notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-12

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Kris Boulton returns to the podcast to discuss atomisation and how it can lead to unstoppable learning for our students. You can access the show-notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/atomisation-kris-boulton

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In this conversation, Craig Barton and Ollie Lovell discuss various teaching strategies and approaches. They cover topics such as the importance of choosing effective examples, the benefits of using green smoothies for breakfast, and the concept of hands-up cold call. They also explore the idea of starting with general examples instead of easy specific cases, and how this can improve student understanding and engagement. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of thoughtful planning and effective teaching practices. Teachers often spend too much time on questions where understanding is secure and not enough time on questions where understanding is not secure. This can be a result of relying on cold call or hands up instead of using mini whiteboards to assess understanding. It can also stem from a desire to probe further and ensure complete understanding, even when the majority of students have already grasped the concept. This can lead to a missed opportunity to address areas of struggle and allocate time more effectively.

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You can view the show notes here: mrbartonmaths.com/blog/tools-and-tips-for-teachers-11/