The NCETM Maths Podcast

By NCETM

Education

What's The NCETM Maths Podcast about?

The NCETM Maths Podcast, from the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics, invites teachers, maths experts and anyone with a passion for teaching maths to talk about topics that shine a light on great maths teaching. With ideas for classroom activities, inspirational stories of careers in maths, and lively debates on contemporary topics, the NCETM podcast has something for everyone. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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LAST EPISODE

Maths anxiety

08.17.2023

Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Sue Johnston-Wilder, discusses the prevalence of anxiety in our maths classrooms. A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to download. Show notes Taking part in the discussion: Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor of ...

The NCETM Maths Podcast episodes:

08.17.2023 Maths anxiety Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, Sue Johnston-Wilder, discusses the prevalence of anxiety in our maths classrooms. A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to download. Show notes Taking part in the discussion: Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor of ...
08.10.2023 Using number lines in Key Stage 2 We explore how number lines can be used at KS2 to support children to develop a greater understanding of the linear number system and prepare them for secondary maths. A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to download. Show ...
07.26.2023 Using algebra tiles at KS3 A secondary maths teacher explains the benefits of using algebra tiles, and shares some practical tips. A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to download. Show notes Taking part in the discussion: Lizi Pepper, secondary maths teacher and KS3 ...
07.04.2023 Secondary Mastery Specialists Two Secondary Mastery Specialists explain the benefits of mastery to them, their departments, and their students. A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to download. Show notes Taking part in the discussion: Beth Goodliff, Senior Communications Manager at the ...
07.03.2023 Maths vocabulary A primary maths lead in an area of high social and economic deprivation explains how a mastery approach to teaching precise mathematical vocabulary is giving pupils in her school a voice. A transcript (PDF) of this episode is available to ...
06.08.2023 Maths4Girls We speak to Maths4Girls, who provide inspirational speakers and role models to talk to students about why girls can and should study maths. Show notes Taking part in the discussion: Beth Goodliff, Senior Comms Manager at the NCETM Mina Gerowin, ...
12.14.2022 Grants for maths projects Every year the SHINE organisation gives grants to schools and individual teachers to develop ideas related to maths learning. We find out more about the grants and how the application system works. We also talk to to primary teachers about ...
10.12.2022 Lessons from GCSE maths exams in summer 2022 In summer 2022, for the first time since 2019, large-scale GCSE exams took place in school and college halls and gyms. And, just like every year before the pandemic, they were marked externally. What have we learnt? In this discussion, ...
09.29.2022 From GCSE Maths resits to primary school maths lead Hollie Burgess teaches maths to Year 6 at a one-form entry primary school in Rutland. She’s recently taken on the role of maths lead. But she hasn’t always found maths easy – in fact her experience of maths GCSE was ...
09.23.2022 Teaching about climate change in the maths classroom Two authors talk about their new resources and suggest tips for addressing social issues through maths There’s undoubtedly plenty of maths in climate change science. But how can teachers bring some of this real-life data into the classroom, allowing students ...
08.31.2022 Susan Okereke: What I think about when starting with new classes A wide ranging conversation covering engagement, curriculum, classroom culture, and preparing students for maths beyond school Susan Okereke is a secondary maths teacher in London, recently moving to St. Mark’s Academy in South London as Lead Practitioner in maths. She ...
07.19.2022 The ECT and the mentor How can a maths department and mentor best support their maths ECT? Sarah Williams is one of 2021/22’s maths Early Career Teachers (ECTs), and Scott Gibson is her mentor, with two decades of experience teaching maths. We talk to them ...
06.30.2022 Debbie Morgan discusses differentiation NCETM’s Director for Primary tells us why she thinks teachers no longer need to provide different work for different children Debbie Morgan, NCETM Director for Primary, has been considering the practice of differentiation in the primary maths classroom – specifically ...
05.25.2022 Support, ideas and information for teaching Core Maths A conversation with the AMSP's Core Maths coordinator, and an enthusiastic Core Maths teacher Cat van Saarloos coordinates support and development of Core Maths for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP); Sam Halls-Barker teaches Core Maths in Essex. From the ...
04.25.2022 Moving from primary teaching to secondary maths A teacher explains why, and how, he's moving from a primary school to a secondary maths department After five years as a primary teacher, Rob Shaw realised he wanted something different. That turned out to be a job as a ...
04.21.2022 Using number lines in secondary maths Five suggested number lines for use in KS3 and KS4 maths lessons Becky Donaldson, from the NCETM's Secondary Team suggests five different number lines for use in lessons, including one appropriate for use with students aiming at the higher GSCE ...
04.05.2022 The PE teacher in the maths department Simon Hemsworth, who trained as a PE teacher, is now in a role called transition teacher at an Oxfordshire secondary school, a role in which he teaches about ten lessons of KS3 maths every week. To support him in this ...
03.09.2022 How early primary maths influences school-wide teaching Two teachers at a school following a programme that concentrates on building firm foundations of early maths understanding explain how it has led to positive changes in the way maths is taught right up the school. Show notes Taking part ...
02.21.2022 Using number lines in Key Stage 1 Five ways to use a number line for maths in Years 1 and 2. The NCETM's Director for Primary Mathematics, Debbie Morgan, suggests a progression of five different number lines to help children build understanding of the relationships between numbers ...
01.24.2022 The research mathematician and his A Level teacher GCSE maths teachers will recognise the profile of the disengaged 15-year-old that understands maths easily but hasn’t the motivation to put in the work for a really good grade. This student will often drop maths post-16, or if they don’t, ...
12.15.2021 Introduction to the DfE KS3 Maths Guidance Mathematics Guidance: Key Stage 3 was published by the DfE in September 2021, but how much have teachers and departments managed to read and familiarise themselves with it? And how can it be used to support teaching in secondary schools? ...
10.20.2021 Teaching maths in a special school In either a special school or a mainstream setting, no two pupils with special needs have the same abilities or difficulties. A secondary maths lead in a special school explains how she and her colleagues adapt maths teaching so that ...
10.08.2021 Embedding mastery in a primary school Embedding teaching for mastery in a classroom and across a primary school takes time. In this episode two teachers tell how working with their Maths Hub has gradually led to improvements in maths learning across their schools. Show notes Taking ...
10.05.2021 Using Checkpoints in the Year 7 classroom The new NCETM Checkpoints resources are designed to support Year 7 teachers in formatively assessing what mathematical understanding their students have brought from primary school. Four PowerPoint decks are already published, full of activities and supported by teacher guidance. The ...
09.06.2021 Maths education books – reviewed and distilled Lisa Coe reviews education books, alongside being primary maths lead for a MAT in the East of England. In this interview she talks about the maths books that she has found most useful, what she has learned from them and ...
08.26.2021 Starting out with a new maths class The first few lessons with a new class can be the most important. If rules, routines and relationships are established clearly, there's a good chance the year will go smoothly. In this podcast, teachers from three different secondary schools discuss ...
07.08.2021 Remote teaching: the digital revolution? Two tech-enthusiastic teachers discuss what’s been learned by remote teaching, and what still limits learning This podcast was recorded in July 2021 in the final weeks of a very disrupted school year. Over the past decade, Andy has been exploring ...
05.18.2021 Our Tuesday Twitter-based chats Secondary maths teachers Gemma Scott and Kathryn Darwin both occasionally host the NCETM’s Tuesday evening Twitter-based chat under the hashtag #mathscpdchat. Why do they do it? Aren’t they busy enough as senior members of their maths departments? And why do ...
02.11.2021 Remote teaching returns 2 – Steph Elliot Steph Elliot is Year 6 teacher and Maths Lead at a one-form entry school in Newcastle. When the country went into lockdown in January 2021, the school started to provide half an hour live input for each class every day. ...
02.03.2021 Should more girls be taking A level Maths? Show notes Taking part in the discussion are: Louise Maule, Project Lead, Maths4Girls Enuma Afulukwe, Head of Maths, The Hemel Hempstead School Steve McCormack, NCETM Communications Director Episode chapters 00:06 – Introduction and overview of Maths4Girls 02:26 – Why is ...
01.21.2021 Remote teaching returns 1 – Kyle Evans and Kathryn Darwin Kyle Evans has been teaching live online lessons, at his sixth form college in Hampshire since March, including a blended approach during autumn 2020. Kathryn Darwin’s school opted for an asynchronous approach during March 2020 lockdown but in January 2021 ...
12.10.2020 Teaching through the pandemic 6 – James Cresswell James Cresswell teaches at a large secondary school in Suffolk where ability-setting in maths is well established, for all year groups. To reduce movement and numbers of contacts during the pandemic, the school took the decision to teach Key Stage ...
12.01.2020 Teaching through the pandemic 5 – Kate Jackson Kate Jackson teaches Year 4 part-time at a small, coastal primary school in Suffolk. She is also an NCETM Mastery Specialist and a Forest School leader. She describes herself as ‘on a mission to get children outdoors and loving maths’ ...
11.11.2020 Core Maths five years on This interview offers a view from the Merseyside classroom of Jack Ndebu, a new teacher of Core Maths, and his experiences with support offered by the Maths Hub network and AMSP. His experiences are complimented by a view of the ...
11.05.2020 Teaching through the pandemic 4 – Nikki Bailey Show notes Taking part in the discussion are: Nikki Bailey: deputy head, SENCO and Year 1 teacher from Oldfield Primary School, Chester. Gwen Tresidder: NCETM Communications Manager Useful links During the conversation, Nikki mentions Teach Active, the active learning resource ...
10.22.2020 Teaching through the pandemic 3: Simon Ball Simon Ball teaches A level and GCSE resit at a sixth form college in central Manchester. The college are reducing numbers of students on site by only having half year groups in at a time. Since September Simon has been ...
10.13.2020 Teaching through the pandemic 2 – Gemma Scott Gemma Scott is Director of Maths at a large 11-18 comprehensive school in east Yorkshire. Restrictions to reduce virus transmission in schools limit teachers’ opportunity to assess student progress in many of the usual ways. Circulating the classroom to help ...
10.08.2020 Teaching through the pandemic 1 – Martyn Yeo Martyn Yeo teaches Year 4 at a primary school in Warwickshire. In this episode, he discusses the benefits of using manipulatives for teaching maths, and how restrictions on sharing equipment means that he has had to adapt. He discusses the ...
07.15.2020 Lockdown Episode 10 - Hisham Alhassan Hisham Alhassan is a secondary maths teacher and Key Stage 5 coordinator at a school in Oxfordshire. In this episode, he discusses the school’s decision not to bring Year 12 students back into the building, some tactics he has deployed ...
07.01.2020 Year 10 come back – one school's story Deb Friis is a secondary maths teacher and Research Associate at a research school in Sussex. She also co-leads on secondary mastery for the Sussex Maths Hub. In this interview she talks about what it’s like to be back teaching ...
06.24.2020 Learning in Lockdown 8 – Melissa Molnar Melissa Molnar is a Canadian teacher who moved to London for experience and never quite left! She teaches Year 1 (though is currently in an EYFS bubble) and leads maths across her school and the larger school partnership. Melissa talks ...
06.11.2020 Learning in Lockdown 7 – Laura Behan Laura Behan talks about working in the EYFS keyworker bubble as the rest of her school opens up to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. We hear about how the school has organised staff, children and the buildings, and how ...
05.26.2020 Learning in Lockdown 6 – Craig Tilstone Craig Tilstone talks about the difficulty of engagement in remote learning in an area with a low socio-economic profile. He talks about the decisions made and steps taken that have improved engagement in maths learning. And he gives an insight ...
05.21.2020 Learning in Lockdown 5 – Nick Edwards Nick Edwards reflects on how his experience of supporting students through the Grenfell tragedy informed his school’s decision to provide regular video lessons for classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that this interview, and others, will generate ideas and ...
05.15.2020 Learning in Lockdown 4 – Dan Poulson The fourth of our conversations exploring how schools and teachers are managing the challenges of providing remote learning in maths, supporting students and looking after their own wellbeing during the COVID-19 school closures. We hope that this interview, and others, ...
05.14.2020 Learning in Lockdown 3 – Laurie Luscombe The third of our conversations exploring how schools and teachers are managing the challenges of providing remote learning in maths, supporting students and looking after their own well-being during the Covid-19 school closures.
05.13.2020 Learning in Lockdown 2 – Jo Brown The second of our conversations exploring how schools and teachers are managing the challenges of providing remote learning in maths, supporting students and looking after their own well-being during the Covid-19 school closures.
05.07.2020 Learning in Lockdown 1 – Kathryn Darwin Listen to a secondary teacher Kathryn Darwin talk about her first 6 weeks of lockdown schooling in this 15-min podcast.
03.12.2020 Two London secondary schools engaging with teaching for mastery Creating time out of class for secondary teachers to engage in professional development activities, inside and outside their own school, can sometimes be difficult. This episode talks to two headteachers, from neighbouring schools in east London, who make it happen ...
11.27.2019 What mastery has done for our school Jenny Laurie is a deputy head and maths teacher at The St Marylebone CE School in central London. The school was one of the very earliest to adopt a teaching for mastery approach in maths. When two maths teachers visited ...

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