This week, our trio are discussing a word that can have many meanings to many different people in education: Mastery. Our crew focus on the distinction between instrumental and relational understanding in mathematics, and how in other fields, the two types of understanding apply.

In this episode, our hosts delve into the concept of problem solving, discussing its historical context, significance, and practical applications. We explore the contributions of both George Polya and the Cockroft Report.

It’s time to wrap up our core competency mini series, with Metacognition. Why is consistent practice of metacognitive strategies essential for improvement? What is Andy talking about when he says the teacher needs to act the buffoon? Plus, we revisit why the core competencies are so important.

This week’s core competency is Number Sense. What does having good number sense mean? How can we spot if students have poor number sense? Plus, the gang share the importance of contextual understanding of number.

This week’s focus is another core competency, Communication. We’re wondering — Is reading mathematically completely overlooked? What did Lev Vygotsky teach us about interactions and social learning? And should teachers be facilitating more opportunities for talk? Listen to find out!

The next core competency our hosts want to chat about is Generalisation. How important is it for learners to make links and apply certain knowledge to new and varied situations? Plus, ever heard of Zoltan Dienes? Andy explains the two types of variation that Dienes is famous for discussing.

Over the next five weeks we’re diving into the '5 Core Competencies'. This week, we look at visualisation, a crucial skill needed for problem solving. Our trio discuss the importance of Jerome Bruner's CPA approach, the dangers of rote, and more!

Oboe experts, Being anti-maths, and more. We’re reposting this fantastic episode about teacher training — with our hosts looking into how many hours teachers actually get to explore maths during their training. How serious can the knock-on effects be if something is misunderstood by a child early on? Why are there different attitudes to other subjects? Plus, we talk about the unique circumstance of how usually the people holding teachers accountable aren’t adults…