Mr Barton Maths Podcast

Mr Barton Maths Podcast

Craig Barton interviews guests from the wonderful world of education about their approaches to teaching, educational research and more. All show notes, resources and videos here: https://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/

Episodes

September 16, 2026 58 mins

Craig speaks to Manu Kapur, Professor of Learning Sciences and Higher Education at ETH Zurich and the researcher behind productive failure. They cover what the framework is and is not, the mechanisms behind it, how long students should struggle, what AI tutors mean for learning before instruction, and the strongest challenges to his work. Access the show notes here: https://podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/231-productive-failure-with-manu...

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Sign up for your free trial at HoD Space at hodspace.com.

Access the show notes here: ⁠https://podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/230-hod-space-ep2-notes-in-exercise-books-offsted-and-a-level-class-sizes/

In this episode of the podcast, Jo Morgan and Craig Barton discuss:

1. What actually goes in the exercise book

Prompted by a HoD Space member's survey request, Craig puts four options to the community — I do, we do and independ...

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August 27, 2026 108 mins

Craig speaks to Joe Liemandt, principal of Alpha School and founder of Trilogy Software, about the model behind the school's two-hour academic day. They cover selection effects, what does and does not scale, the data the apps generate, the future of the teaching profession, and Alpha's plans for the UK. Access the show notes here: https://podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/229-ai-in-education-with-joe-liemandt/

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Sign up for your free trial at HoD Space at hodspace.com.

Access the show notes here: ⁠https://podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/228-hod-space-ep1-praise-tick-sheets-year-7-sets-first-departmental-meeting/⁠

In this episode of the podcast, Jo Morgan and Craig Barton discuss:

1. Praise, and the problem of the "invisible pupils"
Prompted by a question from HOD Space member Megan, Jo and Craig dig into Pritesh Raichura's seating plan tick she...

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In an unscheduled episode, Kris Boulton analyses a trainee teacher's volume-of-prisms sequence. He and Craig Barton work through key design principles — simplifying the rule, stripping out the arithmetic, starting with the general case, and building testing and expansion sequences that force genuine mathematical thinking. Access the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/227-breaking-down-an-example-sequence-with-kris-bou...

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Returning guest Zach Groshell, author of Just Tell Them, explains how he designs Direct Instruction maths apps for Alpha School. They cover the US school system, why most education apps fail, how atomisation and mastery work on a screen, the limits of data and motivation, and why he chose a different school for his own daughter. Access the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/226-ai-in-education-with-zach-groshell

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In this AI in Education episode, Craig Barton welcomes back Dylan Wiliam to discuss what generative and extractive AI mean for assessment, teaching and the purpose of schooling. Wiliam argues the evidence base is thin, urges caution about education's long feedback loops, and distinguishes cognitive offloading from cognitive outsourcing. Access the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/225-ai-in-education-with-dylan-wiliam

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Kris Boulton returns for the AI in Education mini-series. He shares how Claude has become fully woven into his daily work, gives a candid first-hand account of his visit to Alpha School in New York, and digs into where AI now sits for creating high-quality maths resources — and where it still falls short. Access the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/224-ai-in-education-with-kris-boulton

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Grainne Hallahan, formerly an English teacher, now runs the questions at Teacher Tapp — the app that surveys more than 10,000 teachers a day. She came on with five AI-related findings from the archive, on cheating, lesson planning, attendance targets, and whole-school policies, plus three favourite Teacher Tapp findings to finish. Access the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/223-what-do-10000-teachers-think-about-ai

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In this long-awaited sequel (eight years after her last appearance), Craig welcomes back Becky Allen — education researcher, co-founder of Teacher Tap, co-author of The Teacher Gap, and now a consultant to the US-based Alpha School chain — for a deep dive into AI in education, with a particular focus on AI as a personal tutor. Becky is a self-confessed AI optimist who uses LLMs for almost everything (with a fervent...

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In this episode of the Mr Barton Maths podcast, Craig sits down with Bibi Groot, behavioural scientist at Eedi, to unpack the rigorous research behind their ed-tech work. Bibi traces her journey from the UK's Behavioural Insights Team — where she applied frameworks like EAST (Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely) to public policy — to becoming Eedi's first behavioural scientist after a stint completing a PhD at UCL and havi...

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April 29, 2026 86 mins

A decade after his first appearance on the podcast, Dan Meyer returns to discuss the intersection of AI and mathematics education. Now leading AI feature development at Amplify (which acquired Desmos), Dan brings a uniquely balanced perspective—simultaneously a critic of AI's most maximalist claims and an active builder of AI tools for the classroom. Craig and Dan dig into three core areas: AI as a personal tutor, AI for teac...

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In this episode, I welcome my friend and Eedi co-founder, Dr Simon Woodhead. We dive into the evolution of educational technology, data collection, and AI's role in personalised learning. Join us as we reflect on past innovations, current challenges, and future opportunities in edtech, data science, and AI integrations in education. View the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/219-ai-in-education-with-simon-woodhead-eedis-ch...

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Education expert Carl Hendrick discusses the transformative potential of AI in education, emphasising how AI can enhance learning science, curriculum design, and personalised instruction. He explores the differences this time around compared to past EdTech innovations and offers insights into practical applications and future implications. Access the shownotes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/218-ai-in-education-with-carl-hendrick

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March 25, 2026 94 mins

Discover the nuanced debate around AI's role in education through an in-depth conversation with science teacher and author, Adam Boxer. We explore both the exciting potentials and significant pitfalls of AI tools in teaching, assessment, and resource development. View the episode shownotes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/217-ai-in-education-with-adam-boxer

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A long-awaited conversation with Barbara Oakley, distinguished professor of engineering, bestselling author, and creator of the world's most popular online course "Learning How to Learn." Barbara shares her remarkable journey from hating maths in school to becoming a champion of cognitive science-based teaching, and brings her expertise in memory and learning to bear on the rapidly evolving world of AI in education. Across four key...

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In this in-depth interview, Daisy Christodoulou explores the evolution of AI in education assessment, focusing on the capabilities and limitations of large language models and AI auto-marking systems. She discusses the history, current state, and future potential of AI in assessment, emphasising the importance of human oversight and the challenges of AI interpretability. Daisy Christodoulou discusses the impact of AI on education, ...

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In this conversation, Craig and Iro Xenidou-Dervou explore the emerging field of early financial literacy, discussing its significance in children's education. They delve into the distinct constructs of financial literacy and numeracy, the innovative assessment tool 'Arlo's Adventures', and the five key components of financial literacy for young children. The discussion also highlights the role of parents and educators in fostering...

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In this episode of the Mr Barton Maths podcast, Professor Victoria Simms discusses her research on children's mathematical thinking and the importance of family involvement in early education. She emphasises the role of the home environment in shaping children's mathematical experiences and the need for supportive resources for parents. The discussion also covers the challenges of early education, the impact of sibling interactions...

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In this episode of the Mr. Barton Maths podcast, Craig is joined by Chris Shaw, a mathematics educator with nearly 30 years of experience. They discuss Chris's transition from secondary school teaching to a full-time role at Loughborough University, where he is involved in teacher training and research. The conversation delves into the importance of effective explanations in mathematics education, the challenges of pursuing a PhD, ...

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