What it’s all about
When Craig Barton was a teenager, he dreamed of having his own radio show playing 1990s indie music, writes Victoria Walden. A couple of decades on and the exuberant schoolteacher is launching a series of entertaining and educational monthly TES podcasts on his favourite subject: maths.
Just like a radio programme, his 30-minute shows are designed to inform and amuse. There will be special guests such as international maths resources creator Malcolm Swan and regular features such as podcast puzzles, “Show and Tell” and “In the News”. And TES users will be invited to suggest ideas, activities, tasks and resources on the chosen subject each month.
Barton sees maths in everything. Can you really work out the probabilities to determine which of 37 dates could be your true love? He wants pupils to have fun trying.
Another section of the podcast will touch on other teachers’ classroom experiences: what worked for them in lessons and what proved disastrous.
“I want the podcasts to be funny and draw teachers in,” Barton says. “I am addicted to podcasts. I listen to one a night before I sleep and one when I’m at the gym. There are a few maths podcasts out there, but mainly university-level maths. I wanted to do one for secondary maths teachers, offering help and advice, pointing out amazing resources, and hopefully being entertaining, too.”
Listen to the first podcast at www.tes.co.ukmathspodcast - the next will be broadcast on 6 November and 7 December.
What else?
See maths puzzles recommended by Craig Barton at bit.lymathspuzzles
Check out nrich maths’ profile on TES Resources for more problems to puzzle over in class. bit.lyTESNrich.
