Mr Barton Maths Podcast

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 teacher professional development, and AI for assessment. Along the way, they explore why AI tutors keep falling short of their hype, what Amplify's "discussion moments" feature reveals about thoughtful AI integration, the realities of the Alpha School model, and the social dimensions of learning that no chatbot can replicate. Dan argues that genuine educational improvement may depend less on technology and more on political solutions like teacher pay, class sizes, and addressing inequality—a sobering counterpoint to the dominant AI-as-saviour narrative. the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/220-ai-in-education-with-dan-meyer/

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-chief-data-scientist

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

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

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 areas—personalised tutoring, assessment, lesson planning, and teacher professional development—Barbara offers a refreshingly optimistic yet pragmatic take on how generative AI can support learning, while issuing strong warnings about the dangers of constructivist approaches in an AI-enabled world. She makes a passionate case for testing more (not less), for cognitive realist teaching over student-centred approaches, and for bringing the scientific method into education the way it transformed medicine. The conversation ranges from how AI helps her generate metaphors and surprises in her own teaching, to a fascinating insight into how large language models "grok" patterns in ways that mirror human learning. View the show notes here: podcast.mrbartonmaths.com/216-ai-in-education-with-barbara-oakley