Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

• Iterative Lesson Design: A Practical Cycle for Teacher Growth with Stuart Welsh

  For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets for Challenge and Depth in Primary Mathematics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Greater Manchester) - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alta-education-73676136923 For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via [email protected] Episode 252: In this episode, Stuart Welsh walks through a compact, morning-long cycle that helps teachers refine one element of practice through plan–teach–reflect–reteach loops with small groups. We unpack what to hold constant, what to vary on purpose, how to build psychological safety, and how schools timetable the model without derailing the week. We also touch on scaling from six students to a full class and why a termly cadence delivers real movement without overload.

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• What We Asked. What We Learned: TDaPE in Term One 2025

  For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠Tickets for Challenge and Depth in Primary Mathematics⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Coventry, Manchester) - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alta-education-73676136923 For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via [email protected] Episode 251: In this special highlights episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, we pause to reflect on Term One—six conversations that challenged assumptions, deepened understanding, and reminded us why professional dialogue matters.Each question featured here captures a moment of genuine inquiry: the kind that sits between classroom practice, research, and lived experience.You’ll hear from:• Adam Lowing on balancing assessment readiness with creative freedom• Lucy Crehan on what the North of Ireland’s approach might teach its neighbours• Doug Lemov on connecting fluency, comprehension, and the FASE approach• John Jackson on defining and developing arithmetic fluency• Andy McHugh on the purpose of Teacher Writers• Amy How on whether mathematical talk reveals or constructs understandingNo summaries. No soundbites. Just the questions that sparked our most interesting conversations this term.

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• The Power of Maths Journaling with Dr Kirsten Fenton and Holly Drummond

  For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠Tickets for Challenge and Depth in Primary Mathematics⁠⁠⁠ (Coventry, Manchester) - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alta-education-73676136923 For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via [email protected] Episode 250: In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Dr Kirsten Fenton and Holly Drummond to explore the power of mathematical journaling — a classroom approach that helps students think, talk and write like mathematicians. Drawing on their experiences as teachers and researchers, Kirsten and Holly discuss how journaling can transform classroom culture, deepen conceptual understanding, and combat the maths anxiety that still shapes far too many learners’ experiences.We unpack how journaling encourages metacognition and self-regulation, supports disciplinary literacy, and builds students’ mathematical identity by making thinking visible. From early mark-making and sentence stems to brain dumps and reflective entries, Kirsten and Holly show how this approach sits at the heart of instruction rather than existing as a bolt-on.Whether you’re curious about talk, reflection, or building confident mathematicians, this conversation captures what happens when maths teaching moves beyond answers — and becomes about understanding, communication and joy.

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• Mathematical Talk: The Heartbeat of Classroom Thinking (with Amy How)

  For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠Tickets for Challenge and Depth in Primary Mathematics⁠⁠ (London, Coventry, Manchester) - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alta-education-73676136923 For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via [email protected] Episode 249: In this episode of Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, I’m joined by Amy How to explore one of the most powerful yet misunderstood elements of classroom practice: mathematical talk.We discuss why talk sits at the centre of deep mathematical thinking and how it helps students construct, refine, and communicate their understanding. Amy shares her insights on the delicate balance between talk as a means of reasoning and talk as a window into students’ thinking, addressing the common worry that discussion can become superficial or time-consuming.Together, we unpack what distinguishes high-quality mathematical talk from general classroom discussion, explore the conditions that allow students to share incomplete or tentative ideas safely, and identify practical strategies that teachers can use to prompt rich, purposeful dialogue.If you’ve ever wondered how to make talk the engine of mathematical reasoning—without losing structure, pace, or inclusivity—this conversation will give you the clarity and confidence to start tomorrow.

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• Teacher Writers with Andy McHugh

  For show notes, links, and a summary episode, sign up for the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hey! What You Reading For ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter. Mondays at 7am BST - https://tdape.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠Tickets for Challenge and Depth in Primary Mathematics⁠ (London, Coventry, Manchester) - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/alta-education-73676136923 For maths curriculum questions contact us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via [email protected] Episode 248: This week on Thinking Deeply About Primary Education, I’m joined by Andy McHugh, teacher, editor, writer, and founder of Teacher Writers, to explore the place of teacher voice in education, and how writing can serve as a form of professional development, influence, and impact.We discuss Andy’s journey from leading an RE department to editing HWRK Magazine and founding a publishing platform dedicated to amplifying teacher voices. Our conversation touches on the challenges teachers face when translating classroom expertise into writing, the skills and confidence required to make that leap, and the opportunities that open up when teachers engage in writing as professional practice.Key themes include:Why teachers should see writing as a legitimate form of professional developmentThe tension between accessibility and depth in educational publishingThe role of community in supporting new writersHow Teacher Writers is creating space for diverse teacher perspectivesAs always, the goal is to make time and space for deep reflection on teaching, learning, and professional growth — and this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in broadening the scope of their professional influence.

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