The Primary Maths Podcast
The Primary Maths Podcast
Podcast Description
The Primary Maths Podcast is where classroom conversations meet big ideas.
Each week during term time, join me, Jon Cripwell, and co-host Becky Brown as we chat with inspiring guests from across the world of education - teachers, leaders, researchers and more - about what really works in primary maths.
Whether we’re tackling maths anxiety, diving into lesson design, or exploring the joys and challenges of leading maths across a trust, we keep things practical, thought-provoking, and rooted in the reality of school life.
Expect:
- Weekly interviews with expert voices shaping maths education
- “The Maths of Life” – those everyday moments where maths sneaks in (like holiday currency conversion or splitting the bill!)
- Our top takeaways for teachers and maths leads
- One resource spotlight per episode (because free CPD should come with useful stuff)
- New episodes every Tuesday during term time. Occasional summer specials may sneak in when we just can’t help ourselves.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores essential themes in primary maths education, including maths anxiety, lesson design, and leadership within maths. Episodes feature practical insights such as addressing maths anxiety with experts like Dr. Heidi Kirkland, and segments like 'The Maths of Life' which discuss real-world applications of maths, as well as a resource spotlight showcasing tools for teachers.
The Primary Maths Podcast is a year-round maths podcast for teachers, leaders and anyone interested in how children learn mathematics.
Every Tuesday, join me, Jon Cripwell, for an in-depth interview with an expert voice from across education – teachers, leaders, researchers, authors and thinkers – as we explore what really works in primary maths. We dive into the big ideas shaping maths education, from maths anxiety and fluency to task design, curriculum, reasoning and problem solving.
Then on Fridays, Becky Brown and I return for Aftermaths — a shorter, light-hearted, practical debrief where we unpack the week’s key insights, and share clear takeaways for the classroom.. We also share listener stories and discuss The Maths of Life, amongst other topics.
Across the week, expect:
– Insightful conversations with the people shaping maths education
– Clear, actionable takeaways for teachers and maths leads
– The Maths of Life — the surprising ways maths shows up in everyday moments
– A weekly resource spotlight
– New episodes every Tuesday and Friday, all year round
If you’re looking for a thoughtful, practical teacher podcast that blends research, real classrooms and conversations that matter, this is the place to start.
In this international episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon is joined by Will McLoughlin, a maths teacher based in Abu Dhabi, founder of AddvanceMaths.com and current Education Doctorate student researching conceptual understanding, animated instruction and cognitive science.
The conversation explores what direct instruction or explicit instruction actually means in practice — and what it doesn’t.
Will shares how his thinking has evolved over time, from procedural teaching to a more deliberate, structured approach rooted in clarity, retrieval practice and independent practice. Together, Jon and Will unpack:
- What “I do, we do, you do” should look like in a maths classroom
- The difference between procedural fluency and conceptual understanding — and why they’re not opposites
- Why silent, focused independent practice matters (especially in a world of constant distraction)
- Retrieval practice as more than memory — including its role in deepening understanding
- The importance of modelling with clarity and purpose
- How atomising explanations can strengthen mathematical sense-making
They also explore where direct instruction can go wrong — when it becomes performative, overly procedural or passive — and how dialogue, questioning and attention to structure keep pupils doing maths, not just watching it.
This is a thoughtful and balanced conversation for teachers and leaders reflecting on lesson design, cognitive science and mathematical thinking.
About the Guest
Will McLoughlin is a secondary maths teacher in Abu Dhabi and the developer of AddvanceMaths.com. He is currently studying for an Education Doctorate, with research interests including conceptual understanding, animated instruction and cognitive science.
Connect with Will:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-mcloughlin-a2898ab6/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/MrMac_Math
YouTube (Mathematical Pedagogy Videos): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCG7Y8fJFRr-1tfgc6g0HXkoumj41wQUN&si=ay8kO2H2rQc-nPXF
Favourite research on conceptual understanding: https://addvancemaths.com/conceptual-research/
Stay Connected
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a quick review or sharing it with a colleague — it really helps the podcast reach more teachers.
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn (Jon Cripwell): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-cripwell/
Substack: https://primarymathspodcast.substack.com
Becky and Jon will be back on Friday with an Aftermaths episode, reflecting further on direct instruction, retrieval and what this means for primary classrooms.
Thanks for listening — and as ever, keep doing the maths.
Disclaimer
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