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/
My first interview with Andrew caused something of a stir (in a good way!), so I thought it would be useful to release an interview I did with Andrew back in 2014 for my TES Maths Podcast. Here Andrew describes a completely open-ended inquiry lesson, as well as sharing some excellent advice on being a Head of Department.
For more information about today’s guest, plus links to the websites, resources and ideas they mention, please visit the show notes page: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/blog/andrew-blair-prequel-inquiries-and-being-a-head-of-department/
On this special episode of the Mr Barton Maths Podcast, I spoke to Andrew Blair.
Last episode I interviewed Andrew about running inquiries. There has been a fantastic reaction to the interview, and I am pleased to see that it has given other people plenty to think about, and not just myself. Indeed, I am not sure my head has quite finished spinning. If all goes to plan, next episode I will be recording Part 2 of my interview with Kris Boutlon, and I want to discuss directly the points Andrew made about outcomes, fluency and purpose.
So, in preparation for that, I thought it would be a good idea to release my first interview with Andrew Blair, that I recorded back in 2014 when I used to host the TES Maths Podcast. Here Andrew describes in detail a far more open-ended, less structured inquiry than the one he talked about last episode. It is fascinating to listen to how you plan and deliver a lesson that – quite literally – could go in any direction, and that direction is determined 100% by the students themselves. As a bonus, Andrew also shares his invaluable experiences and advice on being a head of department.
I hope you agree with me that this is a superb listen. No takeaway this time, so I won’t see you on the other side, but I will see you soon, and I hope you enjoy the journey back to 2014 – a time when I could sleep at night, unconsumed as I was with concerns about working memory, cognitive load and desirable difficulties. It was also a time when I used to record in a professional studio, had different intro music, an alluring female voice to introduce me, and considered interviews over an hour rather excessive. How times have changed. Enjoy.
On Twitter, Andrew is: @inquirymaths
Andrew’s Inquiry Maths website can be found at: inquirymaths.org
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Thanks so much for listening, and I really hope you enjoy the show!
Craig Barton