How I Wish I'd Taught Maths: Lessons learned from research, conversations with experts, and 12 years of mistakes: Reflections on research, conversations with experts, and 12 years of mistakes

I've read many books on education. Some have been very good, some ok, some distinctly average and a small number were so bad I stopped before I got to the end. Craig Barton's "How I wish I'd taught maths" doesn't fall into any of these categories because I think it is quite possibly the BEST education book I've ever read. Yes its pure focus is on teaching mathematics in a secondary situation which just so happens to be what I do for a living as well, but it is so much more than that and I am convinced that many of the ideas contained within this book would work equally well in primary schools and across other subjects at secondary level. Craig distils what he's learned from his teaching career (and the mistakes he's made) in a book which is an organised elaboration of his fantastic website. He draws on extensive reading around the research on these ideas - very much the "I've read these daunting educational tomes so you don't have to" and puts it into the context of what it would (or should!) look like in a mathematics classroom. I've been an avid listener of his podcast's and learned so much from them but this book takes many of the ideas mentioned in the podcasts and, using the solid foundations of educational research, gives them flesh and bones and brings them to life in the classroom. What gives Craig and his book credibility ahead of other books of this nature is that he is still a classroom practitioner and he practices what he preaches. They often say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks - well I've been teaching mathematics for 23 years and done it relatively successfully (I think - though you ought to check with my pupils from the past 23 years) and I'm here to tell you this book has taught this old dog a number of new tricks. Tricks is possibly an ill judged metaphor because this book is not about the 'tricks' which are the enemy of depth of understanding and focused purely on short term exam performance. This book and the ideas contained within are definitely NOT tricks but about teaching in a way where long term understanding prioritised and championed. Craig Barton's book has re-invigorated the teaching and learning aspect of my teaching career and for that I will be eternally grateful to him. I've gained so much from this book and have already put some of these ideas into practice in my own teaching (purposeful practice, example-problem pairs, extensive use of diagnostic questions, spacing effect to name just four have become more regularly - but most importantly - more deeply thought out aspects of my teaching armoury). I have plans in place to incorporate many more of the ideas (tailored for my classroom of course) as well as embedding the ones I've already worked on into my teaching in the new school year. In my opinion this book should be required reading for any PGCE or trainee mathematics teacher - it is that good and that important. As a department we intend providing copies of this book for our trainee teachers and NQTs in the future (budgets allowing of course - but a number of us in the department have copies of our own already). More importantly however this book should definitely NOT be bracketed as a book for trainee or 'newbie' teachers - ALL mathematics teachers should read this book and enact some of the great ideas explained in it. Buy it - read it - do it!

This is a great book. I recommend it to every Maths teacher, every Head / Rector / Principal, and every Professor, lecturer and researcher involved in training new Maths teachers. Teachers of other technical subjects will find this book useful, as will all teachers who are interested in deepening their knowledge and improving their classroom performance. Parents might even find it useful, too. Craig Barton has picked up several important pieces of well-grounded scientific knowledge relating to cognition, learning, and memory. He has then ruthlessly applied this knowledge to his own practice as a teacher in order to optimise his students’ learning. The book follows a simple, iterative scheme: taking one aspect of his teaching he summarises what he used to do - the routines that brought him accolades from the system; what he now believes, based on his study of the relevant research; and what he now does, which is often very different from what brought him those accolades. By the end of the book - 12 applications of this formula to different aspects of the teaching of mathematics - the reader has been taken on a transformative journey, leaving a number of traditional assumptions and fashionable shibboleths in the dust. The book is a brave, personal account which should be an example to teachers and especially education researchers everywhere. I hope that this book will cause not only better approaches to the teaching of Mathematics, but better approaches to the teaching every subject, including of course the teaching of teaching itself. Thank you, Mr Barton.

A brilliant book for Maths teachers. A brilliant book for any teacher. Craig has written a book based on a staggering amount of research and reflection. When you have read 100s of books and blogs and spent hours talking to the likes of Dylan Wiliam, Daisy Christodoulou, Doug Lemov, Kris Boulton and the Bjorks you shouldn't go far wrong. However, these experiences have been expertly interweaved into a book that is incredibly useful and relevant for any teacher. I teach Science and so much of "what Craig does now" is transferable. The focus is squarely on learning. Nothing else. His SSDD (it may catch on) is one of many, many takeaways that I'll trial in my subject. The section on desirable difficulties is explained with such clarity that I would defy any teacher to not find it seriously useful. The book is written with a structure which makes it easy to read. It is also written with humility and humour. Part confessional, part research informed teaching manual; this is an outstanding piece of work.

This is the most important maths teaching book that I'm ever likely to read. It debunks a lot of what I was taught in training 8 years ago and which has been received wisdom in maths departments in recent years. Many of Craig's conclusions are what I would describe as old fashioned common sense, but he does reach them through careful thought and with evidence from literature and experience (of course, there's so much educational literature that you can pick and choose to suit any conclusion, and you can draw any conclusion you want from personal anecdote, but hey, Craig is pretty convincing). So why only 4 stars? It's 451 pages for God's sake! In justifying his conclusions, Craig lapses into educational academic speak too much - leavened by personal observations, sure, but each point is pretty laboured. Do I have time to wade through all of this to get the juicy conclusions? Well, Craig thought of that, and lists his "take-way" points for each section, but this is just the briefest summary. I fear that as a teacher with piles of books to mark and lessons to prepare, I need something between the two levels to make this the perfect book to refresh and re-focus my teaching, without it being just another "book I wish I have the time to read" on the shelf.

Absolute Empfehlung für jeden (Mathe-) Lehrer. Nicht ganz einfach zu lesen, aber mit vielen Ideen, warum der übliche Unterricht die meisten Schüler nicht erreicht und wie man es besser machen kann.

Aínda non rematei o libro, pero estame a resultar moi interesante, e iso que dou clase de tecnoloxía e non de matemáticas. Identifícome moito co autor, pasei moitos anos da miña carreira docente pensando que a aprendizaxe debera ser o menos dirixida posible, que é mellor o descubrimento que a instrucción, que a motivación sería maior canta máis liberdade tivera o alumnado para escoller contidos e actividades... e, aos poucos, fun comezando a sospeitar que non todo era tan fácil. O autor propón un sistema moi pautado de instrucción explícita, aínda me falta tempo e ensaio para saber se funciona e canto funciona, pero é, sen dúbida, unha visión moi necesaria para a reflexión sobre o proceso educativo. Imprescindible para profes.

I read a lot of books on maths teaching, and in each book the author seems push their program or their limited opinion of what works based on their ideologies, but they just don't have a comprehensive, universal philosophy. And then I read this book... I was wrong, Craig Barton has written an incredibly practical and logical book on what teaching matters in mathematics. He has broken through the various fads and ideologies using his thorough and impartial reading of the relevant research. He has then condensed it into a practical guide for teachers. I cannot speak highly enough of this book.

Very good book, evidence-based. Not usual as far as education books are concerned.

This has to be the best book I've read so far on the subject of teaching maths. I love his easy to read and informal style - he self-depreciation is fun. There are also a lot of good references included in the book as you read, so you can just go on line and read a paper or article or website he's just referred to. Well done Mr Barton