Here is the latest instalment of our blogs about the Mr Barton Maths Podcast. This blog features Chris Shore from Loughborough University and you can hear his podcast with Craig here or in your usual podcast app. You can even watch it on YouTube!

In this episode, Chris reflects on his career to date and how that has influenced his current research interests. He also discusses the LUMEN curriculum and the connection it has to his research.

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Mr Barton Maths Podcast here. Craig Barton is a skilful and generous interviewer, and although I was a little nervous beforehand, we ended up having a really enjoyable and wide‑ranging conversation. We talked about my experiences as a secondary school teacher before moving into the university sector, my current work in pre‑service teacher education, and my ongoing interests in pedagogy and how this plays out in the classroom.

A particular focus of our discussion was the question at the heart of my PhD: what makes a good mathematical explanation? We explored what explanations are, how they differ from other forms of teacher talk, and where they appear in real classroom practice. We also reflected on when explanations should be used within the modelling sequence and how they interact with other pedagogical tools such as worked examples.

We then connected these ideas to my work on the LUMEN Curriculum (https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/lumen/curriculum/). One of the design principles of LUMEN is conceptualising the curriculum as a mathematical story, where mathematical objects (such as multiplication or fractions) act and behave in different settings. We pay close attention to how that story develops. Craig and I discussed the role of explanations within this curriculum story and how they interact with mathematical tasks and practice exercises.

I hope you enjoy listening to the episode! Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more or to chat about anything that came up in the conversation.