How I Wish I Had Taught Maths: Reflections on research, conversations with experts, and 12 years of mistakes

"I genuinely believe I have never taught mathematics better, and my students have never learned more. I just wish I had known all of this twelve years ago."Craig Barton is one of the UK's most respected teachers of mathematics. In his remarkable new book, he explains how he has delved into the world of academic research and emerged with a range of simple, practical, effective strategies that anyone can employ to save time and energy and have a positive impact on the long-term learning and enjoyment of students. Craig presents the findings of over 100 books and research articles from the fields of Cognitive Science, Memory, Psychology and Behavioural Economics, together with the conversations he has had with world renowned educational experts on his Mr Barton Maths Podcast, and subsequent experiments with my students and colleagues.

''How I wish I'd taught maths' is an extraordinary and important book. Part guide to research, part memoir, part survival handbook, it's a wonderfully accessible guide to the latest research on teaching mathematics, presented in a disarmingly honest and readable way. I know of no other book that presents as much usable research evidence on the dos and don'ts of mathematics teaching in such a clear and practical way. No matter how long you have been doing it, if you teach mathematics--from primary school to university--this book is for you.' Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment, UCL 'How I wish I had taught maths' is a rare and wonderful book, one that could only have been written by someone with Craig's devotion to teaching and willingness to become immersed in the research literature on how people learn. In clear, concrete, and compelling terms Craig illustrates evidence-based ways to upgrade mathematics instruction, ways that are often unintuitive and/or at odds with prevailing educational practices. It makes us wish that young people the world over might have the good fortune to find themselves in classes that incorporate Craig's insights. In fact, whereas Craig writes, "I'll be honest--this book has been created for maths teachers," we think that Craig's "lessons learned" can, with some creativity, enhance any teaching.' Robert A. Bjork and Elizabeth L. Bjork, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 'It's rare that we change our habits and beliefs once they are established - cognitive bias is strong in us. And that is what makes this book so exceptional. Craig describes not only what he's learned from a methodical study of cognitive science but how he's changed over time despite his initial success. There's a joyful relentlessness to Craig's study of teaching methods. He starts out telling us he wants to "know every detail," and what makes the book so exceptional is just that- the way the story of how something he learned about teaching played out in a specific problem or lesson, was refined and improved. It's an incredibly useful book for maths teachers especially but really for anyone who teaches and cares about getting it right.' Doug Lemov, former teacher and author of Teach like a Champion, @Doug_Lemov, ''How I wish I'd taught maths' is an extraordinary and important book. Part guide to research, part memoir, part survival handbook, it's a wonderfully accessible guide to the latest research on teaching mathematics, presented in a disarmingly honest and readable way. I know of no other book that presents as much usable research evidence on the dos and don'ts of mathematics teaching in such a clear and practical way. No matter how long you have been doing it, if you teach mathematics--from primary school to university--this book is for you.' Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment, UCL 'How I wish I had taught maths' is a rare and wonderful book, one that could only have been written by someone with Craig's devotion to teaching and willingness to become immersed in the research literature on how people learn. In clear, concrete, and compelling terms Craig illustrates evidence-based ways to upgrade mathematics instruction, ways that are often unintuitive and/or at odds with prevailing educational practices. It makes us wish that young people the world over might have the good fortune to find themselves in classes that incorporate Craig's insights. In fact, whereas Craig writes, "I'll be honest--this book has been created for maths teachers," we think that Craig's "lessons learned" can, with some creativity, enhance any teaching.' Robert A. Bjork and Elizabeth L. Bjork, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 'It's rare that we change our habits and beliefs once they are established - cognitive bias is strong in us. And that is what makes this book so exceptional. Craig describes not only what he's learned from a methodical study of cognitive science but how he's changed over time despite his initial success. There's a joyful relentlessness to Craig's study of teaching methods. He starts out telling us he wants to "know every detail," and what makes the book so exceptional is just that- the way the story of how something he learned about teaching played out in a specific problem or lesson, was refined and improved. It's an incredibly useful book for maths teachers especially but really for anyone who teaches and cares about getting it right.' Doug Lemov, former teacher and author of Teach like a Champion, @Doug_Lemov

Craig Barton has been teaching mathematics for 12 years. I am an Advanced Skills Teacher, the TES Maths Advsier, an AQA Expert Panel Member, creator of two of the country's most popular maths websites, my teaching has been judged as Outstanding in four successive Ofsted inspections, I have written two maths textbooks, been lucky enough to work with students in hundreds of schools, and I had the honour of delivering workshops to teachers all over the world.