Programme 375, Using Picture Story Books to Teach Maths (16-10-19)

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney

On this week's programme I bring you a special episode for Maths Week and to mark the seventh conference of Mathematics Education in Ireland held last weekend in Dublin City University's Institute of Education. First I speak to Dr. Siún Nic Mhuirí (from 1'43") from Dublin City University about the Maths4All project she's working on. Among the topics we discuss are:

• The Maths4All website and resources


• Alan Schoenfeld's Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework


• Challenges of developing video representations of teaching


• Pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching mathematics


• Her thoughts on this year’s Mathematics Education in Ireland conference


• A message about the importance of believing that maths is for all students

Next I speak to Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai from the University of Reading (from 15' 51") about using picture story books to teach mathematics.We discuss the following:

• His goal to have mathematics picture story books used in both primary and secondary schools to teach mathematics


• Why picture books can help students learn abstract topics


• Handa’s Surprise


• Sir Cumference series


• Using a picture book to provide context for a lesson


• Reading a story to apply learning to help characters in a story solve a problem


• How to use a maths picture story book in a mathematics lesson


• Benefits of using maths picture story books


• How children react to using maths picture story books in maths class


• Children writing their own maths picture story books


• Papert’s theory of constructionism


• When should maths picture story books be used in mathematics teaching


• His website mathsthroughstories.org


• His view of effective mathematics teaching


• The journey that brought him from Thailand to England


• Why he likes the Times Educational Supplement

The episode closes with a rant from me about teaching mathematics. I refer to the following books:

• W. Timothy Gallwey The Inner Game of Tennis


• Donald Graves A Fresh Look at Writing