Episode sponsor

This episode is proudly supported by HFL Education’s Making Fluent and Flexible Calculators. You can check out their ‘Making Fluent and Flexible Calculators’ programme here

***Plugs***

1. Craig Barton is coming to Australia in June 2025. Click here to book your place!
2. Check out Craig’s brand new 90-minute online CPD series here
3. Access the notes about the Do Now here

Overview

Regular listeners will know that each month, I get together with my good friend and podcasting arch-enemy Ollie Lovell. This is the fifth in our series of conversations where we seek to agree upon a maths lesson structure. This time around, we continue our discussion of the Do Now, this time focusing on how to respond to the checks for understanding, and addressing reasons why the Do Now can take too long. As ever, we go super deep. So, I hope people enjoy it.

Episode summary

In this conversation, Craig Barton and Oliver Lovell delve into the intricacies of the Do Now segment of lesson planning, emphasizing the importance of checking for understanding and responding effectively to student answers. They discuss various strategies for managing classroom logistics, the significance of teacher explanations, and the necessity of follow-up questions to reinforce learning. The dialogue highlights the need for teachers to adapt their responses based on student performance and to prepare in advance for effective teaching. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights into responsive teaching practices that enhance student engagement and understanding. In this conversation, Craig Barton and Oliver Lovell delve into the intricacies of the ‘Do Now’ segment in teaching, discussing effective data collection methods, the importance of reteaching, and the structure of the Do Now for optimal student engagement. They explore the common pitfalls that lead to the Do Now taking longer than intended and challenge traditional assumptions about its duration and effectiveness. 

Takeaways:

• The Do Now is a critical part of lesson structure.
• Checking for understanding is essential for effective teaching.
• Logistics in responding to student answers can enhance learning.
• Different response strategies can be employed based on student performance.
• Effective teacher explanations can maintain student engagement.
• It’s important to move on when students understand the material.
• Follow-up questions are crucial for reinforcing learning.
• Innovative approaches to follow-up questions can enhance understanding.
• Teachers should prepare follow-up questions in advance.
• Revisiting concepts is necessary for long-term retention. Recording initial data in a low-cost way is valuable.
• Teachers can choose which questions to focus on based on student responses.
• The Do Now should be structured to allow for effective data collection.
• Reteaching and rechecking are crucial after the Do Now.
• The Do Now serves as a spaced retrieval opportunity at the start of lessons.
• Students should ideally achieve 80% accuracy on Do Now questions.
• The Do Now should not take longer than necessary due to various common issues.

Ollie’s stuff

• Sign up for Ollie’s newsletter here: edthreads.ollielovell.com
• On Twitter, Ollie is @ollie_lovell
• Ollie’s website is ollielovell.com 
• You can check out Ollie’s podcast, The Education Research Reading Room here
• Ollie’s first book, Cognitive Load Theory in Action, is available from Amazon
• Ollie’s second book, Tools for Teachers, is available from Amazon

My usual plugs

• Check out my brand new 90-minute online CPD series here
• You can help support the podcast (and get an interactive transcript of this episode) via my Patreon page at patreon.com/mrbartonmaths
• If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of the show, then please visit this page
• You can sign up for my free Tips for Teachers newsletter and my free Eedi newsletter
• My books are “Tips for Teachers“, “Reflect, Expect, Check, Explain” and “How I wish I’d taught maths”