To date, Dr. Trakulphadetkrai (founder of MathsThroughStories.org) has delivered the Maths Through Stories training workshop to over 200 in-service teachers and around 2,000 teacher trainees at 30 universities cross the UK and abroad.
Consequently, MathsThroughStories.org has now officially become the largest and most trusted training provider on integrating story picture books in mathematics teaching and learning.
If your school, university-based teacher education programme or local council would like to receive the Maths Through Stories training, please get in touch with Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Founder of MathsThroughStories.org) directly here.
For details of upcoming training workshops as well as photos of and feedback on past workshops, please scroll down the page.
Upcoming Training Workshops
(*Open to members of the hosting institutions only)
June 2019 (training for in-service teachers)
Alleyn’s Junior School (London, UK)*
September 2019 (training for in-service teachers)
Frederick Bird Primary School (Coventry, UK)*
Crosfields School (Reading, UK)*
FEEDBACK FROM SOME OF THE TEACHERS AND TEACHER TRAINEES
WHO ATTENDED OUR TRAINING WORKSHOPS
An invited keynote talk, titled ‘What if maths was taught through storytelling?’ given at the Medway Educational Leaders Association's annual conference for over 100 school leaders in Kent.
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A training workshop for around 70 trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester, UK) in May 2019
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A training workshop for around 50 trainees on the Primary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at the University of Bedfordshire (Bedford, UK) in May 2019
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“Vince, the University of Bedfordshire PGCE Primary trainee teachers were wowed once again by your engaging MathsThroughStories workshop. You skillfully built their confidence, whilst synthesising theory and expertise. The trainees thoroughly enjoyed themselves (as did I) and went away motivated and enthused to try the approach out in their own classrooms. Equally helpful is the range of resources available to them on the MathsThroughStories.org website, so they have been encouraged to share these with their school colleagues.” |
A training workshop for around 50 trainees on the Primary School Direct programme at the University of Reading (Reading, UK) in May 2019
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“Thank you Vince for your lively and engaging Maths through Stories workshop with our Primary School Direct trainees yesterday. They loved finding out about all the different ways that story picture books can be used to inspire creative maths teaching. It was great to see how you got them thinking about inclusion and stereotyping, and reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of the different books. Our trainees went away feeling inspired to teach maths using story picture books.” |
A training workshop for around 30 in-service teachers at the University of Reading (Reading, UK) in May 2019
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“Thought provoking, engaging. I will share the resources [on MathsThroughStories.org] with the rest of the teaching team. As Mathematics Coordinator, I will include stories as part of the Mathematics curriculum planning overview.” |
A training workshop for around 30 trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at the University of Derby (Derby, UK) in April 2019
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“Vince's Maths Through Stories workshop provided an engaging insight into the potential of teaching mathematics using stories for the mathematics and English specialists on our BEd programme. Well-focused and interactive, his approach enabled us all to appreciate how learning and teaching might be enhanced in a creative and decisive way. Undergirded by persuasive academic thought and confirmed by exclusively positive feedback, his ideas have provided our students with an excellent springboard for enhancing their future practice in a dynamic way. His thinking has also generated a timely and powerful vehicle for the University of Derby to strengthen its Initial Teacher Education students' understanding of and ability to deliver curriculum in a genuinely creative way. Many thanks, Vince!” |
A training workshop for around 30 trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at the University of Winchester (Winchester, UK) in March 2019
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“The Maths Through Stories workshop provided an inspiring and engaging afternoon for trainee teachers at the University of Winchester. Students valued the opportunity to explore a range of story books and deepened their understanding of how stories can be used to enhance mathematics teaching when introducing new mathematical ideas or consolidating understanding. The ideas shared within the session and the resources on the MathsThroughStories.org website enabled students to understand how story books can be incorporated effectively into primary maths lessons. Our students left the workshop enthused about using story books in maths lessons and are keen to try out this approach on their forthcoming school placement.” |
A training workshop for around 30 trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at Kingston University (Surrey, UK) in March 2019
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“Really helpful + interactive workshop. I had never thought of using story picture books in maths before. Lots of information + helpful resources. Activities were carefully planned and delivered with enthusiasm. Overall, very beneficial! I will definitely be using the Maths Through Stories website.” |
A training workshop for around 80 trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at the University of Brighton (Falmer, UK) in March 2019
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“Our sincere thanks once again to Vincent for his brilliant Maths Through Stories workshop! Our students really appreciated the chance to look at the value of teaching maths through stories and many have since approached me personally to talk about taking this forward into their teaching in the future.” |
A training workshop for around 70 primary teacher trainees from both Dublin City University (Dublin, Republic of Ireland) and Ulster University (Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK) in March 2019
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“The Maths through Stories workshop was skilfully facilitated by Vincent where two cohorts of student teachers from Northern and Southern Ireland collaborated for the first time on a SCoTENS project on the use of story picture books in the primary school mathematics classroom. There was a senses of fun and excitement throughout the day with a lively exchange of learning. Students went away with not only a positive experience of the workshop, but also with some very rich ideas that they intend to implement on school placement over the coming weeks” |
A training workshop for around 100 trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at the University of Roehampton (Barnes, UK) in March 2019
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“The Maths Through Stories workshop delivered by Vince to our Year 2 BA Primary Education (QTS) was well received and students felt very confident in using stories to increase children's engagement with mathematics. Several students commented very positively on the right balance between research and practical activities as part of the workshop.” |
A training workshop for around 30 trainees on the BA (Hons) Early Years Education programme at the University of South Wales (Newport, UK) in February 2019
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“Excellent - Vince has such an engaging manner that motivated even those trainees who fell out of their comfort zone (mathematics). The MathsThroughStories.org website re-ignited my interest in using storybooks to support maths teaching, and I have re-introduced it into my lectures using the lesson plans on the website as a starting point in my teaching.” |
A training workshop for around 50 primary teacher trainees on the Primary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at Bath Spa University (Bath, UK) in February 2019
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“Thanks Vince so much for his Maths Through Stories workshop yesterday - it was wonderful. The mix of theory and practice, practical activities and discussion tasks were engaging and thought provoking. The workshop also supported the development of our trainee teachers and of our PGCE Primary Mathematics programme. It is great to see and use high quality ideas and resources informed by research with teachers. Thank you again!” |
A training workshop for around 30 teachers on the Postgraduate Certificate in Primary English (PGCert) in Primary English and in Primary Mathematics programmes at the University of Northampton (Huntingdon, UK) in January 2019
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“We really do appreciate Vince for a fantastic Maths Through Stories workshop where all the teachers on our programme were highly enthused and inspired by the energy and ideas that they could take back to school. Many of the teachers have said that they had used the ideas within their classes the very next week and that the links to mathematical story picture books had been so motivational for their children in school. We are following up on this ourselves with a session where teachers can create their own mathematical books to take back to school.” |
A training workshop for around 110 primary teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at at the University of Greenwich (London, UK) in January 2019
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“Vince delivered his Maths Through Stories workshop to our 100+ Primary PGCE trainees during a mid-school experience professional development day. Despite the fact that it was at the end of a long day at the end of a long week, Vince managed to motivate, enthuse and inspire this really large group. It was so valuable for our trainees to be able to have the opportunity to read 100+ high quality mathematical story picture books on the day, and consider the value of cross-curricular learning. Having the opportunity to use mathematical story picture books in Vince’s collection to plan a maths lesson and follow-up activities, no doubt, gave our trainees the confidence to try this mathematics teaching approach back in school. Thank you, Vince, for a really first-class workshop!” |
A training workshop for around 50 primary teacher trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at Liverpool John Moores University (Liverpool, UK) in January 2019
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“With a clear focus on mathematical stories for Key Stage 2 (7-11 years old) children, the Maths Through Stories workshop built well upon previous work for Year 1 where students explored the use of stories for Key Stage 1 (5-7 years old) children. The workshop was highly relevant looking at cross-curricular approaches whilst developing a further understanding of mastery techniques. Students were engaged and, from talking after the session, are excited about the prospect of teaching mathematics through stories in Key Stage 2.” |
A training workshop for around 20 early years teachers, co-led with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) in January 2019
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“As part of some pilot early mathematics work in the Northern Powerhouse region in the UK, it was felt that an important aspect of pedagogy to explore was the role stories can play in developing mathematical understanding. MathsThroughStories.org (Vince) was approached to support with the development and delivery of this session. Vince was keen to share his expertise and to support in sharing the work of this organisation. The session was well delivered and the practitioners had the opportunity to think about the ways in which they could develop the use of carefully selected stories in their mathematics practice. Practitioners gave positive verbal feedback about the ways in which they were going to further explore their use of stories to support mathematical understanding. Thank you!” |
A training workshop for around 30 primary teachers and teacher trainers at St Mary's University (London, UK) in January 2019
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“Vince recently delivered an inspirational ‘Maths Through Stories’ workshop to our PGCE students (and some local teachers). The workshop was a mix of evidence-based use of picture books and interactive activities to show how mathematical understanding can be developed throughout the primary mathematics curriculum. The free access to an online database of recommended mathematical story picture books with integrated lesson plans and activities on Vince's MathsThroughStories.org website will go a long way to support teachers and students deliver high-impact learning in mathematics using story picture books.” |
A training workshop for around 30 primary and secondary mathematics specialist teachers and teacher trainers at White Rose Maths (Halifax, UK) in December 2018
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“We loved the Maths Through Stories workshop! It was a well researched and refreshing session giving our team some new ideas by making them think outside of the box. Not only did we learn about how we can use story telling to engage children in maths, but we also had some great team-building opportunities through Vincent's well thought-out activities. There was something for everyone from Early Years specialists to our Secondary colleagues. As a presenter, Vince is one of the best - energy and humour throughout.” |
A training workshop for around 40 primary teacher trainees on the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme at Nottingham Trent University (Nottingham, UK) in December 2018
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“Thanks, Vince, for an informative and engaging session. I was particularly struck by the Maths Through Stories case studies and I think we’ll be considering how best to make use of this idea and approach. I also feel better placed to promote your MathsThroughStories.org website to our graduate trainees now.” |
A training workshop for around 40 primary teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at the University of Southampton (Southampton, UK) in December 2018
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“Our PGCE (Primary) trainees have been inspired by the Maths Through Stories workshop which was well organised and resourced. It challenged the way they thought about the teaching and learning of primary mathematics and gave a confidence boost to those who realised maths needn’t be taught in the same traditional way. With ideas from the workshop and resources from the accompanying website (MathsThroughStories.org), some of our trainees have since developed lessons for their school placement and some have utilised the approach as part of an intervention programme which they have designed for an assignment. The workshop was rated highly and we’re now seeking ways in which we can embed it into our future provision – we’d be silly not to!” |
A training workshop for around 20 primary teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDipEd) programme at the University of Birmingham (Birmingham, UK) in December 2018
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“Thank you Vince for delivering an engaging Maths Through Stories workshop for our Primary Mathematics Specialist students on the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDipEd) programme. You enabled them to work together to craft a lesson, and your enthusiastic approach has inspired them to have a go themselves, using your excellent MathsThroughStories.org website to support their planning. Importantly, the workshop invited them to consider how this approach can support children's mathematical understanding, as well as contributing to children's enjoyment of their mathematical learning.” |
A training workshop for around 80 early years and primary teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at the University of Chester (Chester, UK) in November 2018
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“The teacher trainees on our Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme have such a packed year, but I know that the Maths Through Stories workshop by Vince will be viewed as a highlight. The workshop was organised brilliantly. It engaged our trainees, and has already inspired and given them the confidence to use story picture books to teach maths. I was delighted that this workshop contributed to a change in thinking about the way maths should be taught, and that this was also linked to theory that the trainees can use in future assignments. This is an excellent workshop that I would highly recommend.” |
A training workshop for around 40 primary teacher trainees on the BA in Primary Education programme at Liverpool Hope University (Liverpool, UK) in November 2018
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“Thanks to Vince, the Maths Through Stories workshop was a really engaging 2-hour session that inspired and motivated our Mathematics, English and Early Years specialists final-year students on the BA Primary QTS course. Vince provided opportunities for our trainees to engage in discussions about different mathematical story picture books. This was a very practical session but there was plenty of theory and research to support the trainees’ understanding. Criticality was encouraged by Vince and the students were immersed in thinking about how story picture books could enhance their own mathematics teaching. The session was beneficial at this stage in their training and the feedback was outstanding.” |
A training workshop for around 50 primary teacher trainees on the BA in Primary Education programme at Leeds Trinity University (Leeds, UK) in November 2018
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“A huge thank you to Vince for delivering his Maths through Stories workshop. The trainees found the workshop enjoyable and engaging - many of them said this was an area they hadn't considered before but having had the workshop they will definitely use maths stories in school. This shows that the workshop will impact on their upcoming School Placements as they can utilise the ideas to help them plan relevant and inspiring lessons. We are definitely going to invite Vince back to deliver the workshop again in subsequent years.” |
A training workshop for around 60 teacher trainees on the BA Ed in Primary Education programme at the University of Reading (Reading, UK) in October 2018
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“It was extremely useful as using story picture books in mathematics teaching is not something I had considered before. I now consider using them in my mathematics teaching.” |
A training workshop for around 90 primary school teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at the University of Sussex (Falmer, UK) in October 2018
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“The Maths Through Stories workshop was very well planned and resourced. There was a wide variety of activities where our PGCE trainees were able to be active and explore the resources and reflect upon the opportunities stories can offer in order to develop children's mathematical understanding. Many trainees have already taken these ideas (supported by the wealth of accessible information on the MathsThroughStories.org website) into schools and are planning on exploring using stories to teach maths as part of their next assignment! This shows the impact of the workshop on their practice and development as teachers. Our primary team of tutors agree that we would like this workshop to become part of our course in years to come!” |
A training workshop for around 70 Mathematics Subject Leaders across Warwickshire as part of Gateway Alliance (Kenilworth, UK) in October 2018
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“Feedback on the Maths Through Stories workshop from our Mathematics subject leaders has been really positive and I know that many of them will have returned to school keen to share the MathsThroughStories.org website and ideas with their colleagues. You got everyone involved and showed us how maths can link to picture story books at any age. Thank you for an inspiring afternoon!” |
A training workshop for around 30 primary in-service teachers across Berkshire as part of the Bucks, Berks and Oxon Maths Hub at Kendrick School (Reading, UK) in October 2018
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“Vince's enthusiastic and passionate delivery of the Maths through Stories workshop inspired attendees to consider how they can incorporate more stories in their maths teaching. It was really helpful to have such a wide range of books to look at and I am sure that the resources on the MathsThroughStories.org website will prove to be an invaluable source of ideas for the teachers who were at the workshop, as well as their colleagues.” |
A training workshop for 15 teacher trainees on the BA in Primary Teacher Education programme at Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, UK) in October 2018
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“The workshop was excellent - thank you so much for delivering this pacy, thought-provoking workshop. We have plenty to build on as we continue to develop the theme of 'creative strategies for teaching mathematics' on our programme” |
A training workshop for around 20 primary school teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at Brunel University London (London, UK) in October 2018
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“Vincent facilitated a workshop with PGCE student teachers at Brunel. He was engaging and interactive throughout and encouraged students to think creatively but also challenged some of the ideas around using story books in maths. Students thoroughly enjoyed the session and were engaged with the activities planned. The evaluations clearly indicated that they got so much out of the session. Thank you Vincent, for your time, and for sharing your passion.” |
A training workshop for around 50 early years and primary in-service teachers at Penn Wood Primary and Nursery School (Slough, UK) in September 2018
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“Dr. Vincent’s Maths Through Stories workshop with our staff enabled us to align perfectly our commitment to use 'books as the golden thread running through our curriculum' with educational research and the National Curriculum requirements. His standards and expectations are high and he probes ideas from participants through skilful questioning. Dr. Vincent's workshop perfectly launched our year's professional learning.” |
A training workshop for around 30 early years and primary in-service teachers as part of the North West Three Maths Hub and the St. Helens Teaching School Alliance (Merseyside, UK) in July 2018
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“Vincent was a true professional. Extremely knowledgeable, he inspired teachers across the Early Years and Year 6 phases and his passion was infectious. Teachers felt empowered to go back to school and use stories to enhance and develop their maths teaching. They were excited to use and share the ideas on the MathsThroughStories.org website. We look forward to working with Vincent again in the future.” |
A training workshop for around 50 primary school teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at the University of Bedfordshire (Bedford, UK) in June 2018
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“Really made me think about using stories in maths. Also made me think and look through my mathematical eyes and think of new interesting lesson ideas. The MathsThroughStories.org website was also amazing and very helpful. Very engaging and interesting. Going to e-mail my head of school the website.” |
A training workshop for over 60 primary teacher trainees on the School Direct programme (England's postgraduate-level teacher training programme) at the University of Reading in April 2018
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“Such an engaging, interesting and valuable session. I LOVED it and found it so exciting and really helpful! Thank you! Absolutely brilliant and fantastically delivered!” |
A training workshop for around 120 early years and primary teacher trainees on the BA in Primary Education programme at the University of Brighton (Falmer, UK) in March 2018
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“Vince gave a really engaging 2 hour session that inspired and enthused our final year students on the BA Primary QTS course. In spite of being in a lecture theatre, the session was practical; Vince provided each student (and there were over 120) with a story book to support discussion and the students were able to co-construct lesson ideas based on these. In addition to being a practical session, all of Vince’s input had strong theoretical foundations. These supported the students to evaluate texts critically based on the quality of the story, the connection with the underpinning mathematical concepts and the opportunities for promoting social inclusion. This session is highly recommended.” |
A training workshop for around 120 early years and primary teacher trainees on the BA in Primary Education programme at the University of Roehampton (London, UK) in February 2018
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“The Maths Through Stories workshop delivered by Vince provided our Year 2 BA Primary Education students at University of Roehampton with the right balance of practical use of stories to develop children's mathematical understanding in the class and evidence from research on stories and mathematics. Our student-teachers left the workshop inspired to use stories to support and enrich children's mathematical development not only in the forthcoming school placement but as another strategy for the future careers as teachers.” |
A training workshop for teachers specialised in working with children with Special Educational Needs in Derbyshire (UK) in February 2018
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“Thank you, Vince, for an inspiring workshop encouraging us to teach Maths through stories with our caseload of learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It was great that you encouraged us to use our own knowledge, skills and expertise in applying the approach to learners working significantly below age related expectations. We have already started to collate a bank of ‘hands on’ resources to accompany the books we had already purchased and look forward to ‘getting going’ with this approach!” |
A training workshop for around 50 secondary school mathematics teacher trainees on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at King’s College London in February 2018
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“An enjoyable afternoon with ideas to support mathematics learning and teaching sparked through exploring story picture books.” |
A training workshop for over 30 in-service teachers at Derbyshire County Council's Primary Mathematics conference in November 2017
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“It was lovely to meet Vince at the Derbyshire Primary Maths Conference. He was inspirational and so many teachers now have exciting, additional strategies in their teaching toolkit! We would very much like to work with Vince again and help his work reach an even wider audience. His Maths Through Stories teaching approach is especially relevant in the current curriculum. I absolutely loved the enthusiasm he generated and the sound advice he shared.” |
A training workshop for in-service teachers at The District CE Primary School's #ReadingRocks_17 event in October 2017
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“I attended the Maths Through Stories workshop at the ReadingRocks conference as I was eager to learn more about ways in which stories could be used to deepen mathematical understanding. Vince has a great enthusiasm and a wide range of knowledge in this area and his workshop was engaging and practical. He conveyed a great passion for this area and supplied practical advice and suggestions based on research as well as showing us the importance of vetting mathematical story books through a light-hearted look at which stories are less successful! Overall, I came away with a deeper understanding of just how many mathematical picture and story books are available and ways in which they can be used to engage pupils in mathematics.” |
A training workshop for over 60 primary teacher trainees on the School Direct programme (England's postgraduate-level teacher training programme) at the University of Reading (UK) in April 2017
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“Vincent's session was lively and engaging. It introduced the concept of using picture books in mathematics lessons, which was so inspiring. I wrote down so many ideas, and will definitely be using the MathsThroughStories.org website when I start my first teaching job in September.” |
A training workshop for around 100 third-year undergraduate primary school teacher trainees at Bishop Grosseteste University (UK) in March 2017
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“Vince led a really inspiring session on the use of story in mathematics for our Primary Education students. He grounded the session in mathematical learning theory and research about the use of story. The students responded well to Vince’s personable approach and his engaging activities. The lesson planning activity made them really think about how they could use maths stories in their teaching. I would highly recommend CPD from Vince.” |
A training workshop for around 15 first-year undergraduate primary school teacher trainees at the University of Reading (UK) in January 2017
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“The session on the use of mathematical stories was highly influential towards developing my teaching strategies. Various techniques for involving literature in mathematics lessons were offered and evaluated in an engaging and informative manner. The benefits of using literature were clearly highlighted, inspiring my peers and I to creatively use stories in mathematics teaching during our placement.” |
