Episode 2: 'My colleague and I climbed into this skip'

22 August 2025

A pattern of three-, four- and five-sided shapes made from rods, with a cylindrical bead inside each shape

In this episode host Fran Watson catches up with early years team leader Esther O’Connor about engaging with educational research in a variety of ways and encouraging teachers to become ‘obsessed’ with helping children reflect on their learning to deepen their understanding.

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Resources mentioned by Esther in this episode

The descriptions and hyperlinks below provide optional follow-up information for listeners. Their inclusion here does not imply any endorsement of these resources by Cambridge Mathematics or by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, nor are Cambridge Mathematics and Cambridge University Press & Assessment responsible for any content within them.

Five polaroid style photos of children engaging in educational acitivties

Playful Mathematics (book by Helen Williams)

This book presents some background into the literature on play and learning generally and considers what this might mean for the learning of mathematics in particular, as well as what 'playful mathematics' might look like in practice.

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Image © SAGE Publications Ltd. – Books, 2025. Used with permission of SAGE Publications Ltd., from Playful Mathematics by Helen J. Williams, 2025; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.

A girl playing on a checkers board, using conkers and buttons as pieces

Loose Parts Play

This article describes what is meant by “loose parts play” and contains suggestions for resources and video examples. From “Play ideas”.

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A green board, with different coloured pieces of square tiles placed on top

Loose Parts Play images

These images of loose parts play capture some of the “world of opportunities for maths talk” with the children involved. What might they prompt for learners or colleagues in your setting?

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Interacting or Interfering? Improving interactions in the early years¹

A book that encourages you to reflect on the quality and impact of interactions in your settings for children of six months to six years old.

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A section of the cover from A pedagogy of play, showing children playing outdoors with play apparatus, dressing-up materials and sand

A pedagogy of play: Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools²

A free book available as a PDF that does exactly as the title suggests!

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Fisher, J. (2016). Interacting or interfering? Improving interactions in the early years. Open University Press.
Mardell, B., Ryan, J., Krechevsky, M., Baker, M., Schulz, T. S., & Liu-Constant, Y. (2023). A pedagogy of play: Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools. Project Zero.