Direct Instruction Without Losing Thinking: A Conversation With Will Mcloughlin

In this international episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon is joined by Will McLoughlin, a maths teacher based in Abu Dhabi, founder of AddvanceMaths.com and current Education Doctorate student researching conceptual understanding, animated instruction and cognitive science.

The conversation explores what direct instruction or explicit instruction actually means in practice — and what it doesn’t.

Will shares how his thinking has evolved over time, from procedural teaching to a more deliberate, structured approach rooted in clarity, retrieval practice and independent practice. Together, Jon and Will unpack:

1. What “I do, we do, you do” should look like in a maths classroom
2. The difference between procedural fluency and conceptual understanding — and why they’re not opposites
3. Why silent, focused independent practice matters (especially in a world of constant distraction)
4. Retrieval practice as more than memory — including its role in deepening understanding
5. The importance of modelling with clarity and purpose
6. How atomising explanations can strengthen mathematical sense-making

They also explore where direct instruction can go wrong — when it becomes performative, overly procedural or passive — and how dialogue, questioning and attention to structure keep pupils doing maths, not just watching it.

This is a thoughtful and balanced conversation for teachers and leaders reflecting on lesson design, cognitive science and mathematical thinking.

About the Guest

Will McLoughlin is a secondary maths teacher in Abu Dhabi and the developer of AddvanceMaths.com. He is currently studying for an Education Doctorate, with research interests including conceptual understanding, animated instruction and cognitive science.

Connect with Will:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-mcloughlin-a2898ab6/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/MrMac_Math

YouTube (Mathematical Pedagogy Videos): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCG7Y8fJFRr-1tfgc6g0HXkoumj41wQUN&si=ay8kO2H2rQc-nPXF

Favourite research on conceptual understanding: https://addvancemaths.com/conceptual-research/

Stay Connected

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a quick review or sharing it with a colleague — it really helps the podcast reach more teachers.

Email: [e-mail]

LinkedIn (Jon Cripwell): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-cripwell/

Substack: https://primarymathspodcast.substack.com

Becky and Jon will be back on Friday with an Aftermaths episode, reflecting further on direct instruction, retrieval and what this means for primary classrooms.

Thanks for listening — and as ever, keep doing the maths.