91¶¶Òõ

What is the quality that every teacher needs?

That was just one of the many questions that came up in podcast, featuring former teacher of the year Chris Smith.

Smith, a maths teacher at Grange Academy in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, also says thatÌýevery single pupil can thrive in his subjectÌý-Ìýhowever strong their aversion to maths.

The secrets of teacher success

He has come up with some hugely ambitious ideas to bring maths to lifeÌý- not all of them a roaring success -Ìýbut also stresses that sometimes there is no shortcut to hard work and practise if students are to grasp difficult concepts.

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Smith also talks about mental health: having witnessed the devastating impact of teenage suicide, he believes that teachers should open up about their own mental health.

And heÌýshares his thoughts on class sizes and what he sees as .

Smith, who tweetsÌý, also reveals how a weeklyÌýmaths newsletter heÌýstartedÌýin 2006 for a dozen colleagues now hasÌýthousands of subscribers in around 100 countries -Ìýall of whomÌýmight have to go on the department milk run, wherever in the world they live.Ìý

91¶¶Òõ ScotlandÌýÌýreleases a new podcast on the third Wednesday of each month. Look out in the new year for details of our next episode, due out on 15 January.