I was a teacher from Blackpool but I left to launch a platform that helps pupil learn in a unique way
A pioneering former teacher from Blackpool is at the forefront of a new education partnership helping children across the UK uncover the stories behind mathematical language.
Lucy Huelin, who grew up in Blackpool, and later taught Latin and classics in York before founding the online vocabulary platform Vocabulous, has teamed up with Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) to launch Rockin’ Roots, a digital resource introducing pupils to the Latin and Greek origins of key mathematical terms.
The partnership brings together two past winners of Let Teachers SHINE, the annual awards programme supporting innovative classroom ideas, with Huelin having won in 2021 for Vocabulous, while TTRS founder Bruno Reddy received his in 2014.
So how does Rockin’ Roots work?
Rockin’ Roots focuses on 19 important mathematical terms, each presented with a clear definition, an explanation of its Latin or Greek root, a breakdown of its morphology, an example sentence, and further related words that share the same linguistic origin. For multilingual learners, each term is also shown in other languages.
To support teachers and engage students, each word is accompanied by a short video that introduces the term and its history, narrated by the familiar “voice of Vocabulous” and illustrated with graphics from both platforms.
The videos are designed to be quick, accessible, and classroom-ready, with no preparation required from teachers.
Schools can choose to explore a word a day or word a week, making the resource suitable for use as a warm-up activity during maths lessons or form time.
By uncovering the stories behind mathematical vocabulary, the creators hope to deepen students’ understanding, support long-term memory, and build confidence across a range of ability levels.
What has Lucy said about the project?
Lucy said she was “very excited” to see her project collaborating with one of the UK’s most widely used maths platforms.
“Bruno has been a great support to me since Vocabulous received its first funding from SHINE,” she said. “We hope students will enjoy choosing a mathematical word each day and finding out where its name comes from. Who knew that ‘calculation’ is named after the little stones the Romans used for counting?”
“We hope that students will enjoy choosing a mathematical word each day and finding out where its name comes from. Who knew that 'calculation' is named after the little stones the Romans used to use for counting?”
So how did the partnership come about?
Since receiving SHINE support, Vocabulous has grown rapidly, with more than 12,000 students and 700 teachers now using it across 75 schools. TTRS, meanwhile, has become a global phenomenon, used by one million children every week in over 17,000 schools and credited with boosting confidence and times-tables fluency.
The partnership began when TTRS founder Bruno Reddy – who won a Let Teachers SHINE award in 2014 for his idea to make times tables practice fun and fast – approached Vocabulous creator Lucy Huelin.
Bruno was also on the judging panel the year Lucy won her own Let Teachers SHINE award, giving him an early insight into Vocabulous’s potential.
“We’re big fans of Vocabulous and could see a great opportunity to work with Lucy and her team,” said Bruno. “This collaboration offers students not only the chance to learn the roots of key mathematical words but also to see their favourite characters from two great platforms coming together.”
Fiona Spellman, CEO of education charity SHINE, which runs the Let Teachers SHINE competition each year, said: “We always hoped that Let Teachers SHINE would one day become a community of teachers working together to improve children’s outcomes. We’re delighted to see two amazing SHINE-funded teachers joining forces in this way.”
Rockin’ Roots is free for existing users of both platforms and can be downloaded from the resources sections of the TTRS and Vocabulous websites.
To learn more about Rockin’ Roots, visit www.vocabulous.co.uk/ttrs or to trial the two websites, go to https://www.vocabulous.co.uk/trial/ and https://play.ttrockstars.com/register/school/trial
Let Teachers SHINE is an annual competition run by education charity SHINE for practising teachers with great ideas. Recipients receive up to £25,000 to turn those ideas into a reality. To find out more, see letteachersshine.org.uk