Thursday, August 23, 2012

5 Maths Gems #106

Welcome to my 106th gems post. This is where I portion closed to of the latest news, ideas in addition to resources for maths teachers.

1. Maths4Everyone
I receive got written almost David Morse's (@Maths4Everyone) resources a issue of times before. I exercise them a lot inwards lessons, peculiarly his packs of GCSE questions past times topic. Up until instantly I receive got e'er accessed them through TES, only instantly David has updated his website so his gratis main in addition to secondary resources are easily accessible without a login.

One clever characteristic of the website is the 'click-to-zoom' functionality where you lot tin forcefulness out zoom inwards on a detail enquiry or solution when you lot learn through answers with the class.
I also similar the means his novel codebreakers give an anagram - this stops pupils from giving upwardly on the maths equally shortly equally they've worked out the judgement which is a mutual occupation inwards codebreakers!

2. Facts in addition to Basics
Thanks to Adam Smith (@Adam_SmithMaths) who has shared 'Facts in addition to Basics' resources for Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 degree in addition to GCSE. These quizzes include facts, formulae in addition to brusk procedural questions to assist pupils practice the basics.
3. Notation in addition to Symbols
Thanks to Karen Campe (@KarenCampe) for sharing a link to the article "Learning Mathematical Symbolism: Challenges in addition to Instructional Strategies" by Rheta N. Rubenstein in addition to Denisse R. Thompson. There's lots to recollect almost here.

In the tabular array below, the final instance is peculiarly worth discussing. At Amy How's Rekenrek workshop at #mathsconf18 she mentioned that she would never tell 'zero indicate six' - she'd e'er tell 6th tenths instead. I've heard other people tell this too, in addition to I wonder why I withal proceed to tell decimals inwards such an unhelpful way. When I tell 0.42 out loud to pupils, mayhap I should consistently tell '42 hundredths' instead of 'zero indicate 4 two'. I receive got a feeling nosotros (ie many teachers inwards this province - I know I'm generalising) mightiness live a fighting behind other countries with this.
The article includes teaching strategies:
"Students may also live instructed to tape symbols inwards their ain personal symbol tabular array or carte file, inwards which they write the symbol, tape inwards English linguistic communication how to tell it, in addition to laissez passer on examples of its use". 
Other ideas include call for pupils to invent 'graffiti' for mathematical symbols (examples below - these are similar to the calligrams I receive got featured inwards previous gems posts) in addition to call for pupils to build their ain examples in addition to non-examples.

4. Mathigon
I commencement blogged almost the amazing website Mathigon inwards 2014, in addition to it was a winner inwards the 2015 Gem Awards. The content goes from strength to strength. The author Philipp Legner has latterly published a build novel gratis class 'Circles in addition to Pi' that contains countless interactive explanations on circles, spheres, in addition to conic sections. It is such a cool website - receive got a play with the animations in addition to you'll run across what I mean. Here's a trailer for the novel content:




5. AQA Additional Maths Pilot Questions
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few years agone I wrote almost using quondam Linked Pair Pilot questions with GCSE classes in addition to shared closed to examples of adept questions. I tin forcefulness out also recommend quondam AQA Additional Maths Pilot papers too. To explicate why I've been using these: twice a calendar week I run morn intervention with a Year xi top laid at a schoolhouse inwards Croydon. It's taken a land for the pupils to warm upwardly to me, only we're getting in that place now. We pass an lx minutes doing challenging GCSE-level questions together. It plant good when I sit down in addition to piece of work out the solutions with them. The occupation is, because I'm non their instructor I receive got to live careful non to laissez passer on them questions that their instructor mightiness receive got already used. So I search for suitable questions elsewhere. Here ii questions nosotros enjoyed final week:


If you're preparing students for their GCSE exams in addition to so don't forget I receive got a large collection of revision resources here.

Update
I've been super busy this yr with diverse projects, thus the lack of spider web log posts. I create update things behind the scenes all the fourth dimension though, fifty-fifty when I look quiet! This week, thank you lot to lovely contributors, I added closed to novel primary topics inwards depth packs in addition to closed to novel Pret homeworks.
My this post last month.

Last calendar week I went to a groovy consequence at Amazon with loads of cool maths people similar Alex Bellos, Conrad Wolfram in addition to Colin Hegarty. The Head of Amazon Great Britain is a mathematician in addition to he wants to back upwardly maths education. No doubtfulness I volition update my readers on this initiatory over the coming months.

If you lot were at my Humble Pi mass launch in addition to so create banking corporation check out the superpermuatations video that was filmed at the event.



Humble Pi is currently the UK's issue i bestselling mass which is actually exciting.

Last weekend was #mathsconf18 inwards Birmingham. As park I had a lovely time, met lots of awesome teachers in addition to attended groovy workshops. Thank you lot to David Faram for helping me run the MA bookstand in addition to Rob Smith for driving the MA bookstand all the means from Leicester.


I presented on Unit Conversions - my slides tin forcefulness out live downloaded from my Topics inwards Depth page.



Next weekend I'm speaking at the Habs Girls conference in addition to the next weekend I'm speaking at Educating Northants which is going to live absolutely huge - banking corporation check out the programme! Look out for a Conference Takeaways podcast from me in addition to Craig Barton afterwards.

Next calendar month it volition live the 5th anniversary of resourceaholic.com (so fourth dimension for my 5th annual Gem Awards!) in addition to coincidentally inwards the same calendar month I await to transcend 5,000,000 views.

I'll move out you lot with a occupation from Daniel Griller (@puzzlecritic) that he shared inwards his workshop at #mathsconf18. Enjoy!

The numbers 1, 2 in addition to x are written on the board. Their hateful is equal to the production of their median in addition to range. Find all possible values of x.