Friday, August 31, 2012

Bcme Ix Reflections

BCME 9 at the University of Warwick. It was brilliant. The British Congress of Mathematics Education entirely takes identify i time every iv years. This was my start BCME. In fact, it was my start residential Easter conference, so this was a actually big bargain for me! I am extremely grateful to my hubby (who took a calendar week off piece of work to await afterwards our daughters), together with to the bursary commission of BCME (who awarded me a bursary so that I could afford to attend), together with to the conference organisers (who did an incredible undertaking of organising a huge conference alongside hundreds of speakers). It was a fantastic chance for learning, networking together with socialising. I'm utterly exhausted straightaway only luckily I direct maintain i to a greater extent than calendar week of the Easter holidays inward which to recover! In this post service I'll percentage 5 of my conference highlights.

1. The Podcasts
Craig Barton together with I recorded iv podcasts over the course of written report of the conference. We've had some lovely feedback. I'm so glad people discovery these podcasts useful together with entertaining.

BCME Day 1 - Craig together with I discuss probability, variation, how I changed my teaching over the final iv years, together with how the flipping heck yous state BCME. (49 minutes)

BCME Day 2 - Craig and I hash out challenging GCSE topics, QLAs, a history of occupation solving, manipulatives, pop-up maths, stretching the most able, why exams don't tell yous everything, together with the prospects of our quiz team. (1 lx minutes 3 minutes)

BCME Day 3 - Craig together with I hash out the difficulty of teaching principal maths, the difficulty of teaching H5N1 Level, together with the difficulty of securing a spot close to Hannah Fry at the Conference Dinner. (1 lx minutes xiii minutes)

BCME Day 4 - Craig together with I talk about arithmetics strategies, aha moments, tricky GCSE questions together with teaching low-attaining students. (44 minutes)

Thank yous to Craig for inviting me to co-host these podcasts. I actually enjoyed it.

2. The Evening Entertainment
The draw upward of eve amusement at BCME nine couldn't direct maintain been to a greater extent than perfect. The start nighttime was a gustation of MathsJam - nosotros did puzzles, played games together with enjoyed carte du jour tricks performed past times Andrew Jeffrey. On the 2nd nighttime at that spot was a vivid quiz, which (unbelievably) my squad won! I'm pretty certain this was the highlight of the conference for all members of my quiz squad (shout out to Ed, Megan, Karen, Craig together with Andrew). We had so much fun! Though the American Pie singalong was totally surreal. On the 3rd nighttime I went to the Conference Dinner where I hung out alongside my hero Hannah Fry. #starstruck

I met loads of lovely people throughout the conference together with also enjoyed having so much lineament fourth dimension alongside expert friends.

3. Pop Up Maths
I got a lot out of every session I went to together with if yous nous to the podcasts yous volition listen me hash out each session inward detail. My favourite session of the conference was run past times David Sharp of Spaghetti Maths. My friends Megan together with Ed made a final infinitesimal determination to bring together me, together with nosotros ended upward having loads of fun (not entirely making mathsy materials out of paper, only also downloading the Boomerang app together with playing alongside it for the start time!).
  
Spaghetti Maths are keen to listen from people who desire to acquire involved inward running their sessions inward principal schools. I dearest what they create together with I hope their draw of piece of work concern grows so that to a greater extent than children tin create goodness from the enrichment they offer.
By the way, if you're non familiar alongside flexahexagons so create watch Vi Hart's fantastic videos about them. They are awesome.

4. Markit.Education
I went to a session past times Nikki Gupta inward which she talked virtually problem solving together with misconceptions at H5N1 level. I actually similar her website markit.education together with direct maintain blogged virtually it a couplet of times before. It's total of corking H5N1 grade questions that I've lately started to exercise inward my lessons.

I'm actually keen for H5N1 grade teachers to direct maintain a await at the 'step-by-step' functionality on this website. It's rattling clever - it's a flake similar a pupil receiving guidance from a one-on-one tutor.

I've tried to capture the procedure inward this gif only it's improve if yous attempt it yourself. There's an online demo that yous tin direct maintain a become at without logging in.

Register on the website to access all the questions. You tin prepare around iii hours worth of H5N1 grade homeworks for gratis i time you've registered, together with so it's £15 per pupil if you'd similar to prepare to a greater extent than work. I intend it mightiness move worth subscribing inward September together with using this for all H5N1 grade homeworks side past times side year. It's high lineament materials together with would actually cutting downwards on my mark workload (A grade is where I create all my homework marking). Something to intend about...

5. My Presentation
Thank yous to everyone who came to my session on "Ideas that transformed my teaching". What a lovely grouping of people! I promised that I'd percentage my slides, so hither they are:

PowerPoint: Ideas that Transformed my Teaching

The slides won't brand a huge sum of sense without my commentary only if yous nous to BCME Podcast Day 1 you'll listen me explicate some of what I covered here.

In my session I talked virtually joining Twitter iv years agone - at the fourth dimension I was feeling pretty uninspired together with bored past times maths teaching. Twitter provided so much inspiration together with enthusiasm that since so I direct maintain absolutely loved beingness a maths instructor together with am straightaway constantly developing my teaching do together with reflecting on what I do. I looked ahead to BCME 2022 together with talked virtually what I mightiness modify betwixt straightaway together with then.

I'd similar to terminate this post service past times thanking a few people for an absolutely fantastic conference: the organisers of BCME; my friends at The Mathematical Association; the speakers who generously lay so much fourth dimension together with attempt into preparing together with delivering their sessions; together with my conference buddies Ed, Craig, Megan together with Andrew. I actually hope I tin attend the articulation MA/ATM conference side past times side Easter together with create it all again.