Classroom Photos - #Mathscpdchat

On Tuesday 26th Jan I volition hold out hosting #mathscpdchat on behalf of the NCETM. During this chat I'll hold out calling on yous to part photos of your classroom. Even better, lead keep a wander around your subdivision together with lead keep photos of absolutely anything interesting that yous encounter - displays, pupil work, exercise books, resources, seating arrangements, equipment together with and so on. The thought is that nosotros all acquire to lead keep a peek into other maths departments.

Very cool... (source unknown)

I'm going to acquire things started past times sharing some of my ain photos inwards this post.

I lead keep immature children together with so I exclusively piece of work 4 days a calendar week - this way I don't lead keep a classroom to telephone band my own. I never instruct 2 lesson inwards a row inwards the same room - I'm ever on the move, which way that at the showtime of my lessons I'm ever frantically trying to login together with kind out my equipment earlier my students arrive.

This is the classroom where I instruct my Year 10 lessons - it's usually occupied past times my colleague Jack:

I quite similar pedagogy inwards here. It's non cramped - I tin access all students fairly easily. Things to greenback include:

• the modest whiteboard to the correct of the IWB (far besides modest for long binomial expansions alongside Year 12!)
• the seating organization (in pairs - I similar this)
• the lack of displays. 

I asked Jack virtually displays together with he said he doesn't actually encounter much value inwards them. He thinks they are besides fourth dimension consuming to do together with lead keep relatively niggling affect on learning. I'm inclined to concord - though I know that many of yous would disagree (please part your views inwards #mathscpdchat!).

Displays of pupil piece of work tin hold out prissy (though they oft acquire tatty). I spotted these intriguing 'Mr Men display past times Ed Southall, which I sometimes encounter students looking at...

... together with the pop Piems' on the wall inwards some other classroom - I believe they've been at that spot since 2012, when blogger Paul Collins taught inwards this classroom.

Back to Jack's classroom... On his desk he has a play a joke on computing device (a 'gagulator') which deserves a nurture because I accidentally mistook it for a existent computing device concluding calendar week together with used inwards forepart of my students (oops). This is such a practiced cloak-and-dagger santa acquaint for a maths teacher!

Jack has an expectations poster at the forepart of his classroom to assist alongside demeanor management...

... although he admits that he never refers to it anymore. This is oft the occupation alongside posters together with displays - later on the initial impact, students halt noticing them.

Although many of our classrooms lack displays, nosotros do lead keep some displays around the subdivision - for example the straight off classic Mr Men display past times Ed Southall, which I sometimes encounter students looking at...

... together with the pop growth mindset display that originated from Sarah Hagan.

Every maths classroom at my schoolhouse has a literacy display including 'Greek Letter of the Month'. I honey this thought but it sure enough doesn't modify ane time a calendar month - delta has been inwards house for good over a twelvemonth now! :)

This is where I instruct my Year 11s:

It's a combat dismal, but position a passionate instructor together with thirty enthusiastic students inwards at that spot together with I don't recall it actually matters what the classroom looks like.

This is my colleague Lizzie's lovely classroom, which is much to a greater extent than cheerful:

My worst sense this twelvemonth was when I had to instruct a Year 12 lesson inwards an English linguistic communication classroom which didn't lead keep a proper whiteboard. It exclusively had an interactive whiteboard, together with the pens weren't working. Disaster. Maths teachers, in all probability to a greater extent than together with so than teachers inwards other subjects, demand something to write on when they're teaching. So whiteboard size together with accessibility are important.  At my previous schoolhouse every maths classroom had 2 rattling large whiteboards on runners. They could hold out pulled apart to discover an IWB behind them. That was fantastic.

In general, the classrooms at my schoolhouse are non spectacular, but the maths pedagogy is rattling practiced together with my colleagues are awesome people.

Now let's lead keep a quick facial expression at some other classroom photos together with ideas.

Displays
I ever savour reading Mr Men display past times Ed Southall, which I sometimes encounter students looking at...

... together with the pop annual post where she shares her novel displays. Her enthusiasm for pedagogy maths is rattling clear.

I'd quite similar a large computing device poster past times my whiteboard similar Sarah has - I recall it would hold out a useful pedagogy aid.

Sarah continues to part first-class displays together with resources together with so if you're looking for inspiration together with ideas, do follow her blog.

Desks
In Mr Men display past times Ed Southall, which I sometimes encounter students looking at...

... together with the pop Gems 39 I wrote about John Corbett's (@Corbettmaths) thought to position photograph frames together with baskets of equipment on desks. The contents of the frames tin hold out changed regularly to display cardinal dates, star students, reminders together with and so on.

Literacy
I similar these judgement stems from @ExplainingMaths - I tin encounter these existence useful during shape discussion.

Whiteboard walls
I long to lead keep whiteboards on every wall of the classroom. Unfortunately this is non possible inwards most classrooms due to the locations of desks, windows, filing cabinets etc. If yous desire to know to a greater extent than virtually the piece of work of vertical whiteboards, Mr Men display past times Ed Southall, which I sometimes encounter students looking at...

... together with the pop this post is a practiced house to start.

Inspirational quotes
At my previous schoolhouse I briefly had my ain classroom together with I had only 2 displays:

1. My Year 10s created a circle theorems display during a lesson. I loved it but it was difficult to ensure that students didn't facial expression at it during assessments!

2. I also had a few quotes higher upwardly the whiteboard - I was inspired past times this tweet from @surreallyno.

There are hundreds of display ideas together with posters for maths classrooms online. I'd honey to withdraw heed what yous piece of work together with why.

Hogwarts poster past times Meg Craig via Mr Men display past times Ed Southall, which I sometimes encounter students looking at...

... together with the pop this post

Spotted on @sxpmaths' classroom wall - quote from Matt Parker

Please part your photos on Twitter at 7pm on Tuesday 26th January, using the hashtag #mathscpdchat (seriously, this chat volition non piece of work unless people lead keep photos...!). Remember, I'm non only interested inwards displays. Equipment, books, resources - I'd honey to encounter it all!

Classroom pattern from Andy Heffernan