Thursday, October 24, 2019

5 Maths Gems #4

Well the summertime holidays are good too genuinely over. Many teachers, specially those who are relatively novel to teaching, volition pass this weekend making lists, planning lessons too experiencing that unsettling feeling of nervous excitement. If yous stimulate got fourth dimension to read this week's laid of maths gems, I promise they furnish a piffling lite relief.

1. Maths lessons for maths teachers
I devote a lot of fourth dimension to thinking well-nigh how to railroad train my teaching but pass far less fourth dimension edifice on my ain mathematical skills too knowledge. Whatever our background too all the same 'good' nosotros are at maths, there's e'er to a greater extent than to learn. For example, I’ve never studied whatever mechanics inwards my life (I did Pure Maths H5N1 plane too a statistics degree) but SUVAT is on the novel GCSE syllabus too hence I'd improve discovery out what it is.

I experience that my cognition of secondary schoolhouse core mathematics is pretty audio but this calendar week Ed Southall (@edsouthall) inadvertently pointed me inwards the management of James Tanton's website (@jamestanton) and inside minutes I was learning novel things! Here's a few examples.

If asked to sketch the graph of y = x2 + 4x + 5, I'd realise that it can't live factorised too hence I'd banking concern tally the discriminant to confirm that this component subdivision has no existent roots. My side past times side footstep would live to consummate the foursquare to create upwards one's heed the vertex. I don't similar completing the square. I've never thought to discovery the vertex using this post written past times a pupil I works life out that inwards Republic of Lithuania 1st September is a 'celebration of cognition day'. Also, inwards the Lithuanian equivalent of our Year 13, they stimulate got a '100 twenty-four hours celebration' inwards which they stimulate got a prom to commemorate that they stimulate got exclusively 100 days left of school. The balance of the post is to a greater extent than oft than non well-nigh wearing clothing shopping for Lithuanian teenagers, too hence non quite too hence interesting... I'd similar to discovery out to a greater extent than well-nigh traditions inwards instruction around the world.

3. Plenaries, extensions, puzzles too loyalty cards
misstait.wordpress.com
This brilliant 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display got me thinking well-nigh the materials I create for my early on finishers. The creator of this display, Kerry Tait (@misstait_85), wrote a blog post describing the review tasks contained within, which are intended to encourage students to reverberate on their learning. This is a actually prissy idea. Kerry is a scientific discipline instructor but this would piece of work as good inwards maths.

At the goal of my lessons I tend to become for extension activities rather than reflection tasks. In every lesson I give extension piece of work to the appropriate pupils at the appropriate time. My students know that I'm actually impressed if they stimulate got a become at the extension fabric but at the same fourth dimension I emphasise that maths isn't a race. There's value inwards occasionally planning a relatively brusk principal exercise too an 'extension' that is accessible to all, non only the brightest or the quickest. Most people savour beingness stretched. I desire all of my students to come upwards out of maths lessons feeling similar champions.

My extension piece of work is usually a challenging query relating to the lesson topic but sometimes I run puzzles instead. For instance at the goal of a Key Stage iii lesson on the monastic enjoin of operations I give students the classic four fours puzzle. For fifty-fifty an greater challenge there's this sixes puzzle shared by Chris Smith (@aap03102) (I recall my 6th formers would savour this one), or mayhap fifty-fifty something on Friedman numbers.
@edfromo
Here's a few to a greater extent than puzzles too extensions I've come upwards across this week. My schoolhouse has a lunchtime puzzle monastic enjoin for Year 7s too hence these volition come upwards inwards handy at that spot too, too I may gear upwards a weekly puzzle board as suggested past times Mr Duffy (@MrDuffyMaths).

For the 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display, the creator says that she powerfulness pattern a checklist too prize organization to encourage students to run the total arrive at of reflective tools. This proffer reminded me of a duo of other ideas I saw on Twitter this week. In @CorbettMaths' post well-nigh how to run his 5-a-day questions, he suggests that students lay their completed questions inwards a ballot box too a fortnightly prize describe takes place. He also shared @MissKMcD's loyalty bill of fare ideas which she's explained inwards this weblog post 'Learning amongst Loyalty Cards'.
misskmcd.wordpress.com
4. Everyday lessons
My weblog is well-nigh sharing creative ideas too engaging resources. But my lessons aren't all-singing all-dancing. If yous were to notice most of my lessons you'd run across a pretty measure format of: starter, explanation, discussion, practice, extension. I create create opportunities for students to create investigations too exciting activities but non inwards every unmarried lesson. As yous tin tell past times the championship of my blog, it's actually of import to me that I pick engaging resources. Sometimes that only agency a good designed worksheet. Harry Webb's (@websofsubstancepost well-nigh maths lessons too priorities is good worth a read, specially for NQTs who volition shortly live drowning inwards lesson plans. In my NQT twelvemonth each lesson took me a duo of hours to plan. Four years on, my lessons stimulate got around thirty - 45 minutes to plan, which is soundless totally unsustainable too inefficient but I acquire a chip quicker every year. Being able to acquire proficient resources from my weblog should increase my planning speed as I won't stimulate got to create too hence much hunting for resources.

Harry's post also gave me a novel idea. H5N1 box on the board for students to write downwards the homework questions they works life difficult - such a uncomplicated thought but much improve than how I create it at the moment, which usually involves lots of students talking at me at once!

5. Bits too pieces
Here's a pocket-size choice of the other ideas I saw on Twitter this week:
  • I honey this 'things to create when you're stuck' poster from The Maths Magpie (@TheMathsMagpie).
thegriddle.net
I works life out this calendar week that my term 'maths gems' is totally unoriginal - here's a prissy 'assortment of mathematical marvels' which are also called maths gems. Speaking of nicely designed websites, create stimulate got a await at Mathigon, shared this calendar week past times Chris Watts (@watchri01) - stunning, isn't it?

So that's it for this week. My topic resources posts volition render shortly too I'll also piece of work on a this post written past times a pupil I works life out that inwards Republic of Lithuania 1st September is a 'celebration of cognition day'. Also, inwards the Lithuanian equivalent of our Year 13, they stimulate got a '100 twenty-four hours celebration' inwards which they stimulate got a prom to commemorate that they stimulate got exclusively 100 days left of school. The balance of the post is to a greater extent than oft than non well-nigh wearing clothing shopping for Lithuanian teenagers, too hence non quite too hence interesting... I'd similar to discovery out to a greater extent than well-nigh traditions inwards instruction around the world.

3. Plenaries, extensions, puzzles too loyalty cards
misstait.wordpress.com
This brilliant 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display got me thinking well-nigh the materials I create for my early on finishers. The creator of this display, Kerry Tait (@misstait_85), wrote a blog post describing the review tasks contained within, which are intended to encourage students to reverberate on their learning. This is a actually prissy idea. Kerry is a scientific discipline instructor but this would piece of work as good inwards maths.

At the goal of my lessons I tend to become for extension activities rather than reflection tasks. In every lesson I give extension piece of work to the appropriate pupils at the appropriate time. My students know that I'm actually impressed if they stimulate got a become at the extension fabric but at the same fourth dimension I emphasise that maths isn't a race. There's value inwards occasionally planning a relatively brusk principal exercise too an 'extension' that is accessible to all, non only the brightest or the quickest. Most people savour beingness stretched. I desire all of my students to come upwards out of maths lessons feeling similar champions.

My extension piece of work is usually a challenging query relating to the lesson topic but sometimes I run puzzles instead. For instance at the goal of a Key Stage iii lesson on the monastic enjoin of operations I give students the classic four fours puzzle. For fifty-fifty an greater challenge there's this sixes puzzle shared by Chris Smith (@aap03102) (I recall my 6th formers would savour this one), or mayhap fifty-fifty something on Friedman numbers.
@edfromo
Here's a few to a greater extent than puzzles too extensions I've come upwards across this week. My schoolhouse has a lunchtime puzzle monastic enjoin for Year 7s too hence these volition come upwards inwards handy at that spot too, too I may gear upwards a weekly puzzle board as suggested past times Mr Duffy (@MrDuffyMaths).

For the 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display, the creator says that she powerfulness pattern a checklist too prize organization to encourage students to run the total arrive at of reflective tools. This proffer reminded me of a duo of other ideas I saw on Twitter this week. In @CorbettMaths' post well-nigh how to run his 5-a-day questions, he suggests that students lay their completed questions inwards a ballot box too a fortnightly prize describe takes place. He also shared @MissKMcD's loyalty bill of fare ideas which she's explained inwards this weblog post 'Learning amongst Loyalty Cards'.
misskmcd.wordpress.com
4. Everyday lessons
My weblog is well-nigh sharing creative ideas too engaging resources. But my lessons aren't all-singing all-dancing. If yous were to notice most of my lessons you'd run across a pretty measure format of: starter, explanation, discussion, practice, extension. I create create opportunities for students to create investigations too exciting activities but non inwards every unmarried lesson. As yous tin tell past times the championship of my blog, it's actually of import to me that I pick engaging resources. Sometimes that only agency a good designed worksheet. Harry Webb's (@websofsubstancepost well-nigh maths lessons too priorities is good worth a read, specially for NQTs who volition shortly live drowning inwards lesson plans. In my NQT twelvemonth each lesson took me a duo of hours to plan. Four years on, my lessons stimulate got around thirty - 45 minutes to plan, which is soundless totally unsustainable too inefficient but I acquire a chip quicker every year. Being able to acquire proficient resources from my weblog should increase my planning speed as I won't stimulate got to create too hence much hunting for resources.

Harry's post also gave me a novel idea. H5N1 box on the board for students to write downwards the homework questions they works life difficult - such a uncomplicated thought but much improve than how I create it at the moment, which usually involves lots of students talking at me at once!

5. Bits too pieces
Here's a pocket-size choice of the other ideas I saw on Twitter this week:
  • I honey this 'things to create when you're stuck' poster from The Maths Magpie (@TheMathsMagpie).
  • I discovered a website for maths animations - mathimation.co.uk. New stuff is beingness added all the fourth dimension too hence follow @mathimation for updates.
  • Anna Hester (@TypeAMathLand) shared an infographic syllabus - I borrowed her thought too made a 'brief guide to AS plane maths' infographic for my Year 12s. It was fun too straight off I'm looking for other things to infograph!
  • I actually enjoyed JemmaPDuck's (@JemmaPDuckblog post well-nigh her commencement twenty-four hours back, lots of teaching ideas here.
  • There's far likewise much shape filling inwards our lives, but here's some forms I read well-nigh via Twitter this calendar week that may live useful for conduct management. These powerfulness non appeal to everyone, but are worth a look.
  • Mr Taylor (@taylorda01) has been making some amazing video problems - this one is specially terrifying too hence students volition honey it.
  • Mr Collins (@mrprcollins) created these incredible last gems post. Using her template, I created a Pythagoras homework too recall to brand some more. I'd honey to part a big arrive at of Pret homeworks too hence delight e-mail me resourceaholic@gmail.com if yous brand 1 that you're happy to share.
    Pythagoras Pret Homework

    Those of yous going dorsum to schoolhouse side past times side week, proficient luck! I'd actually appreciate it if you'd hollo resourceaholic.com to your colleagues.  I'll acquire out yous amongst a prissy maths occupation for your Key Stage iii students - this 1 was shared past times F chiliad Jones (@FMJonesMaths).