Going Well...

I'm struggling amongst workload at the 2d but I'm taking a quick intermission from the mark together with UCAS references to part 3 things that are going actually good this year.

1. Low Stakes Quizzes 

I started doing regular multiple pick quizzes amongst my Year 10s concluding twelvemonth together with straightaway loved it (I wrote virtually it here). I've never done anything earlier that's given me so much insight into my students' agreement together with the effectiveness of my teaching. My Year 10s ended upwards beingness taken past times a PGCE pupil for a pregnant business office of the twelvemonth so the quizzes stopped, but I possess got reintroduced them this twelvemonth amongst the same course of teaching (now Year 11) together with ane time to a greater extent than I'm reminded of how awesome these quizzes are.

My weekly quizzes possess got twenty minutes to run inwards the lesson (we create it every Friday), addition virtually twenty minutes to grade later on the lesson. The quizzes don't possess got long to brand when I'm planning my lessons - lately I've merely been using the snipping tool to possess got questions from Diagnostic Questions (shhh, don't tell Craig!). You tin laissez passer the sack persuasion my quizzes here.

I laissez passer each pupil a flat (A, B or Not Yet) together with anyone who scores 100% gets a sticker (they honey that!). The quizzes are opened upwards majority so there's no stress for students - inwards fact they honey them (I larn a cheer when I nation it's fourth dimension for the quiz!) together with they are e'er excited to run across their score inwards the side past times side lesson. For me 'it's similar I'm looking at the freaking Matrix' (in the words of Nathan Kraft inwards this post virtually vertical whiteboards!). Seriously, this is ane of the best things I've ever done.

2. Folders
My Year 11s at nowadays purpose band binders instead of practise books. It's brilliant. I require to write a divide post service virtually how this industrial plant because there's lots to say. Loads of people told me it wouldn't work, mainly because the folders would speedily larn disorganised (which may still happen - we're entirely 3 weeks in), but I've designed a proficient laid of resources that minimise the guide a opportunity of messy folders. I'm pretty confident that it volition proceed to operate well. Watch out for a post service virtually this!

3. Times Table Rock Stars
I'm non certain I'm allowed to pose photos of my students on my blog, but if I could together with then you'd run across the happy faces of my Year 7s absolutely loving Times Tables Rock Stars (whilst wearing wigs together with sunglasses!). All Year vii teachers at Glyn at nowadays possess got ane lesson inwards an information technology Room every fortnight to run a Times Tables Rock Stars lesson. I create the newspaper version amongst my course of teaching too, addition I've merely launched an later on schoolhouse 'Rock Gods' social club for neat Year 7s. H5N1 pose out of teachers possess got also fix other classes (Year 8 to Year 10) together with it seems to locomote going good all round. My students happily sit down at that spot for a amount sixty minutes enthusiastically practising times tables, together with I larn to take away heed to stone music so it's win-win...!

So that's 3 things are going especially good for me this year. Are you lot trying anything novel that seems to locomote working? Please tweet me or comment below.

The Folder Experiment... Revisited

Back inward Oct 2016 I wrote a post near how I was trialling folders instead of practice books alongside Year 11. I promised I'd write a quick update at the terminate of the year, together with then hither it is.

I've decided that I will hold out using folders alongside my Year 11s i time again adjacent year, equally I believe it was a successful trial. I'm non maxim it had whatever demeanour upon on attainment - I'm non sure how I'd mensurate that - but it's all the same something I desire to proceed doing. In example you're planning to produce the same, hither are my cardinal observations:

Folder Type
By Christmas the band binders were falling apart because they were overflowing. Sometimes a educatee would alternative upwards their folder at the root of a lesson together with their nicely organised notes would autumn all over the floor, which was really frustrating. I suggested that my students each purchase their ain lever arch file during the Christmas holidays, but solely a handful did so.

I'd similar to purpose lever arch files instead of band binders from the root of adjacent twelvemonth but I can't because:

1. lever arch files are equally good expensive
2. 34 lever arch files are equally good heavy for me to proceed moving only about (I learn inward multiple classrooms).

So a possible solution is to purpose 68 band binders instead: i for the autumn term, together with some other for the jump together with summertime term. This may hold out expensive though.

Here's a motion painting through i of the amend folders together with then y'all learn an reckon of what my students' classwork looked like:

Worksheets together with Printing

I made a i page canvass for every lesson which included all the lesson tasks, addition infinite for notes. 

In pose out together with algebra lessons this was straightforward, but inward sort lessons it was to a greater extent than challenging to throttle the textile to 2 sides of A4. I managed it though, together with similar a shot it volition hold out pretty quick to excogitation my Year xi lessons adjacent twelvemonth because all the materials are railroad train to go.

The solely occupation is the printing damage - at 2p per side, that's 20p per calendar week for each of my 34 students, costing over £250 inward printing per year. Bear inward heed though that I don't demand practice books or glue, together with I in all likelihood would possess got all the same done only about one-half that amount of printing fifty-fifty if my students had practice books, together with then it doesn't travel out that much to a greater extent than expensive.

Organisation together with Pride

At my schoolhouse (all boys) nosotros produce abide by that quite a few students don't accept much pride inward their work. If y'all glance through a randomly chosen practice mass you'll in all likelihood encounter untidy handwriting, disorganised work, piteous purpose of space, doodling together with mayhap fifty-fifty graffiti... Switching to folders didn't automatically railroad train this, but I did encounter some improvement. My students ofttimes told me that they liked having folders instead of practice books. Visitors to my lessons ever noticed on how good organised the folders were. I'm for certain non maxim that folders would travel for every class, but they worked for me together with I'm looking forrard to using them i time again adjacent year.

Spotted inward a student's folder: a department for
'random interesting maths' -  not prompted yesteryear me!

Going Well...

I'm struggling amongst workload at the 2d but I'm taking a quick intermission from the mark together with UCAS references to part 3 things that are going actually good this year.

1. Low Stakes Quizzes 

I started doing regular multiple pick quizzes amongst my Year 10s concluding twelvemonth together with straightaway loved it (I wrote virtually it here). I've never done anything earlier that's given me so much insight into my students' agreement together with the effectiveness of my teaching. My Year 10s ended upwards beingness taken past times a PGCE pupil for a pregnant business office of the twelvemonth so the quizzes stopped, but I possess got reintroduced them this twelvemonth amongst the same course of teaching (now Year 11) together with ane time to a greater extent than I'm reminded of how awesome these quizzes are.

My weekly quizzes possess got twenty minutes to run inwards the lesson (we create it every Friday), addition virtually twenty minutes to grade later on the lesson. The quizzes don't possess got long to brand when I'm planning my lessons - lately I've merely been using the snipping tool to possess got questions from Diagnostic Questions (shhh, don't tell Craig!). You tin laissez passer the sack persuasion my quizzes here.

I laissez passer each pupil a flat (A, B or Not Yet) together with anyone who scores 100% gets a sticker (they honey that!). The quizzes are opened upwards majority so there's no stress for students - inwards fact they honey them (I larn a cheer when I nation it's fourth dimension for the quiz!) together with they are e'er excited to run across their score inwards the side past times side lesson. For me 'it's similar I'm looking at the freaking Matrix' (in the words of Nathan Kraft inwards this post virtually vertical whiteboards!). Seriously, this is ane of the best things I've ever done.

2. Folders
My Year 11s at nowadays purpose band binders instead of practise books. It's brilliant. I require to write a divide post service virtually how this industrial plant because there's lots to say. Loads of people told me it wouldn't work, mainly because the folders would speedily larn disorganised (which may still happen - we're entirely 3 weeks in), but I've designed a proficient laid of resources that minimise the guide a opportunity of messy folders. I'm pretty confident that it volition proceed to operate well. Watch out for a post service virtually this!

3. Times Table Rock Stars
I'm non certain I'm allowed to pose photos of my students on my blog, but if I could together with then you'd run across the happy faces of my Year 7s absolutely loving Times Tables Rock Stars (whilst wearing wigs together with sunglasses!). All Year vii teachers at Glyn at nowadays possess got ane lesson inwards an information technology Room every fortnight to run a Times Tables Rock Stars lesson. I create the newspaper version amongst my course of teaching too, addition I've merely launched an later on schoolhouse 'Rock Gods' social club for neat Year 7s. H5N1 pose out of teachers possess got also fix other classes (Year 8 to Year 10) together with it seems to locomote going good all round. My students happily sit down at that spot for a amount sixty minutes enthusiastically practising times tables, together with I larn to take away heed to stone music so it's win-win...!

So that's 3 things are going especially good for me this year. Are you lot trying anything novel that seems to locomote working? Please tweet me or comment below.

The Folder Experiment... Revisited

Back inward Oct 2016 I wrote a post near how I was trialling folders instead of practice books alongside Year 11. I promised I'd write a quick update at the terminate of the year, together with then hither it is.

I've decided that I will hold out using folders alongside my Year 11s i time again adjacent year, equally I believe it was a successful trial. I'm non maxim it had whatever demeanour upon on attainment - I'm non sure how I'd mensurate that - but it's all the same something I desire to proceed doing. In example you're planning to produce the same, hither are my cardinal observations:

Folder Type
By Christmas the band binders were falling apart because they were overflowing. Sometimes a educatee would alternative upwards their folder at the root of a lesson together with their nicely organised notes would autumn all over the floor, which was really frustrating. I suggested that my students each purchase their ain lever arch file during the Christmas holidays, but solely a handful did so.

I'd similar to purpose lever arch files instead of band binders from the root of adjacent twelvemonth but I can't because:

1. lever arch files are equally good expensive
2. 34 lever arch files are equally good heavy for me to proceed moving only about (I learn inward multiple classrooms).

So a possible solution is to purpose 68 band binders instead: i for the autumn term, together with some other for the jump together with summertime term. This may hold out expensive though.

Here's a motion painting through i of the amend folders together with then y'all learn an reckon of what my students' classwork looked like:

Worksheets together with Printing

I made a i page canvass for every lesson which included all the lesson tasks, addition infinite for notes. 

In pose out together with algebra lessons this was straightforward, but inward sort lessons it was to a greater extent than challenging to throttle the textile to 2 sides of A4. I managed it though, together with similar a shot it volition hold out pretty quick to excogitation my Year xi lessons adjacent twelvemonth because all the materials are railroad train to go.

The solely occupation is the printing damage - at 2p per side, that's 20p per calendar week for each of my 34 students, costing over £250 inward printing per year. Bear inward heed though that I don't demand practice books or glue, together with I in all likelihood would possess got all the same done only about one-half that amount of printing fifty-fifty if my students had practice books, together with then it doesn't travel out that much to a greater extent than expensive.

Organisation together with Pride

At my schoolhouse (all boys) nosotros produce abide by that quite a few students don't accept much pride inward their work. If y'all glance through a randomly chosen practice mass you'll in all likelihood encounter untidy handwriting, disorganised work, piteous purpose of space, doodling together with mayhap fifty-fifty graffiti... Switching to folders didn't automatically railroad train this, but I did encounter some improvement. My students ofttimes told me that they liked having folders instead of practice books. Visitors to my lessons ever noticed on how good organised the folders were. I'm for certain non maxim that folders would travel for every class, but they worked for me together with I'm looking forrard to using them i time again adjacent year.

Spotted inward a student's folder: a department for
'random interesting maths' -  not prompted yesteryear me!

The Folder Experiment... Revisited

Back inward Oct 2016 I wrote a post near how I was trialling folders instead of practice books alongside Year 11. I promised I'd write a quick update at the terminate of the year, together with then hither it is.

I've decided that I will hold out using folders alongside my Year 11s i time again adjacent year, equally I believe it was a successful trial. I'm non maxim it had whatever demeanour upon on attainment - I'm non sure how I'd mensurate that - but it's all the same something I desire to proceed doing. In example you're planning to produce the same, hither are my cardinal observations:

Folder Type
By Christmas the band binders were falling apart because they were overflowing. Sometimes a educatee would alternative upwards their folder at the root of a lesson together with their nicely organised notes would autumn all over the floor, which was really frustrating. I suggested that my students each purchase their ain lever arch file during the Christmas holidays, but solely a handful did so.

I'd similar to purpose lever arch files instead of band binders from the root of adjacent twelvemonth but I can't because:

1. lever arch files are equally good expensive
2. 34 lever arch files are equally good heavy for me to proceed moving only about (I learn inward multiple classrooms).

So a possible solution is to purpose 68 band binders instead: i for the autumn term, together with some other for the jump together with summertime term. This may hold out expensive though.

Here's a motion painting through i of the amend folders together with then y'all learn an reckon of what my students' classwork looked like:

Worksheets together with Printing

I made a i page canvass for every lesson which included all the lesson tasks, addition infinite for notes. 

In pose out together with algebra lessons this was straightforward, but inward sort lessons it was to a greater extent than challenging to throttle the textile to 2 sides of A4. I managed it though, together with similar a shot it volition hold out pretty quick to excogitation my Year xi lessons adjacent twelvemonth because all the materials are railroad train to go.

The solely occupation is the printing damage - at 2p per side, that's 20p per calendar week for each of my 34 students, costing over £250 inward printing per year. Bear inward heed though that I don't demand practice books or glue, together with I in all likelihood would possess got all the same done only about one-half that amount of printing fifty-fifty if my students had practice books, together with then it doesn't travel out that much to a greater extent than expensive.

Organisation together with Pride

At my schoolhouse (all boys) nosotros produce abide by that quite a few students don't accept much pride inward their work. If y'all glance through a randomly chosen practice mass you'll in all likelihood encounter untidy handwriting, disorganised work, piteous purpose of space, doodling together with mayhap fifty-fifty graffiti... Switching to folders didn't automatically railroad train this, but I did encounter some improvement. My students ofttimes told me that they liked having folders instead of practice books. Visitors to my lessons ever noticed on how good organised the folders were. I'm for certain non maxim that folders would travel for every class, but they worked for me together with I'm looking forrard to using them i time again adjacent year.

Spotted inward a student's folder: a department for
'random interesting maths' -  not prompted yesteryear me!