Back To School

In 2 weeks I'll provide to schoolhouse from motherhood leave. I've done this before, only non mid-way through a schoolhouse year. I'll exclusively last working 3 days a calendar week only instruction 8 dissimilar classes, all shared amongst approximately other teacher. It's going to last a challenge.

On locomote past times of the anxieties associated amongst instruction lessons for the commencement fourth dimension since May, I'll last getting my 7 calendar month sometime infant settled into plant nursery - I know from experience that this tin last hard together with emotional. Although these challenges are a footling daunting, I'm excited to essay out all the novel instruction ideas that I've picked upward from all the blogs together with tweets I've read over the final half dozen months. I'm going dorsum to schoolhouse amongst fresh enthusiasm for instruction maths. In this post service I desire to country you lot most a few of the things I've got lined upward for January.

1. Exercise Books
I despair when I encounter teachers spending their hard-earned meagre salaries on supplies for work, only I'm guilty of it too. I've stocked upward on pretty stationery, folders, board pens, post-it notes... together with this fourth dimension I've gone a pace farther together with bought my ain exercise books!

As an experiment, I'm going to essay out these maths books 2.0 from Design Thinking. One of the features of these books is the checklist, commutation words, farther questions together with commutation facts sections at the bottom of each page. I recollect my students volition dear having these exceptional books together with volition accept to a greater extent than pride inwards their work. I also recollect I'll aspect frontwards to marker these books (at first!), to encounter what words, facts together with questions my students have got chosen to write inwards the boxes.

Including stamp these toll me £40 for threescore books so I'll essay them amongst 2 classes together with encounter how it goes. I'm crossing my fingers that they brand it inwards fourth dimension for the start of term! (and that my hubby doesn't discovery out that I spent my ain coin on supplies for school!).

2. Expectations

I'm planning to laid out my presentation expectations amongst all my students at Key Stage 3 together with 4 using a poster: 'gems 14 for details.

3. Hashtag Marking

I featured my ideas for hashtag marker inwards gems 12. I'm planning to have got a become at this - each of my students at Key Stage 3 together with 4 volition last issued amongst a Hashtag Marking Key (I'll impress it on A5 so they tin stick it inwards their maths mass or planner). I have got a feeling I'm going to have got a huge marker workload this twelvemonth so hopefully this volition salvage me approximately time.

Extract from Hashtag Marking Key

4. Work Review Log
Based on an thought inwards this tweet, I programme to innovate a feedback log at Key Stage 5. I commonly laid a slice of assessed locomote for my H5N1 bird students every week. I ever position a lot of endeavor into providing written feedback, so I'd similar to ensure my students are reading together with reflecting on my comments. I'll inquire them to proceed this Work Review Log at the front end of their folders together with I'll laissez passer on them an chance to consummate it every fourth dimension I provide a slice of work.

Extract from Work Review Log

The other thing I desire to produce amend this twelvemonth is ensuring that my H5N1 bird students are doing homework on their own. I'm happy for my students to aid each other inwards course of study together with on non-assessed homeworks (eg 'finish the textbook exercise'), only if I laid a slice of locomote for marker it should last reflective of each student's private bird of understanding, non that of a grouping of friends. In the past times I've had 6th shape students getting As inwards their homeworks throughout the twelvemonth (because they have got a clever friend, or fifty-fifty a tutor) together with and so doing terribly inwards their actual exam.

5. Mistake Log
All my students volition have a Mistake Log to stick inwards the front end of their mass or folder. The thought is that whenever they brand a mistake, whether because of a careless sideslip or a misconception, they tape that mistake. Again, similar the Work Review Log, I promise it helps ensure that students are reading my feedback together with reflecting on how they tin improve. I recollect they'll discovery this log useful when they come upward to revise.

6. #ByYourSide

I actually recollect every instructor should ensure their dependent area cognition is upward to scratch every bit a affair of priority. And what amend chance to bear witness your ain dependent area cognition than sitting the qualification that you're responsible for teaching? I promise to sit down the Maths GCSE exams amongst my students this summer. I recollect they'll appreciate the human activity of solidarity, together with hopefully my instruction volition produce goodness too. Although I'm really confident of my GCSE knowledge, I'll experience huge pressure level to larn 100% so I amend last careful non to brand whatever dizzy mistakes! I also intend to sit down H5N1 bird maths this summer. This is a much scarier prospect. For C3 (which I've never taught) together with C4 I'll sure have got to revise together with practise. I'm convinced this volition brand me a amend H5N1 bird teacher. I already fearfulness beingness stumped past times a tricky C4 integration question! I did a statistics grade so haven't studied pure maths since I did my H5N1 levels inwards 1999. But if I instruct it together with so I should know it similar the dorsum of my manus shouldn't I? I promise I larn permission to produce these exams because I recollect it volition last a actually worthwhile exercise. Anyone amongst me? :)

7. Apps
I'm thinking most taking my iPad into school, if I tin prise it away from my toddler. I'm actually non bad to essay Idoceo because teachers on Twitter rave most it. But my schoolhouse has started using Mint Class this twelvemonth together with I desire to avoid duplication. So Idoceo mightiness have got to hold off until side past times side September, when I'll last at a novel school.

I'm also non bad to essay Plickers together with Quick Key, both of which I've written most inwards my gems posts, together with I'm considering using iVisualiser too.

8. Resources
I've been lucky plenty to have a brace of lovely freebies late - ane of my favourite resources websites MathsPad have given me a gratuitous subscription that I can't hold off to use! I'm also interested in Create a Test. The prissy people at Create a Test have got given my schoolhouse a 3 calendar month gratuitous lawsuit of their test-writing tool. I wonder whether other schools are inwards the same province of affairs every bit us - nosotros laissez passer on all our Key Stage 3/4 students 3 or 4 tests a twelvemonth (including an goal of twelvemonth exam) together with this is how nosotros create upward one's heed maths sets for the side past times side twelvemonth (I should cite at this yell for that I'm non supportive of a 'teach to the test' civilization inwards maths together with would dear to listen option approaches). Anyway, because these are 'high stakes' tests, nosotros desire to avoid whatever run a jeopardy of papers beingness seen inwards advance, so nosotros create novel tests every year. This is actually fourth dimension consuming so we'd produce goodness from a skillful character test-writing tool amongst a large depository fiscal establishment of questions. I'll study dorsum on how we're getting on amongst Create a Test inwards a brace of months.

So that's a few of the highlights of my electrical flow 'going dorsum to school' resources together with plans. Now I have got the most of import thing to produce - I postulate to start planning my lessons. I'll last doing circle theorems amongst Year 10, which is convenient because I late wrote a post service most instruction circle theorems. Unfortunately I've also been assigned 'constructing triangles' amongst my Year 8s - my to the lowest degree favourite topic inwards the world! Any ideas to brand this to a greater extent than bearable would last gratefully received!

5 Maths Gems #23

It seems similar ages since my final gems post. School has been busier than I anticipated. This calendar week I had reports to write in addition to a Parents' Evening to attend - both tasks were peculiarly challenging because I've alone been teaching these classes for a few weeks. I've also been mark at dwelling every eventide therefore it's difficult to detect fourth dimension for Twitter in addition to blogging. I receive got 3 other posts inward draft - ane almost teaching quadratics, ane almost spontaneity in addition to ane featuring some other batch of highlights from Chris Smith's newsletter dorsum catalogue. So sentinel this space, they're all coming soon! In the meantime, here's 5 ideas yous powerfulness detect useful.

1. Perspective
I've been teaching 3D visualisation to my Year 7s this calendar week (isometric drawing, plans, elevations in addition to nets). I've decided that this is ane of my top 3 'worst topics to teach' amongst constructions in addition to transformations. But it did give me an chance to locomote the flick below, which I got from Twitter a few months agone (original source unknown - delight say me if yous know!). I set it on the board when my students arrived for their lesson on plans in addition to elevations.

2. Etymathology

My novel favourite Twitter line of piece of work concern human relationship is Gems 10.

This week @BedtimeMath shared this fact almost seconds, which I'd never heard before:

It's funny how nosotros tin give the sack locomote a discussion similar 'seconds' our whole lives in addition to never give whatever thought to where it came from. Etymathology followed this tweet with the origins of the discussion minute:

And at that spot yous become - some other lawsuit of Twitter's contribution to education. I acquired novel cognition to overstep straight to my students. I expect frontward to learning more!

3. Match My Parabola
I've written almost Desmos many times, most late inward my postal service Polygraph Rocks. I'm ever nifty to remove heed novel ideas for teaching with Desmos therefore I loved Michael Fenton's (@mjfenton) post 'Match My Parabola'.

The postal service describes a lesson suitable for Higher GCSE or Core AS students studying quadratics. The thought is that students are given a laid of coordinates in addition to receive got to detect a quadratic business office that passes through them. Michael rattling helpfully provides 10 activities - all your students receive got to produce is click on the links in addition to consummate the tasks (here's an example for yous to receive got a become at - locomote inward your business office inward jail cellular telephone ix on the left to encounter if you're right).

Michael has previously written almost 'Match My Line' - a similar lesson but for linear graphs, suitable for Key Stage 3 or 4. I've establish that students of whatever historic menses dearest playing with Desmos therefore I'm looking frontward to using this ane too. Really clever ideas from Michael.

4. Valentines Relay
It's alone 2 weeks until half-term! Fri 13th Feb would locomote a adept 24-hour interval to produce Chris Smith's (@aap03102) lovely Valentines Maths Relay Race.

5. War on Error
Do your students proceed making the same mistake? Highlight mutual misconceptions inward a display using Mr Taylor's (post for total details. This calendar week ane of my students wrote (x + 5)² = x² + 25 therefore that would locomote my outset entry to the display!

That's it for my gems this week, but deport with me - I receive got a few to a greater extent than things I desire to say yous about...

Multiple Choice Tests
I wrote almost multiple alternative tests in addition to Quick Key inward Gems 11. This calendar week I tried it out for the outset time. Like my outset endeavour at using Plickers, it wasn't rattling successful! But I produce recall to essay both apps in ane lawsuit again - I recall they require a fleck of practice.

Quick Key is an app that scans multiple alternative tests in addition to gives yous instant feedback on results. I establish it rattling slowly to ready - I wrote a short quiz on quadratics in addition to exactly entered the right answers to Quick Key every bit I wrote it. In the lesson, I gave my students twenty minutes to brand themselves a ane page summary of everything we'd covered on quadratics, in addition to and then I gave them a twenty infinitesimal quiz inward which they were allowed to refer to their revision sheet.

I was excited almost mark the tests using Quick Key but I establish it rattling difficult to detect a shadow-free, glare-free identify to scan. In the destination it took exactly every bit long every bit if I'd marked them past times hand. The essay out results varied from 20% to 100%, with most students getting 80% or 90% (the most mutual error was choosing H5N1 instead of C inward the enquiry below). So it was a successful exercise inward assessing the agreement of each pupil in addition to confirming that the bulk of students were create to movement onto the adjacent topic, in addition to at in ane lawsuit I exactly demand to figure out how to address the gaps with those who got a depression score.

So inward summary, the lesson inward which students made a revision summary in addition to then took a brusque multiple alternative essay out was successful, but I'll demand to acquire the hang of Quick Key.

World's Hardest Geometry Problem
I've exactly finished teaching angles to Year vii in addition to was actually impressed when ane of my students told me that she'd establish an angles occupation online in addition to had spent 2 hours working on it over the weekend, but fifty-fifty with the assistance of all her household unit of measurement she couldn't solve it. It turned out to locomote the 'World's Hardest Easy Geometry Problem' which I've featured before... I promised her I'd receive got a become at it this weekend - I suspect I may destination upwardly bespeak Twitter for help!

Don Watch
Have yous been keeping an oculus on all the bright novel resources on Jumping along a line', suggested using the 0^th term to piece of work out the n^th term of a sequence. This isn't how I ordinarily learn sequences but I'll essay it adjacent time.

I also spotted the 0^th term on a Pret homework that Grant Barker (@AccessMaths) sent me this week. We've at in ane lawsuit got to a greater extent than than 100 homeworks on prethomework.weebly.com so if you're ever looking for novel homework ideas in addition to then produce cheque it out.

Mr Maths
Finally, I'll locomote out yous with ane of the fantastic images made by @solvemymaths this calendar week - cheque out his blog for the total 'Math Mr Men Series'.

5 Maths Gems #35

Hi there. Welcome to my 35^th gems post. This is where I part 5 instruction ideas I've seen on Twitter. The summertime holidays are at nowadays inward total swing thus Twitter has been placidity this week. I hold off it volition acquire busier inward August - results days volition orbit us lots to utter about, as well as and then we'll all start making preparations for September. I'm off on a position unit of measurement vacation side yesteryear side calendar week (including an exciting solar daytime out at Peppa Pig World!) thus somebody volition cause got to fill upward me inward on what I miss! I tweeted my 10,000^th tweet yesterday. I exclusively joined Twitter concluding May thus I retrieve that officially makes me a chatterbox.

1. Angle Chase 
I featured angle chases in Gems 24, Gems 26 and Gems 32 . I find this type of action actually enjoyable. @MathedUp shared a whole charge of angle chases here. I honey these - they're a groovy resources both for classwork as well as for revision.

@mathninja3 suggested putting a permanent angle chase on the classroom wall. This reminded me of the display by @ExplainingMaths pictured below. I retrieve it would live on groovy to pose a large angle chase up, possibly yesteryear sticking record on a large whiteboard or a wall painted amongst whiteboard paint. If anyone has done this inward their classroom, I'd honey to encounter a photo.

2. Presentation Standards
I've written earlier most setting expectations for the presentation of classwork as well as homework. The start of a novel schoolhouse yr is the fourth dimension to create upward one's hear how to approach this. latest post about Analysing Errors is no exception. From September I innovation to start setting regular low-stakes tests. For my Year 10s, I'm thinking of a brusque weekly quiz (perhaps multiple choice, marked amongst Quick Key). As suggested yesteryear Sarah, I innovation to flat these quizzes A, B or Not Yet, amongst anyone scoring a Not Yet having to accept some other test. In Sarah's postal service she suggests that earlier retaking a quiz, students are required to analyse their get-go attempt. She's going to orbit them an mistake analysis sail that does these things:

• Require students to operate out each work correctly
• Ask students to position what they did incorrect when they get-go attempted the problem
• Direct students to reverberate on how they volition avoid making this same mistake inward the future
• Get students thinking most what types of errors they are making

Sarah has produced a fantastic poster to depict dissimilar types of errors. Read her post for to a greater extent than most this as well as to download the poster.

Types of Errors by @mathequalslove

5. The Famous Five

I honey this post from @mccreaemma. It's most an approach called 'The Famous 5' that Emma uses in every lesson. When students move inward the room they are straight off presented amongst a task. The names of 5 students that begin/finish/engage good amongst the chore are written on the whiteboard. Their vantage is to exit the classroom get-go at the destination of the lesson. Emma says that her students honey it (I retrieve this would operate actually good for my students too) as well as it reduces wasted fourth dimension at the start of lessons. Her postal service is good worth a read.

Update
I'm continuing to operate on resourceaholic.com behind the scenes when I acquire a chance. I've added some resources to my libraries as well as made updates to my New GCSE Support page. If you've got some fourth dimension over summertime to brand resources, here's a listing of topics that nosotros demand to a greater extent than resources for:

Huge cheers to post most the additional sequences content on the novel GCSE. It features examples of examination questions as well as resources. I was pleased to acquire a novel method for finding the nth term of a quadratic sequence.

I'm enjoying spending lots of fourth dimension amongst my daughters this summer. It's all going likewise speedily for my liking though! It's August already, which way I'm dorsum to schoolhouse i calendar month today. #mathsconf5 is side yesteryear side calendar month too. Have you lot got your ticket yet?

Finally, I honey this homework for the summertime holidays that's been going circular Twitter. What a lovely idea.

Holiday homework yesteryear Tom Christy

Common Errors Made Past Times Maths Teachers

I've late started working with a couplet of trainee maths teachers. It's already proving to hold upwardly a useful sense for me - I'm certain it volition own got a positive behave on on my teaching. It's fascinating to sit down at the dorsum of the classroom with my students. 

There's been a couplet of moments lately where I've seen a trainee instructor tell a flat something that's non quite right, or that I've felt has needed farther clarification. It's interesting to run across how a teacher's plain of written report noesis - especially their noesis of mutual misconceptions - develops rapidly over the kickoff few years of their career.

I've started to push clit together a listing of some of the mistakes or oversights that I've seen both inexperienced together with experienced maths teachers make. I'd hold upwardly interested to listen what you've seen every bit good - delight permit me know therefore I tin create a comprehensive listing that volition hold upwardly of piece of job to trainees together with NQTs. 

Square root

The foursquare rootage symbol denotes solely the positive root. So if you lot write √9 = ±3 on the board, you've made a mistake.

Source: Wikipedia

If you're solving the equation x² = nine together with then of course of written report in that place are ii solutions - both positive together with negative iii piece of job here. You're non wrong nigh that. But brand certain you lot piece of job the radical sign correctly.

   

Angles

What angle fact is depicted below? Some of my students own got been incorrectly taught to say 'angles inwards a circle amount to 360^o'.  It should hold upwardly 'angles unopen to a dot amount to 360^o' (as per GCSE grade schemes) or 'angles inwards a total turn/revolution amount to 360^o'.

Whilst we're on the plain of written report of angles, I've solely late institute out that proverb 'angles inwards a triangle are supplementary' is wrong. Supplementary way that ii (and solely two) angles amount to 180^o.

Prisms
I don't recommend bespeak maths teachers on Twitter whether a cylinder is a prism! I did that in 1 lawsuit - the declaration went on for days together with I was none the wiser every bit a result.

Half the cyberspace claims that cylinders are prisms, the other one-half disagrees. pic.twitter.com/O3sg4GXqCh

— Jo Morgan (@mathsjem) June 11, 2015

Since this Twitter conversation, I avoid defining a cylinder every bit a prism inwards representative I'm wrong, merely I practise tell my students that nosotros bring out the book of a cylinder inwards the same way nosotros bring out the book of a prism.

Interestingly, the GCSE formula canvas uses a controversial moving-picture present of a prism.

Frustum

It's a frustum, non a frustrum. This give-and-take is ofttimes misspelt.

The guild of operations
Try this question: 3 - 3 x 6 + 2.

If you lot don't acquire an respond of -13 together with then you lot demand to hold off in 1 lawsuit to a greater extent than at the guild of operations. The unhelpful acronym BIDMAS (which incorrectly implies that you lot should add together earlier you lot subtract) confuses some teachers every bit much every bit it confuses students.

Vocabulary

I late observed a lesson on angles inwards polygons with a Year 8 class. The pupil instructor asked the advert of a 7 sided shape together with a man child position upwardly his manus together with said it was a heptagon. The instructor said he was correct, together with then moved on. She didn't notice that some other man child was real bothered past times this. He angrily protested to the students unopen to him. I watched from the back. This man child had been taught that a 7 sided shape is called a septagon - which is also right - together with he idea that the instructor had made a mistake. At kickoff he was angry, merely together with then he doubted himself. His confidence took a knock. Later inwards the lesson, when the chance arose, I reassured him that both price are acceptable. He was relieved. He felt vindicated. It was a shaver oversight past times the instructor merely it had quite an behave on on this student.

I in all likelihood practise things similar this every bit good sometimes. We say things that, rightly or wrongly, differ from what students own got been taught previously. This causes confusion together with mistrust.

I'd hold upwardly interested to know what mistakes together with oversights you've seen teachers make, therefore delight comment below or tweet me therefore I tin push clit together a comprehensive list. We're ever talking nigh the importance of students learning from each other's mistakes, therefore let's practise the same.

Back To School

In 2 weeks I'll provide to schoolhouse from motherhood leave. I've done this before, only non mid-way through a schoolhouse year. I'll exclusively last working 3 days a calendar week only instruction 8 dissimilar classes, all shared amongst approximately other teacher. It's going to last a challenge.

On locomote past times of the anxieties associated amongst instruction lessons for the commencement fourth dimension since May, I'll last getting my 7 calendar month sometime infant settled into plant nursery - I know from experience that this tin last hard together with emotional. Although these challenges are a footling daunting, I'm excited to essay out all the novel instruction ideas that I've picked upward from all the blogs together with tweets I've read over the final half dozen months. I'm going dorsum to schoolhouse amongst fresh enthusiasm for instruction maths. In this post service I desire to country you lot most a few of the things I've got lined upward for January.

1. Exercise Books
I despair when I encounter teachers spending their hard-earned meagre salaries on supplies for work, only I'm guilty of it too. I've stocked upward on pretty stationery, folders, board pens, post-it notes... together with this fourth dimension I've gone a pace farther together with bought my ain exercise books!

As an experiment, I'm going to essay out these maths books 2.0 from Design Thinking. One of the features of these books is the checklist, commutation words, farther questions together with commutation facts sections at the bottom of each page. I recollect my students volition dear having these exceptional books together with volition accept to a greater extent than pride inwards their work. I also recollect I'll aspect frontwards to marker these books (at first!), to encounter what words, facts together with questions my students have got chosen to write inwards the boxes.

Including stamp these toll me £40 for threescore books so I'll essay them amongst 2 classes together with encounter how it goes. I'm crossing my fingers that they brand it inwards fourth dimension for the start of term! (and that my hubby doesn't discovery out that I spent my ain coin on supplies for school!).

2. Expectations

I'm planning to laid out my presentation expectations amongst all my students at Key Stage 3 together with 4 using a poster: 'gems 14 for details.

3. Hashtag Marking

I featured my ideas for hashtag marker inwards gems 12. I'm planning to have got a become at this - each of my students at Key Stage 3 together with 4 volition last issued amongst a Hashtag Marking Key (I'll impress it on A5 so they tin stick it inwards their maths mass or planner). I have got a feeling I'm going to have got a huge marker workload this twelvemonth so hopefully this volition salvage me approximately time.

Extract from Hashtag Marking Key

4. Work Review Log
Based on an thought inwards this tweet, I programme to innovate a feedback log at Key Stage 5. I commonly laid a slice of assessed locomote for my H5N1 bird students every week. I ever position a lot of endeavor into providing written feedback, so I'd similar to ensure my students are reading together with reflecting on my comments. I'll inquire them to proceed this Work Review Log at the front end of their folders together with I'll laissez passer on them an chance to consummate it every fourth dimension I provide a slice of work.

Extract from Work Review Log

The other thing I desire to produce amend this twelvemonth is ensuring that my H5N1 bird students are doing homework on their own. I'm happy for my students to aid each other inwards course of study together with on non-assessed homeworks (eg 'finish the textbook exercise'), only if I laid a slice of locomote for marker it should last reflective of each student's private bird of understanding, non that of a grouping of friends. In the past times I've had 6th shape students getting As inwards their homeworks throughout the twelvemonth (because they have got a clever friend, or fifty-fifty a tutor) together with and so doing terribly inwards their actual exam.

5. Mistake Log
All my students volition have a Mistake Log to stick inwards the front end of their mass or folder. The thought is that whenever they brand a mistake, whether because of a careless sideslip or a misconception, they tape that mistake. Again, similar the Work Review Log, I promise it helps ensure that students are reading my feedback together with reflecting on how they tin improve. I recollect they'll discovery this log useful when they come upward to revise.

6. #ByYourSide

I actually recollect every instructor should ensure their dependent area cognition is upward to scratch every bit a affair of priority. And what amend chance to bear witness your ain dependent area cognition than sitting the qualification that you're responsible for teaching? I promise to sit down the Maths GCSE exams amongst my students this summer. I recollect they'll appreciate the human activity of solidarity, together with hopefully my instruction volition produce goodness too. Although I'm really confident of my GCSE knowledge, I'll experience huge pressure level to larn 100% so I amend last careful non to brand whatever dizzy mistakes! I also intend to sit down H5N1 bird maths this summer. This is a much scarier prospect. For C3 (which I've never taught) together with C4 I'll sure have got to revise together with practise. I'm convinced this volition brand me a amend H5N1 bird teacher. I already fearfulness beingness stumped past times a tricky C4 integration question! I did a statistics grade so haven't studied pure maths since I did my H5N1 levels inwards 1999. But if I instruct it together with so I should know it similar the dorsum of my manus shouldn't I? I promise I larn permission to produce these exams because I recollect it volition last a actually worthwhile exercise. Anyone amongst me? :)

7. Apps
I'm thinking most taking my iPad into school, if I tin prise it away from my toddler. I'm actually non bad to essay Idoceo because teachers on Twitter rave most it. But my schoolhouse has started using Mint Class this twelvemonth together with I desire to avoid duplication. So Idoceo mightiness have got to hold off until side past times side September, when I'll last at a novel school.

I'm also non bad to essay Plickers together with Quick Key, both of which I've written most inwards my gems posts, together with I'm considering using iVisualiser too.

8. Resources
I've been lucky plenty to have a brace of lovely freebies late - ane of my favourite resources websites MathsPad have given me a gratuitous subscription that I can't hold off to use! I'm also interested in Create a Test. The prissy people at Create a Test have got given my schoolhouse a 3 calendar month gratuitous lawsuit of their test-writing tool. I wonder whether other schools are inwards the same province of affairs every bit us - nosotros laissez passer on all our Key Stage 3/4 students 3 or 4 tests a twelvemonth (including an goal of twelvemonth exam) together with this is how nosotros create upward one's heed maths sets for the side past times side twelvemonth (I should cite at this yell for that I'm non supportive of a 'teach to the test' civilization inwards maths together with would dear to listen option approaches). Anyway, because these are 'high stakes' tests, nosotros desire to avoid whatever run a jeopardy of papers beingness seen inwards advance, so nosotros create novel tests every year. This is actually fourth dimension consuming so we'd produce goodness from a skillful character test-writing tool amongst a large depository fiscal establishment of questions. I'll study dorsum on how we're getting on amongst Create a Test inwards a brace of months.

So that's a few of the highlights of my electrical flow 'going dorsum to school' resources together with plans. Now I have got the most of import thing to produce - I postulate to start planning my lessons. I'll last doing circle theorems amongst Year 10, which is convenient because I late wrote a post service most instruction circle theorems. Unfortunately I've also been assigned 'constructing triangles' amongst my Year 8s - my to the lowest degree favourite topic inwards the world! Any ideas to brand this to a greater extent than bearable would last gratefully received!

5 Maths Gems #23

It seems similar ages since my final gems post. School has been busier than I anticipated. This calendar week I had reports to write in addition to a Parents' Evening to attend - both tasks were peculiarly challenging because I've alone been teaching these classes for a few weeks. I've also been mark at dwelling every eventide therefore it's difficult to detect fourth dimension for Twitter in addition to blogging. I receive got 3 other posts inward draft - ane almost teaching quadratics, ane almost spontaneity in addition to ane featuring some other batch of highlights from Chris Smith's newsletter dorsum catalogue. So sentinel this space, they're all coming soon! In the meantime, here's 5 ideas yous powerfulness detect useful.

1. Perspective
I've been teaching 3D visualisation to my Year 7s this calendar week (isometric drawing, plans, elevations in addition to nets). I've decided that this is ane of my top 3 'worst topics to teach' amongst constructions in addition to transformations. But it did give me an chance to locomote the flick below, which I got from Twitter a few months agone (original source unknown - delight say me if yous know!). I set it on the board when my students arrived for their lesson on plans in addition to elevations.

2. Etymathology

My novel favourite Twitter line of piece of work concern human relationship is Gems 10.

This week @BedtimeMath shared this fact almost seconds, which I'd never heard before:

It's funny how nosotros tin give the sack locomote a discussion similar 'seconds' our whole lives in addition to never give whatever thought to where it came from. Etymathology followed this tweet with the origins of the discussion minute:

And at that spot yous become - some other lawsuit of Twitter's contribution to education. I acquired novel cognition to overstep straight to my students. I expect frontward to learning more!

3. Match My Parabola
I've written almost Desmos many times, most late inward my postal service Polygraph Rocks. I'm ever nifty to remove heed novel ideas for teaching with Desmos therefore I loved Michael Fenton's (@mjfenton) post 'Match My Parabola'.

The postal service describes a lesson suitable for Higher GCSE or Core AS students studying quadratics. The thought is that students are given a laid of coordinates in addition to receive got to detect a quadratic business office that passes through them. Michael rattling helpfully provides 10 activities - all your students receive got to produce is click on the links in addition to consummate the tasks (here's an example for yous to receive got a become at - locomote inward your business office inward jail cellular telephone ix on the left to encounter if you're right).

Michael has previously written almost 'Match My Line' - a similar lesson but for linear graphs, suitable for Key Stage 3 or 4. I've establish that students of whatever historic menses dearest playing with Desmos therefore I'm looking frontward to using this ane too. Really clever ideas from Michael.

4. Valentines Relay
It's alone 2 weeks until half-term! Fri 13th Feb would locomote a adept 24-hour interval to produce Chris Smith's (@aap03102) lovely Valentines Maths Relay Race.

5. War on Error
Do your students proceed making the same mistake? Highlight mutual misconceptions inward a display using Mr Taylor's (post for total details. This calendar week ane of my students wrote (x + 5)² = x² + 25 therefore that would locomote my outset entry to the display!

That's it for my gems this week, but deport with me - I receive got a few to a greater extent than things I desire to say yous about...

Multiple Choice Tests
I wrote almost multiple alternative tests in addition to Quick Key inward Gems 11. This calendar week I tried it out for the outset time. Like my outset endeavour at using Plickers, it wasn't rattling successful! But I produce recall to essay both apps in ane lawsuit again - I recall they require a fleck of practice.

Quick Key is an app that scans multiple alternative tests in addition to gives yous instant feedback on results. I establish it rattling slowly to ready - I wrote a short quiz on quadratics in addition to exactly entered the right answers to Quick Key every bit I wrote it. In the lesson, I gave my students twenty minutes to brand themselves a ane page summary of everything we'd covered on quadratics, in addition to and then I gave them a twenty infinitesimal quiz inward which they were allowed to refer to their revision sheet.

I was excited almost mark the tests using Quick Key but I establish it rattling difficult to detect a shadow-free, glare-free identify to scan. In the destination it took exactly every bit long every bit if I'd marked them past times hand. The essay out results varied from 20% to 100%, with most students getting 80% or 90% (the most mutual error was choosing H5N1 instead of C inward the enquiry below). So it was a successful exercise inward assessing the agreement of each pupil in addition to confirming that the bulk of students were create to movement onto the adjacent topic, in addition to at in ane lawsuit I exactly demand to figure out how to address the gaps with those who got a depression score.

So inward summary, the lesson inward which students made a revision summary in addition to then took a brusque multiple alternative essay out was successful, but I'll demand to acquire the hang of Quick Key.

World's Hardest Geometry Problem
I've exactly finished teaching angles to Year vii in addition to was actually impressed when ane of my students told me that she'd establish an angles occupation online in addition to had spent 2 hours working on it over the weekend, but fifty-fifty with the assistance of all her household unit of measurement she couldn't solve it. It turned out to locomote the 'World's Hardest Easy Geometry Problem' which I've featured before... I promised her I'd receive got a become at it this weekend - I suspect I may destination upwardly bespeak Twitter for help!

Don Watch
Have yous been keeping an oculus on all the bright novel resources on Jumping along a line', suggested using the 0^th term to piece of work out the n^th term of a sequence. This isn't how I ordinarily learn sequences but I'll essay it adjacent time.

I also spotted the 0^th term on a Pret homework that Grant Barker (@AccessMaths) sent me this week. We've at in ane lawsuit got to a greater extent than than 100 homeworks on prethomework.weebly.com so if you're ever looking for novel homework ideas in addition to then produce cheque it out.

Mr Maths
Finally, I'll locomote out yous with ane of the fantastic images made by @solvemymaths this calendar week - cheque out his blog for the total 'Math Mr Men Series'.