Structured Revision Lessons

Revision flavor is upon us! I mainly instruct examination classes (Year 11, 12 together with 13) therefore examination grooming is currently a big focus for me. For Year 12 I experience a feel of urgency - I alone finished teaching the C2 specification yesterday together with their C1 examination is fast approaching. Eek.

Thankfully I finished teaching my Year 11s the GCSE specification at the goal of final term, leaving me a proficient twenty lessons for revision. I instruct a transcend develop - their target grades hit from five to 8 together with I hollo upwards their electrical flow grades in all likelihood hit from iv to 9.

Throughout the twelvemonth I've been drawing upwards a listing of topics that I request to reteach. The listing is really long! It includes indices, constructions, bounds, congruence, linear graphs together with algebraic fractions. This data generally came from mark mocks, plus the weekly quizzes we've done over the final 2 years. I too used AQA's revision list to banking enterprise jibe that I hadn't missed anything on the specification. 

Unlike previous years, I'm next a develop format inwards my Year xi revision lessons. Routine industrial plant good amongst my students. 

On arrival to each lesson they notice a Corbett Maths 5-a-day on their desk. This is printed on A5, double sided. On the front end is a develop of Higher questions, on the dorsum is Higher Plus. This combination is precisely the correct pitch for my students - fifty-fifty the strongest are finding the Higher Plus questions sufficiently challenging, therefore no i is getting bored. These 5-a-day exercises are perfect for getting students to revise a mixture of topics, including the topics that I can't devote an entire revision lesson to. When they larn stuck they inquire me for manage or confer amongst a friend. It takes quite a piece for my students to operate through these questions - a proficient xv to twenty minutes to consummate both sides. Then I become through the answers, briefly summarising the primal points for each of the topics covered.

This leaves me one-half the lesson to focus on a detail topic - for illustration i lesson final calendar week focused on circle theorems, or therefore other on similarity. I verbalize for most 10 to xv minutes, reminding my students of the primal points together with mutual misconceptions, together with running through an examination enquiry or two. Some years agone I realised the importance of this teacher-led instructional chemical factor of revision lessons. If they're struggling amongst a topic, they won't magically larn ameliorate without or therefore additional teaching.

I together with therefore plow over them xv to twenty minutes worth of practise questions focused on that topic. For illustration inwards my revision lesson on chemical compound measures they completed Papers Society. Churchill papers are quite challenging. Next calendar week I intend to start quizzing my course of report on facts together with formulae. But most of my lessons volition proceed to follow the format described above.

Three weeks together with counting until the outset GCSE exam!

Maths Exam Meme Posters from Paul Collins

Schools Calendar Week Article

I wrote an opinion piece for Schools Week - produce accept a read together with permit me know what you lot think.

In his dream to laid upward a dry reason of mathematicians, Gove mightiness accept done to a greater extent than impairment than good, says @mathsjem https://t.co/LRRZCEe403

— Schools Week (@SchoolsWeek) 1 May 2017

This follows on from my article close maths instructor shortages together with the novel GCSE that was published inwards Schools Week inwards Dec 2014.

#Mathscpdchat - Twelvemonth Vii Topics

I'm hosting #mathscpdchat betwixt 7pm together with 8pm on Tuesday ninth May. We'll last discussing what topics are taught inward Year 7, together with inward what order. To bring together inward the discussion, delight tweet your thoughts, making certain yous include the hashtag #mathscpdchat inward your tweet. I'd beloved to encounter a screenshot of your school's Year seven curriculum together with take away heed what plant good together with what doesn't.

To start us off, hither are a few examples:

Don Steward sent me his Year seven curriculum, shown below.

Don believes that nosotros should ensure that Year seven is non only a repeat of Year 6. What strikes me most close his curriculum is the explorations that characteristic throughout the twelvemonth (notably inward the firstly ii weeks), together with the broad arrive at of attainment topics. From a student's perspective, there's lots of new, exciting mathematics here.

The White Rose Maths Hub has produced a really dissimilar Year seven Programme of Study - the overview is shown below. Much of Year seven is spent developing cardinal reveal concepts. The thought is that students who are successful amongst reveal are to a greater extent than confident mathematicians together with meliorate equipped to tackle the topics that follow. With 'mastery' existence all the rage at the moment, I intend that a lot of schools convey started moving towards this approach.

H5N1 few years agone I read close the didactics social club that Bruno Reddy developed during his fourth dimension at King Solomon Academy (he blogged close it here). At the fourth dimension I was struck yesteryear the contrast betwixt this curriculum together with the Key Stage three curriculum I was used to. Calculating the hateful features inward multiplication together with division. Proportion is paired amongst pie charts. Bruno wrote,

"You should discovery that to a greater extent than fourth dimension is given to reveal locomote at the kickoff of twelvemonth seven (especially times tables), nosotros pass i half-term at a fourth dimension didactics a theme rather than 2 weeks, approximately things are ‘missing’ (because they’re taught inward KS4), we’ve tried to carve upwardly minimally dissimilar concepts together with we’ve thought carefully close the social club things are taught inward together with so that all the spell we’re edifice on locomote on of prior learning."

Kangaroo Maths is a pop root of Schemes of Works. The instance below is for Year 7s working at the minimum expected measure at the goal of Key Stage 2. This is only the unit of measurement overview, yous tin encounter a lot to a greater extent than particular here.

In my ain schoolhouse nosotros are currently developing our Year seven curriculum. We tried something novel this twelvemonth but nosotros nonetheless demand to brand approximately tweaks. I felt that negatives numbers came likewise like shooting fish in a barrel inward the year, featuring at the goal of the summertime term. Changing a Year seven curriculum is a big undertaking equally it has a knock-on acquit upon on the Schemes of Work of all other twelvemonth groups. Assessments, together with perhaps other resources similar homework booklets, also demand to last re-written, which is actually fourth dimension consuming.

I'd beloved to take away heed close your experiences inward developing together with delivering Year seven curricula. Tell me how yous start the year, say me what topics link good together, together with say me how yous educate enthusiastic, inquisitive mathematicians. I'd also similar to take away heed how yous assess Year seven together with at what phase yous make whatsoever baseline assessment. What plant good for you? Please bring together inward #mathscpdchat on Tuesday to allow me know your thoughts.

Book Straightaway For #Summaths

I actually enjoyed running #christmaths events inwards 2015 as well as 2016 but this twelvemonth I'm doing something a chip different. My annual social as well as enrichment resultant for maths teachers has moved to the summertime holidays!

#summaths volition accept house on the Lord's Day of the August banking concern vacation weekend. It's simply earlier close of us showtime the novel schoolhouse year, thus perfect timing to endure inspired.

If you've never been to Bletchley Park earlier as well as thus yous are inwards for a treat. It's bright in that location - I absolutely dear it. I've negotiated discounted entry, addition you'll endure able to attend Enigma workshops spell you're there. Later inwards the solar daytime yous tin forcefulness out catch The National Museum of Computing side yesteryear side door which is total of the close fascinating geekiest materials you'll always see. 

Socialising is an of import purpose of my events! If yous tin forcefulness out rest for the evening, bring together us inwards the pub. It's a banking concern vacation thus no 1 has to wake upwards early on the side yesteryear side morning! Book a room if you're coming from a long agency away - it's less than £50. I'll encounter yous for a hungover breakfast inwards the morning...

All the details tin forcefulness out endure establish at summaths.weebly.com. Book your ticket chop-chop - in that location are exclusively lxxx places available thus I await this to sell out. Everyone welcome!

5 Maths Gems #72

Welcome to my 72^nd gems post. This is where I portion about of the latest news, ideas as well as resources for maths teachers.

1. Solve Me Puzzles
Back inwards Gems 17 I shared the first-class Mobiles problems on solveme.edc.org. People got quite excited close these at the time. Thanks to a recent tweet from Daniel Finkel (@MathforLove), I discovered that this website has expanded. The novel section, Who Am I?, consists of hundreds of delightful lilliputian number puzzles which kickoff off slow as well as larn much harder. These are adorable.

The Mystery Grids are also excellent. Do explore - it's a nifty website.

2. Underground Maths
There has been a lot of buzz close Schools Week article as well as attended Maths inwards the Sticks. In instance you lot missed anything, hither are about of my most recent weblog posts:

• Year vii Topics
• Structured Revision Lessons
• Gem Awards 2017
• Maths Anxiety

My 9 - i Revision Resources postal service has been pop lately, reaching almost 20,000 views. Do banking venture stand upward for out my A marker Revision Resources postal service likewise - I've added a few novel activities.

As role of the TES Maths Panel I helped describe together a novel GCSE resources characteristic which is good worth checking out. There are 4 recommended TES resources listed for every unmarried GCSE topic. It's an impressive collection! I intend these pages volition actually speed upward the procedure of finding expert resources.

If you lot desire to come upward to my #summaths number at Bletchley Park hence majority soon! In entirely 3 days I've sold 24 out of eighty tickets. Exciting!