Classroom Reflections

It's been a long fourth dimension since I finally wrote a spider web log post service reflecting on what I've been doing inwards the classroom. I recall writing i when I returned to operate after motherhood exit inwards 2015. During motherhood exit I'd joined Twitter as well as became hugely inspired as well as excited close maths pedagogy - I returned to operate raring to endeavor out loads of novel approaches as well as resources for the source time. My electrical current province of affairs feels similar that i all over again. I've gone dorsum to proper pedagogy after a yr inwards limbo. Last yr I was even hence inwards the classroom - but non my ain classroom. I was pedagogy diverse Year xi intervention as well as withdrawal groups inwards a break of unlike schools. I actually missed belonging to a schoolhouse community. An chance arose to motion to a laid upwardly novel schoolhouse inwards the same MAT, only 5 minutes from my house, hence I seized it. I've ever wanted to live on involved inwards setting upwardly a novel schoolhouse as well as it's turning out to live on simply every bit exciting as well as wonderful (and exhausting!) every bit I expected. I absolutely honey the school's vision as well as culture. It's real frustrating that I alive inwards a grammer schoolhouse borough, as well as I'm hence happy that there's an amazing comprehensive schoolhouse that I tin dismiss guarantee my daughters receive got a identify at. On Open Day nosotros had parents tell us that their children had passed the local selection tests but they were putting our non-selective schoolhouse downward every bit their source choice. I'm hence proud to live on usage of it.

My classes
I learn 8X1 as well as 8Y4 (also known every bit Cardano as well as Leibniz). Because nosotros only receive got ii yr groups, inwards some subjects (e.g. a plain of written report that only has i lesson a week) teachers mightiness learn every single Year 8 class, which is a fourth dimension saver inwards damage of planning. There is no overlap inwards planning for my ii Year 8 classes because they are very different groups. I also learn a totally mixed Year 7 class, though we've reviewed that as well as we're re-grouping all of our Year 7s after half-term. My electrical current Year 7s are the most delightful shape I've ever taught! People warned me that I'd miss pedagogy GCSE as well as H5N1 level, as well as inwards fact that's what stopped me from applying to operate at the schoolhouse inwards its source yr when it was inwards a temporary building. I haven't been missing them at all. I've been enjoying focusing on developing my Key Stage 3 teaching, as well as I know I'll learn H5N1 grade as well as GCSE in i lawsuit again inwards the future. It is hence overnice to learn maths without the constant examine focus. I've taught Year 11, 12 as well as thirteen every unmarried yr of my pedagogy career hence this yr is totally different. Change is good.

Resources
I've been using MathsPad inwards most lessons, every bit good every bit enough of Don Steward as well as some things from variationtheory.com. Here I'll portion a few examples of resources that I felt worked especially well.

When I taught percentages to 8X1 I used mixed per centum multipliers from variationtheory.com. There are 3 sheets, starting amongst this one:

as well as ending amongst this one:

This was a actually practiced grade of challenge for my students.

For my thirteen students inwards 8Y4 I created a unlike laid of sheets amongst a lot of construction as well as scaffolding. I decided to learn them multipliers (that inwards itself was a hard decision). I started amongst increasing using this resource:

This is aught special or new, but it had the correct amount of construction as well as direction every bit a starting scream for for them. We ended upwardly doing parts of mixed per centum multipliers too, it simply took us a flake longer to acquire there.

When I taught contrary percentages to 8X1 I made practiced usage of MathsPad. I similar the construction of their slides on this topic:

The associated worksheet starts amongst a couplet of examples as well as some accessible questions, leading on to a actually high grade of challenge. I've only shown extracts from these resources because these require a subscription to access the total resource.

I've simply moved onto algebra amongst both my Year 8 classes. 8X1 especially enjoyed this expanding activity from Don Steward:

I was delighted when I spotted a designing inwards the answers as well as they got all excited close it. It made it actually tardily to banking concern fit answers too.

We also had a lot of fun amongst MathsPad's Number Tricks resource.

For Year 7 I used MathsPad when pedagogy negative numbers. I especially similar their Number Line Journeys activity (again, this is simply an extract - non the total resource):

MathsPad also receive got a lot of overnice lilliputian tasks that you lot tin dismiss dip into for extension work. For instance their canvass Negative Number Puzzles: Addition as well as Subtraction has pyramids, magic squares as well as all sorts of lilliputian puzzles involving negative numbers.

I could become on close resources all day. I'm enjoyed using lots of activities I've non used before. Some receive got gone well, some haven't. It's ever practiced to endeavor novel things.

Retention
We are fortunate to receive got Hegarty Maths which I'm a large fan of. My 8X1 shape are completing a MemRi work for homework every week. MemRi tasks automatically inquire students questions on topics they receive got studied inwards the past. By moving most of their retrieval practise from classwork to homework I've got to a greater extent than fourth dimension to focus on the topics I'm pedagogy inwards the lesson.

8Y4 actually demand back upwardly on retrieval. They oftentimes receive got problem remembering the previous day's lesson. I'm investing a lot of fourth dimension on revisiting learning from Years 1 to 7. They also respond real good to laid routines. We had a Discovery Day inwards Oct as well as nosotros had to motion our seats into a novel organization for a solar daytime - I hadn't expected them to respond hence negatively to a alter inwards routine, as well as it made me realise how of import it is for these exceptional students to know what to hold back hence they experience condom inwards maths. For retrieval as well as routine - as well as to aid these students to experience success inwards maths - I've started using the 'Five for Five' model I wrote close mixed per centum multipliers from variationtheory.com. There are 3 sheets, starting amongst this one:

as well as ending amongst this one:

This was a actually practiced grade of challenge for my students.

For my thirteen students inwards 8Y4 I created a unlike laid of sheets amongst a lot of construction as well as scaffolding. I decided to learn them multipliers (that inwards itself was a hard decision). I started amongst increasing using this resource:

This is aught special or new, but it had the correct amount of construction as well as direction every bit a starting scream for for them. We ended upwardly doing parts of mixed per centum multipliers too, it simply took us a flake longer to acquire there.

When I taught contrary percentages to 8X1 I made practiced usage of MathsPad. I similar the construction of their slides on this topic:

The associated worksheet starts amongst a couplet of examples as well as some accessible questions, leading on to a actually high grade of challenge. I've only shown extracts from these resources because these require a subscription to access the total resource.

I've simply moved onto algebra amongst both my Year 8 classes. 8X1 especially enjoyed this here. They are responding real good to it. Obviously I'm non able to tell if it's having whatever consequence on their long-term memory - we'll receive got to hold back as well as see.

I laid upwardly my ain laid of questions each lesson but it only takes a minute. An instance is shown below - these questions are the correct grade of difficulty for this exceptional class. Four questions are from main schoolhouse or Year 7 as well as the concluding inquiry relates to their electrical current topic. The questions alter subtly each solar daytime but are ever on the same topics. On the source solar daytime nosotros become through it inwards neat detail, on the 2nd as well as 3rd solar daytime they refer to their notes earlier nosotros become through it together as well as on the finally solar daytime I give it every bit a examine that I mark. By the finally solar daytime they actually desire to acquire total marks.

The other affair I've introduced is Memory King - inspired yesteryear something Dani Quinn said years agone which I mentioned inwards this mixed per centum multipliers from variationtheory.com. There are 3 sheets, starting amongst this one:

as well as ending amongst this one:

This was a actually practiced grade of challenge for my students.

For my thirteen students inwards 8Y4 I created a unlike laid of sheets amongst a lot of construction as well as scaffolding. I decided to learn them multipliers (that inwards itself was a hard decision). I started amongst increasing using this resource:

This is aught special or new, but it had the correct amount of construction as well as direction every bit a starting scream for for them. We ended upwardly doing parts of mixed per centum multipliers too, it simply took us a flake longer to acquire there.

When I taught contrary percentages to 8X1 I made practiced usage of MathsPad. I similar the construction of their slides on this topic:

The associated worksheet starts amongst a couplet of examples as well as some accessible questions, leading on to a actually high grade of challenge. I've only shown extracts from these resources because these require a subscription to access the total resource.

I've simply moved onto algebra amongst both my Year 8 classes. 8X1 especially enjoyed this blog post about teaching Foundation.  In the source calendar week of Memory King I challenged 8Y4 to larn their source twelve foursquare numbers. They all had to recite the numbers to me - as well as those who wanted to could also come inwards a contest where they recited them at the front end of the class, as well as nosotros timed them to come across who could do it fastest. It all got real exciting as well as they got actually into it (they were practising inwards the playground!) hence I invited the Principal to come upwardly as well as scout them perform their foursquare numbers. It was amazing to come across students who lack confidence inwards maths acquire hence excited to exhibit the Principal what they know. The winner was a man child who managed to recite all twelve inwards close 2 seconds which was insane. I hence laid them the work of learning the names of polygons from triangles upwardly to decagons. I intend the whole shape had a tear inwards their oculus when the immature adult woman who doesn't talk much English linguistic communication stood upwardly as well as hence beautifully recited 'triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, septagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon'!  After that I laid them the vii times table. This mightiness seem similar an strange one, but I know that they are non all fluent inwards times tables as well as if I tin dismiss acquire them excited close learning as well as reciting them hence I will.

Depth
The concluding affair I desire to reverberate on is timings. H5N1 few years agone I started a writing a serial of presentations close pedagogy topics inwards depth rather than rushing through them. This yr is my source fourth dimension pedagogy a Scheme of Work that is written yesteryear a MAT as well as used inwards a large break of schools. I'm struggling amongst it. Because nosotros had a whole calendar week of Inset at the start of term (owing to us opening a novel building) nosotros started the term behind on the timings. We hence only had 3 weeks to learn Year 7 algebra from scratch including simplifying, expanding unmarried brackets as well as sequences. This is close one-half the fourth dimension I needed! Everything was rushed, which makes me actually unhappy. We lost a few days to schoolhouse events as well as hence I ended upwardly amongst only 3 lessons to learn the whole of negative numbers! Argh. Such a key topic inwards such a curt time. In the finally lesson I gave them this exercise from TeachIt Maths:

The amount they struggled (with adding as well as subtracting negatives, non the substitution) confirmed what I suspected - I had taught negatives agency also speedily as well as it needed some other calendar week or two. I simply don't know where I'll uncovering that week.

We don't receive got to do MAT assessments until Jan but the topics are packed inwards actually tightly as well as aught is getting the attending it needs. After half-term I receive got i calendar week to do the whole of written methods as well as gild of operations! I demand a whole calendar week on gild of operations alone. But when volition I uncovering fourth dimension to explore all the wonderful multiplication methods I desire to do amongst them? It's all real frustrating, as well as I know that I belike receive got many readers inwards the same situation, having to constantly rush through pedagogy because of assessment deadlines. I haven't worked out a practiced solution for this, but I'm simply letting you lot know that I portion your pain!

Anyway, it's half-term for me straightaway hence I acquire fourth dimension to reverberate as well as re-energise. I'm looking forrad to all the fun maths I acquire to learn after half-term, but for straightaway - I demand a rest!