Mei Conference 2019

I was fortunate to cause got the chance to attend the here.

Residential conferences are a really dissimilar experience to ane solar daytime events. There’s to a greater extent than fourth dimension inwards sessions to hash out ideas too create maths, too there’s to a greater extent than fourth dimension exterior of sessions to socialise, run across novel people too chat well-nigh teaching. At tiffin on Fri I sat amongst Ben Sparks summation Christopher Rath (@Rathematician) too his colleagues - they showed me cool maths materials that I'd never seen before. So much fun. Since I got dorsum I've been showing everyone my novel tricks! Literally every fourth dimension I reckon Ben Sparks he blows my heed amongst to a greater extent than or less clever maths magic. He did the same inwards his workshop on Sabbatum morn where nosotros played a poker game inwards which I really thought I had a total set – until I realised he’d rigged it. How does he create that…?

It was wonderful to remain for all 3 days of the conference - I loved every infinitesimal too felt incredibly relaxed hanging out on a academy campus inwards glorious sunshine. The eve amusement was transcend character - the after-dinner speak Harry Baker was absolutely wonderful. Everyone was blown away past times how lovely he was. Watch this video to learn an idea, but become reckon him perform if yous tin (I starting fourth dimension shared this video dorsum inwards 2015 inwards Gems 26 so it was cool to really run across him inwards person!).

I’d e'er assumed that the MEI Conference is aimed mainly at H5N1 degree teachers but I constitute that at that topographic point was a broad hit of sessions to appeal to all secondary maths teachers. It had a chip of an academic experience to it inwards parts - especially the starting fourth dimension 2 plenaries. The starting fourth dimension keynote was past times Dr Eugenia Cheng (she’s my novel hero) too minute keynote was delivered past times Professor Alison Etheridge – she delivered a fascinating lecture on genetics which made me experience similar I was dorsum at university! I love the high expectations that the organisers cause got of their audience - it’s wonderful to hold upward immersed inwards intellectual challenge every directly too then. Craig Barton’s keynote on the finally solar daytime was brilliant, equally always. He equally good had the coolest clicker I've ever seen. Did I advert that I’m running a course of report amongst Craig inwards October? You tin mass your set here.

One matter I similar well-nigh the MEI conference is that there's a really dissimilar hit of speakers from the events I unremarkably attend thus I learn to hear lots of novel perspectives. I recorded a conference podcast amongst Craig Barton on the Fri dark (after a few spectacles of wine…) thus cause got a withdraw heed to that to hear to a greater extent than or less reflections on a few of the sessions I attended. I didn’t learn a peril to speak well-nigh every workshop. In this spider web log postal service I’m merely sharing a duo of things that I didn’t advert inwards the podcast that I thought teachers mightiness hold upward interested in.

Football Loci
Rob Eastaway (@robeastaway) ran a session called 'What's the divergence betwixt a puzzle too a maths question?' which was partly well-nigh how to plough a boring inquiry into an interesting one. Something that really jumped out at me related to loci. We oftentimes reckon really contrived scenarios inwards loci questions but he shared a fascinating scenario that I loved.

Rob showed us a laid of football game rules from 1891, when the rules of the game were evolving. It said:

"The goals shall hold upward upright posts, viii yards apart, amongst a bar across them viii feet from the ground.

When the ball is kicked behind the goal-line past times ane of the contrary side, it shall hold upward kicked off past times whatsoever ane of the players behind whose goal-line it went inside 6 yards of the nearest goal-post..."

Show pupils this too inquire them what it would human face like. Where tin the role instrumentalist stand upward to accept a destination kicking according to these rules? Perhaps inquire pupils to endeavour to depict a scale drawing of it.

They should terminate upward amongst a duo of arcs rather than the vi yard box nosotros are directly thus familiar with.

Once they've done this yous tin present them a picture of the 1901 FA Cup Final when Tottenham Hotspur played Sheffield United. There are arcs! It's really cool. The Wikipedia page on destination kicks says "In 1891, pitch markings were added to define the six-yard radius from each goal-post".

In 1902, the term 'goal area' was introduced for the set from which the destination kicking was taken - it assumed its modern dimensions equally a rectangle extending vi yards from each destination post.

I loved this workshop too I retrieve that this lesson on loci too scale drawing would become downwards really well.

Fascinating materials from Rob Eastaway, equally always.

Circle Theorems Chase
Tim Honeywill (@honeywilltim) led a session called ‘Expecting the Unexpected’ where he shared a pack of problems which are suitable for IGCSE too H5N1 degree pupils. I love angle problems too at that topographic point were a few inwards the pack, including this beauty called 'Crazy Circle Theorems'.

Tim's pack of questions contained loads of squeamish problems. Here are a few to a greater extent than examples:

Very kindly, Tim has allow me portion the whole laid of resources from his workshop here. Thank yous Tim!

Sectors of Circles
I ran a workshop on resources inwards which I talked through the procedure of planning a sequence of lessons on sector area. I showed a large expose of places nosotros tin become to learn resources including to a greater extent than or less classics such equally SMILE. I talked well-nigh dissimilar types of chore too discussed how they run across dissimilar purposes.

For this workshop I made a novel Fill inwards the Gaps task on sector expanse (extract pictured below) which is intended to hold upward used equally role of the initial instruction phase. The thought is that pupils educate an agreement of how to set what fraction of the circle is required, too brand connections betwixt sectors of dissimilar sizes. I equally good decided that I wanted to learn pupils to a greater extent than comfortable amongst sketching diagrams, thus I included that inwards the task. If yous utilisation this resource, allow me know how yous learn on.

There's lots to a greater extent than I could state well-nigh the MEI Conference but to proceed this postal service to a manageable length I volition travel out it there. Thank yous to everyone - speakers, delegates too organisers - who made it thus fantastic. Well done MEI! Great work.

Hanging out amongst Chris Shore too Tom Bennison

The adjacent residential maths instruction conference I attend volition hold upward the MA Conference 2020 which involves 2 nights away at a spa hotel inwards the Easter holidays – I’m looking forwards to it already!