Dreaming Close Maths

I've exclusively been dorsum at piece of work iii weeks as well as I've already started to dream near maths again. And non inwards a adept way. I grade a laid of homeworks as well as dream near the answers - they swim around my caput all nighttime long, tormenting me. Perhaps I shouldn't grade inwards the evenings.

I also prevarication awake at nighttime thinking near lessons that didn't acquire well. I know, I know - don't dwell on them - later on all, I larn from my mistakes as well as they brand me a ameliorate teacher.

Today I desire to focus on the adept lessons. This post is near iii things that went good this week. As good every bit beingness therapeutic for me, hopefully there'll also hold upwards some ideas hither to inspire you.

1. Angles
At the terminate of a sequence of lessons on angles amongst Year vii I gave out this vocabulary check. I told my students to examine to fill upwards it inwards without referring to their notes. I was pleased that some high character piece of work was submitted:

It turned out to hold upwards a genuinely worthwhile exercise for revealing misconceptions. The most mutual misconception was that co-interior angles are equal. There were also a lot of sketches missing the right parallel delineate of piece of work notation:

Just forgetting the arrows or unaware the lines must hold upwards parallel?

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few to a greater extent than surprising misconceptions came upwards too:

Worrying misunderstanding of the Definition of parallel

Confusion over vertically reverse angles

Normally I'd avoid an activity that doesn't genuinely involve solving maths problems, exactly I shout out back I'll locomote this i over again because it was hence revealing.

I took a outset await at my Year 7's books this weekend. Some were a big mess hence I demand to produce to a greater extent than piece of work on improving their presentation. I shout out back it's genuinely of import to found adept working practices inwards Year 7. The moving painting below shows i of the best books inwards the class. This is why I desire to locomote iVisualiser inwards my classroom - I desire to demonstrate this student's majority to the aeroplane every bit an example of how classwork should await (margins, sketches inwards pencil, clear workings, underlined answers etc).

2. Problems
At the terminate of a sequence of lessons I oftentimes brand an A3 sail of problems relating to that topic. The questions come upwards from a diversity of sources including Median Don Steward as well as Brilliant.org, as well as sometimes I include i or 2 past times GCSE questions. My students piece of work inwards pairs answering the questions inwards whatever monastic state - sometimes this is for a whole lesson, sometimes one-half a lesson. The example below is i I used inwards a Year 10 quadratics lesson, later on they'd completed a carte sorting activity.

The radius employment (bottom left) originated from Chris Smith's newsletter as well as I've mentioned it inwards a duo of weblog posts before. I told my Year 10s I'd hold upwards really impressed if anyone managed to solve it. The adjacent lesson, 2 girls brought me the right solution as well as talked me through their method. I beloved it when students produce maths 'voluntarily' inwards their ain time, as well as I beloved it when they surprise me past times figuring out the solution to a challenging problem.

Solving the radius problem

I gave the same employment to my Year 9s. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few girls came upwards the solution 36 - although it was incorrect, their thinking was interesting. They correctly argued that the circle must hold upwards inwards a foursquare - they thought that the overstep must hold upwards a multiple of ix as well as the side must hold upwards a multiple of 8, hence the sides of the foursquare must hold upwards a multiple of both ix as well as 8 (ie 72). I similar their reasoning as well as they explained it well, exactly there's no ground why the sides of the foursquare receive got to hold upwards a multiple of 8 as well as 9. Actually the radius is 29, hence the foursquare has sides of length 58.

I've been doing a lot of problem-based lessons this twelvemonth (using upwards my school's stocks of A3 paper!) as well as I've been really impressed past times my students' efforts hence far. They seem to bask these lessons, hence I'll snuff it on doing them every directly as well as then.

Lovely employment for a surds employment solving lesson

3. #LikeAGirl
This isn't maths, exactly it does receive got a link to maths hence behaviour amongst me.

I've taken on a Year xi tutor grouping this term. They're lovely girls, if a piffling loud at times. I receive got iii twenty infinitesimal afternoon registration slots to fill upwards each week. This calendar week I showed them the vivid #thisgirlcan video, exactly they didn't seem peculiarly inspired. I shout out back it has to a greater extent than of an behaviour on on women my historic menstruation than teenage girls. The Head of PE hence recommended the #likeagirl video as well as this i got a ameliorate reaction. If you lot haven't seen it, produce receive got a look.


It struck me that this video has parallels amongst gender issues inwards maths as well as science. I piece of work at a girls' schoolhouse where these gender issues are non-existent. We receive got over 200 6th shape students taking maths - it's the most pop dependent land inwards the schoolhouse - as well as in that place is absolutely no perception of it beingness a 'male' subject. I acknowledge that in that place are some disadvantages of single-sex education, exactly this liberty from the influence of gender stereotypes is i of the clearest advantages I've seen. If I was to tell my students that maths as well as scientific discipline are male-dominated, they'd hold upwards surprised as well as perplexed. But inwards many schools (and inwards guild inwards general), doing maths 'like a girl' is considered an insult, similar throwing similar a daughter or running similar a girl.

The video genuinely got me thinking near the maths gender debate hence I'm going to set 'discovering this video' downwards every bit my tertiary success of the week.

The rest
Please don't shout out back that every lesson I learn goes well... far from it! Many lessons aren't worth commenting on, as well as some could genuinely hold upwards classified every bit disastrous... I tried Plickers for the outset fourth dimension amongst Year vii on Friday. At the final infinitesimal my iPad app randomly froze hence I had to locomote my iPhone instead. Scanning the room took far every bit good long. In fact, it was painfully slow. We gave upwards later on iv questions, which was a shame because I'd spent a piece setting it all up. I yet genuinely similar the thought though, as well as my students seemed to similar it too. So if I tin acquire it working over again on my iPad, I'll definitely examine over again some other day.

Speaking of trying novel technology, I've ready a multiple selection examination for my Year 10s on Mon which I shout out back to grade using Quick Key. I'll write near how it goes adjacent week.

Polygraph was the absolute highlight of the calendar week for me exactly I haven't featured it hither because I wrote a carve upwards post about it (as before long every bit I got habitation from schoolhouse on Wednesday, because I was hence excited!).

That's it from me. I promise there's been some helpful ideas inwards this post. I shout out back all teachers would detect it genuinely worthwhile to reverberate on a few things that went good each week. If you lot desire to slumber soundly, don't dwell on the bad stuff, exactly pat yourself on the dorsum for the adept stuff. And don't grade later on 9pm!