Gem Awards 2015

This is my 100^th weblog post! It's also nearly a twelvemonth since I launched resourceaholic.com. To celebrate this milestone I've been reading dorsum through my gems posts. I've picked out around of my favourite gems, in addition to those that were peculiarly pop amongst my readers. They deserve a special mention. So heighten a drinking glass of champagne amongst me, in addition to toast the winners of the outset annual Gem Awards!

1. Best Website - Mathigon
Gems 13. It's total of beautiful animations in addition to captivating explanations. The page Polygons in addition to Polyhedra is a goodness house to start if you lot desire to explore Mathigon. The page on sequences is first-class too. Mathigon also has an amazing mathematical origami section in addition to the 'Alice inwards Fractalland' slide exhibit is actually good. The website is all the same nether structure in addition to I can't hold back to run across what's coming next.

2. Best Activity - Desmos Polygraph

Desmos' brilliant online Gems 19 I wrote almost the launch of here. It was 1 of the best lessons I've taught this twelvemonth in addition to I can't recommend it enough. Desmos' activities are all really cleverly designed in addition to slow to use. I've been waiting for an chance to endeavor out around to a greater extent than Desmos activities - peculiarly Gems 13. 

Other activities that convey appeared inwards my gems posts in addition to were shortlisted for this laurels include the 'blanks' activeness from Gems 17, the scavenger hunt from Gems 3 and Dan Meyer's first-class 'Fry's Bank' from Gems 7. They're all worth a look.

3. Creative Lesson Award - jemmapduck.com
Gems 5, I wrote almost her suggestion to exhibit students a page from a dull maths textbook in addition to challenge them to come upwardly up amongst their ain amend version. I dearest the thought of students designing their ain textbook page consummate amongst explanations, examples in addition to exercises. In Gems 7, I featured around other of Jemma's ideas - at the halt of a topic, her students create a 'cheat sheet' summarising the topic. She in addition to then gives them a seek in addition to lets them refer to a cheat sail during the test, but gives each educatee mortal else’s cheat sheet. After the test, students laissez passer on each other feedback on how useful their cheat sail was. I dearest both of these ideas from Jemma - she's a reflective instructor amongst loads of creative ideas in addition to her weblog is good worth following.

4. Best Display - The Maths Magpie
This laurels goes to the 'I don't know what to produce next' poster from the fabulous Gems 4 in addition to you lot tin download it from TES.

Honourable elevate goes to display practiced Clarissa Grandi (Every Math Teacher inwards the World Should Do This...Right Now!' (featured inwards Gems 7).

I've written almost related ideas including acrylic sheets and large whiteboards for collaborative employment solving.

6. Subject Knowledge Award - Etymology

I wrote almost the importance of talking to students almost the etymology of maths words inwards Gems 10. I directly pass fourth dimension doing this inwards most lessons. It's but a small-scale modify to my practice, but I call back it's an of import one. For example, instead of but telling my Year 12s to write downward the championship 'Binomial Expansion', I directly utter over the pregnant in addition to rootage of the give-and-take Binomial. In doing this I oft convey to produce a fighting of enquiry ahead of the lesson, hence my dependent plain noesis is improving all the time. In Gems 23 I shared tidings of a novel Twitter concern human relationship @etymathology which tweets actually interesting maths etymology facts.

7. Best Gadget - The Scale of the Universe
Because I don't convey access to a shape railroad train of tablets, I don't characteristic apps for students inwards my gems posts (with the exception of the keen apps I featured inwards Gems 13 - I oft play Plickers in addition to Quick Key) in addition to animations to exhibit on the Interactive Whiteboard. The winner inwards this category, featured inwards Gems 12, is this fantastic tool 'The Scale of the Universe 2'. It's an interactive resources that you lot could purpose when teaching criterion index form. It allows you lot to zoom inwards in addition to out from the tiniest things (quantum foam!) to the biggest things (the Universe) - all measurements are given inwards criterion form.

8. Bright Ideas - Find the Factors
Some things are difficult to categorise, but I location them on Twitter in addition to they capture my imagination. The winner of this category is Gems 11 - they're 'an first-class agency for children in addition to adults to review multiplication facts, purpose logic, in addition to strengthen encephalon power'. They are lovely puzzles.

Other vivid ideas worth a special elevate are Gems 3 in addition to Calligrams, which I featured inwards Gems 6.

I also liked the Constant Character featured inwards Gems 22, the vertical Binomial Expansion featured inwards Gems 27 in addition to Gems 15.

9. Best Problems - Brilliant
I featured Gems 21 in addition to directly purpose it all the fourth dimension to honour interesting problems for my lessons. It honour it peculiarly useful for sourcing starters in addition to extension questions.

Special elevate also goes to Ed Southall's railroad train of puzzles on solvemymaths.com. His puzzles are excellent, in addition to oft really challenging.

10. Lifetime Achievement - Don Steward
H5N1 lifetime achievement laurels for Don Steward's Median blog is good deserved. I rarely write a postal service where I don't recommend around of Don's fantastic resources. Don's weblog is ever my outset port of telephone proper name upwardly when I'm planning lessons. He has done amazing things for maths instruction in addition to his operate is appreciated all over the world.

Contributors
I was going to convey a 'best tweeters in addition to bloggers' laurels category but the listing rapidly became far besides long! But I produce desire to elevate that Chris Smith in addition to Ed Southall convey in all likelihood been the most frequent contributors to my gems posts, hence I give thank you lot them for continuing to portion a huge release of creative ideas in addition to resources. I'd also similar to give thank you lot all my immature human being bloggers in addition to tweeters for keeping me inspired in addition to excited almost teaching maths.

Speaking of awards, I'm off to the U.K. Blog Awards resultant side yesteryear side calendar week (I'm a finalist inwards the Individual Education weblog category). The frontrunner to win this category is the fantastic ictevangelist.com. I'm looking forrard to the quirky Alice inwards Wonderland themed celebrations. I dearest the invitation that arrived inwards the postal service yesterday, consummate amongst a tiny telephone substitution for a tiny door!