#Mathscpdchat - Celebrating Don Steward

Please bring together me for #mathscpdchat at 7pm on Tuesday 24th May to explore Don Steward's fantastic resources.

Don's spider web log Median has latterly passed its millionth persuasion therefore this seems similar a expert fourth dimension to part our favourites from his vast collection of rich tasks. Join the chat to hash out which resources you've tried in addition to which cause got worked well.

To start us off, hither are 3 of my favourites.

1. 'One wrong simplification'

I dear this fix of tasks. When I took over my electrical flow Year xi degree inward October, I gave them this activity inward the kickoff lesson. At the fourth dimension they were working at GCSE degree B or C in addition to it was of import for me to know how fluent they were amongst algebra. This activity is actually engaging - equally my students got stuck in, I had the chance to circulate, assess their agreement in addition to hash out mutual misconceptions. They establish the business accessible precisely quite challenging, which fix the musical note for what their maths lessons amongst me would last like.

This appear caught most of them out:

I'm certain y'all tin encounter what the mutual error is hither - most students incorrectly simplified this to 3 + 5n. This raises a useful intelligence nearly grouping in addition to brackets, or lack of brackets.

This activity also industrial plant brilliantly equally a warm-up on Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 flat induction day.

2. Difference of Two Squares
Recognising in addition to existence able to factorise a departure of 2 squares is a useful science throughout GCSE in addition to Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 level.

Give a pupil an algebraic fraction to simplify in addition to you'll ofttimes detect that they cause got no thought what to create amongst a 4x² - 9 inward the numerator, fifty-fifty though they seemed to sympathise how to factorise a departure of 2 squares when y'all previously taught it.

Don Steward has about peachy activities for instruction this topic, culminating inward this awesome fix of challenging questions. I dear these.

This reminds me of about other Don Steward business - 'Mega difficult powers questions' which offers stretch in addition to challenge for students learning fractional in addition to negative indices. This business industrial plant good at Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 flat too.

I similar it that both of these tasks assist students realise how much easier it is to purpose improper fractions rather than mixed numbers or decimals.

3. Form in addition to Solve a Quadratic
Forming equations comes upwards a lot inward GCSE exams (particularly inward Linked Pair GCSE, which is what I've been instruction this year). I'm non certain our students acquire plenty exercise of this - which is partly why therefore many were stumped past times Hannah's Sweets final year. Don Steward has a lovely fix of tasks for forming in addition to solving quadratics.

Students ofttimes detect it actually difficult to know where to start on problems similar this therefore careful questioning in addition to scaffolding may last needed.

In this postal service I've solely shared algebra resources, precisely comport inward hear that Don's resources are awesome for shape, measure, number, proportional reasoning, information in addition to probability too. I volition part many to a greater extent than resources during the chat on Tuesday. See y'all then.