Mei Conference 2015

Last calendar week was an incredibly busy calendar week for me. On overstep of a number of household unit of measurement events together with personal commitments, I did the following:

• Attended #mathsconf4 inwards London together with helped run the TweetUp
• Hosted #mathsTLP on Lord's Day nighttime together with #mathscpdchat (on behalf of the NCETM) on Tuesday night
• Had my commencement SLT lesson observation at my novel school
• Did my commencement always TeachMeet presentation at #TMEpsom
• Wrote 3 weblog posts together with processed a dozen novel Pret Homeworks
• Travelled to Bath to attend together with acquaint at the MEI Conference.

It was a bang-up calendar week but I'm thus pleased it's over! I've already written nigh #mathsconf4, the #mathscpdchat nigh Problem Solving together with #TMEpsom nigh Pret Homeworks, thus this is my terminal postal service nigh the events of my busy calendar week - this postal service is nigh my sense of the MEI Conference.

Maths CPD

subject specific CPD. Although I produce pick upward closed to ideas from generic T&L events, my instruction benefits the most from conversations nigh maths - both the pedagogy together with the subject. Unfortunately, aside from on Twitter, opportunities for such conversations are few together with far between. My previous school's budget for external courses was null (I'm non exaggerating! No external CPD allowed at all). So at the MEI Conference it was refreshing to come across that closed to schools produce nonetheless let their teachers to attend conferences. I speedily discovered that the chance to larn nigh maths together with educate equally a instructor was immense.

Because I was presenting on the Sat I got to attend that solar daytime for free, together with I was staggered past times both how much I learnt together with past times how much I enjoyed learning. The selection of sessions was huge - over the 3 days at that topographic point were 12 sessions together with inwards each session delegates could direct from 8 options. Many, but non all, sessions were focussed on Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bird instruction and/or the purpose of technology.

Ideas for Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Level

The commencement session I attended was "The aspirational degree due east student" past times David Philip together with Claire Phillips. The session was nigh how to back upward AS maths students who convey an due east equally their baseline/target grade. We started past times discussing the reasons that thus many students neglect AS bird maths together with thus institute out what David together with Claire convey done at their schoolhouse to improve results. I've persuasion nigh this number earlier (see my post Bridging the Gap to Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 level) thus it was bang-up to remove heed what they've been doing, including:

• They run an algebra bootcamp inwards the 3 days earlier term starts for degree B GCSE students.
• They number students amongst a self-assessment workbook containing the MEI practice for each chapter (and links to solutions).
• They purpose a flipped learning approach for the basics (ie students spotter videos at abode inwards advance of closed to lessons). Feedback from students has been good.
• They convey a department Twitter account (@mathsnewvic) which is the alone means they communicate sure enough pieces of vital data (eg when the side past times side bear witness is).
• They hit students information nigh what questions volition live inwards assessments inwards advance (eg 'the side past times side bear witness volition consist questions from 2011 past times papers') - students thus produce all those questions to gear upward for the assessment, which is amend than doing nada at all.
• They convey whiteboard pigment on the walls. I wrote nigh Vertical Whiteboards in Gems 7 and in ane lawsuit again I've been convinced of their effectiveness. There are lots of alternatives (eg magic whiteboards or writing on windows) if yous can't purpose whiteboard paint. David together with Claire said that oftentimes their students become far inwards lessons together with start solving problems on the walls direct away - sometimes they don't fifty-fifty seat their bags down! If they acquire stuck they are much to a greater extent than probable to inquire closed to other pupil for assist than if they were sitting down. Another delegate said that this approach had transformed her teaching.

There's likewise a few things that David together with Claire conception to implement side past times side year. They intend to brand assessment results (broken downwards past times question) world thus students know who the goodness is inwards each topic, together with they tin thus become to their peers for help. They are likewise going to brand purpose of the MathsWatch App which is gratuitous for students when the schoolhouse subscribes to MathsWatch (the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bird video collection is growing).

Problem Solving
I likewise attended a session on Problem Solving at Key Stage 3 together with four amongst Phil Chaffé. During this session I had fun trying out a hit of maths problems.

My favourite problem, which I recollect would live specially suitable for Year 8 or 9, was 'Zag Area 1', which is shown below together with available to download (with solution) from Integral (login required).

The session notes likewise featured these occupation organization bill of fare problems from the FMSP - these volition live available online from September.

All the problems featured inwards this session were drawn from Integral, the FMSP together with Nrich. If you're looking for occupation solving resources thus produce likewise cheque out my recent postal service Favourite Problems.

Mathematical Methods
National Mathematics Teacher Conference inwards March. It was nigh alternative mathematical approaches (eg all the unlike methods nosotros tin purpose to abide by the highest mutual component of 2 numbers). If yous await my 'Methods' page then you'll come across the posts I wrote after the lastly conference explaining the content of my workshop.

This fourth dimension I added an extra subdivision to my presentation - I spoke nigh how to factorise harder quadratics. I demonstrated 3 methods. The commencement was the 'guess together with test' method (commonly used past times anyone over the historic menses of 20), the minute was the 'grouping' method (used past times many Great Britain teachers) together with the 3rd was the 'slide together with divide' method (sometimes used inwards the US, but considered a 'trick' past times many). We talked nigh advantages, disadvantages together with alternatives. If you're interested inwards finding out to a greater extent than thus come across my postal service Factorising Harder Quadratics, which I've only updated. An interesting alternative approach that many delegates had non seen earlier was 'the monic method', which is demonstrated inwards these 2 examples:

I promise that delegates institute my session useful. I did acquire closed to dainty encouraging feedback later on thus I recollect it went well.

Summary

The plenary 'Bouncing Bombs together with Boomerangs' past times Dr Hugh Hunt, Senior Lecturer inwards the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, was entertaining together with fascinating. Overall my whole solar daytime at the MEI Conference was fantastic together with I regret non beingness able to attend to a greater extent than sessions.

So at that topographic point ends my busy week. I've fallen means behind amongst my to-do listing thus forthwith it's fourth dimension to acquire dorsum on track. First up, I'll proceed to operate on my page of resources for the new GCSE specification.

Thanks to MEI for organising such a high character conference - I actually promise I'm able to attend in ane lawsuit again side past times side year.