Reflects

I began writing this weblog when I started motherhood travel out vii months ago. Now that my motherhood travel out is coming to an end, I'm inward a reflective mood. I fully intend to expire on writing it in i lawsuit I provide to operate because writing a weblog - along alongside joining Twitter - has been the best affair I've e'er done for developing my teaching.

I've learnt to a greater extent than inward the lastly vii months than I did inward the previous v years. I've learnt that other teachers are total of amazing ideas. I've learnt how of import it is hear to those ideas as well as to portion them alongside others. I've formed opinions on what plant good inward the classroom as well as what doesn't. I've decided where my priorities lie. I've been inspired past times the passion as well as dedication of others. I've learnt lots of novel mathematics. I've also learnt well-nigh wider issues inward education. I've learnt that it's impossible to handgrip alongside everyone only it's of import to stay positive as well as live supportive of my swain maths teachers. I value the advice as well as opinions of the Twitter community. I don't know how I survived without them.

Now I'm starting to project design lessons for the start fourth dimension since May, I've been looking dorsum through my posts.

Gems
Gems 13 was my most pop post ever. Writing these posts takes me a goodness few hours each weekend - fourth dimension that I'll demand for mark when I expire dorsum to work. So my v weekly gems may expire my 10 monthly gems.
Posts
Ideas from Shanghai was the post that made the biggest impact. I'm really proud that the ideas I featured made their means into classrooms all over the world. Here's a pocket-size pick of the comments made:

These tweets propose that my weblog is an effective channel for sharing teaching ideas.

I was pleased that most readers understood why I chose to focus on mathematical methods instead of discussing wider issues relating to the cultural, political as well as structural comparisons.

And it was a goodness demonstration of the ability of Twitter for sharing ideas on a global scale.

  

Thoughts on Teaching Fractions, Introducing Algebra and Introducing Differentiation. I establish these posts especially challenging to write - only worthwhile. For illustration I project design to totally alter the means I innovate calculus to my Year 12s afterwards researching choice approaches. If I didn't write a weblog I never would receive got taken the fourth dimension to scream back well-nigh it. Other pop topic posts included Ideas for Teaching Circle Theorems, Pythagoras' Theorem and Teaching Trigonometry. I welcome requests for hereafter posts.

I've written 74 weblog posts hence far, hence you lot powerfulness live wondering where to start if you're novel to reading my blog. If you're planning lessons as well as then I propose you lot role the search business office or the Practical Tips for (Newly) Qualified Teachers which has loads of ideas that powerfulness brand your life easier. If you lot learn Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 grade as well as then you lot powerfulness desire to read Bridging the Gap to Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Level which, cheers to Andrew Old, featured inward the Academies Week column Top Blogs of the Week.

My post Why Teach?, which gives an insight into why I became teacher, was also popular. 

It was my post Long Live Stem as well as Leaf that start got my weblog roughly attention. In this post I argued against Cav's visit that Stem as well as Leaf Diagrams were a welcome removal from the curriculum. This was the start fourth dimension I was brave plenty to assert an opinion! Since as well as then I've expire a to a greater extent than confident blogger.

#PREThomeworks

In August, Kathryn Forster tweeted roughly photos of her novel homework template:

I thought this was a truly goodness homework format - it would sure operate good alongside my students - hence I asked Kathryn if I could characteristic her template inward my adjacent gems post (Gems 3). There was a swell answer to this post, hence Kathryn as well as I started working on edifice upwardly a large collection of these homeworks. I gave them a get upwardly - 'Pret homeworks' - as well as nosotros asked for contributions through Twitter. I prepare a page on resourceaholic.com to portion contributions. This speedily became the busiest page on my website. I felt that these pop homeworks deserved their ain dedicated site hence I moved them to prethomework.weebly.com in October. We forthwith receive got 69 homeworks (the collection grows every week) from 27 contributors. The format has been adopted past times Science as well as English linguistic communication too. Again, this demonstrates the ability of Twitter equally a collaboration tool.

Sphere Pret homework by @_rhi_rhi

Resource Libraries
My resource libraries are total of recommendations. The Number page has been the most popular, closely followed by Algebra and Shape.  Interestingly, the Data resources are barely used inward comparison. When I expire dorsum to operate I scream back my Core AS and Statistics AS pages are going to live truly helpful because it's difficult to notice goodness Post-16 resources.

Misconceptions
I'm working on another project, a misconceptions website. You're welcome to receive got a await at it as well as give me roughly feedback, only deport inward heed that it's very early on days. I demand to give it its ain URL as well as I receive got loads to a greater extent than materials to add. But if you lot receive got a quick look, you'll acquire an thought of what I receive got inward mind. I promise it volition live a useful tool, especially for novel teachers. I scream back I powerfulness demand a span of volunteers to add together posts in i lawsuit it's upwardly as well as running hence delight allow me know if you're interested inward helping.

Still addicted?
I'm all the same really much addicted to searching the cyberspace for maths resources as well as forthwith I tin sack add together blogging to my listing of addictions... has expire blogaholic! It's been a swell vii months. I powerfulness receive got to cutting downwards soon, only at to the lowest degree in i lawsuit I'm dorsum at schoolhouse I'll truly acquire to endeavor things out earlier I recommend them. I can't write a goodness weblog well-nigh maths teaching if I'm non truly teaching whatever maths.

Please vote for me!
If you're a regular reader of my weblog as well as then you'll know that lately I've been asking people to vote for me inward the 2015 Great Britain Blog Awards. The listing of entrants inward the individual/freelance educational activity category is immense as well as many of the other entrants receive got tens of thousands of followers. Only i inward v of the blogs inward my category volition acquire through to the final. If you lot could spare a infinitesimal that would live fantastic - delight click hither to vote. Voting closes on tertiary Dec 2014.

Thanks for reading. ☺

My daughters as well as my blog!