Tuesday, April 14, 2020

5 Maths Gems #4

Well the summertime holidays are good as well as really over. Many teachers, especially those who are relatively novel to teaching, volition pass this weekend making lists, planning lessons as well as experiencing that unsettling feeling of nervous excitement. If y'all create got fourth dimension to read this week's laid of maths gems, I promise they supply a petty calorie-free relief.

1. Maths lessons for maths teachers
I devote a lot of fourth dimension to thinking almost how to railroad train my teaching but pass far less fourth dimension edifice on my ain mathematical skills as well as knowledge. Whatever our background as well as nonetheless 'good' nosotros are at maths, there's ever to a greater extent than to learn. For example, I’ve never studied whatever mechanics inwards my life (I did Pure Maths Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 flat as well as a statistics degree) but SUVAT is on the novel GCSE syllabus as well as then I'd ameliorate uncovering out what it is.

I experience that my cognition of secondary schoolhouse core mathematics is pretty audio but this calendar week Ed Southall (@edsouthall) inadvertently pointed me inwards the administration of James Tanton's website (@jamestanton) and inside minutes I was learning novel things! Here's a few examples.

If asked to sketch the graph of y = x2 + 4x + 5, I'd realise that it can't live factorised as well as then I'd cheque the discriminant to confirm that this constituent has no existent roots. My side past times side pace would live to consummate the foursquare to create upwards one's heed the vertex. I don't similar completing the square. I've never thought to uncovering the vertex using this post written past times a pupil I flora out that inwards Republic of Lithuania 1st September is a 'celebration of cognition day'. Also, inwards the Lithuanian equivalent of our Year 13, they create got a '100 twenty-four lx minutes catamenia celebration' inwards which they create got a prom to commemorate that they create got solely 100 days left of school. The residuum of the post is to a greater extent than oftentimes than non almost clothing shopping for Lithuanian teenagers, as well as then non quite as well as then interesting... I'd similar to uncovering out to a greater extent than almost traditions inwards teaching around the world.

3. Plenaries, extensions, puzzles as well as loyalty cards
misstait.wordpress.com
This brilliant 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display got me thinking almost the materials I ready for my early on finishers. The creator of this display, Kerry Tait (@misstait_85), wrote a blog post describing the review tasks contained within, which are intended to encourage students to reverberate on their learning. This is a actually squeamish idea. Kerry is a scientific discipline instructor but this would operate as good inwards maths.

At the destination of my lessons I tend to become for extension activities rather than reflection tasks. In every lesson I give extension operate to the appropriate pupils at the appropriate time. My students know that I'm actually impressed if they create got a become at the extension cloth but at the same fourth dimension I emphasise that maths isn't a race. There's value inwards occasionally planning a relatively curt master copy exercise as well as an 'extension' that is accessible to all, non simply the brightest or the quickest. Most people relish beingness stretched. I desire all of my students to come upwards out of maths lessons feeling similar champions.

My extension operate is usually a challenging inquiry relating to the lesson theme but sometimes I purpose puzzles instead. For event at the destination of a Key Stage iii lesson on the monastic tell of operations I give students the classic four fours puzzle. For fifty-fifty an greater challenge there's this sixes puzzle shared by Chris Smith (@aap03102) (I recall my 6th formers would relish this one), or perchance fifty-fifty something on Friedman numbers.
@edfromo
Here's a few to a greater extent than puzzles as well as extensions I've come upwards across this week. My schoolhouse has a lunchtime puzzle guild for Year 7s as well as then these volition come upwards inwards handy at that topographic point too, as well as I may prepare a weekly puzzle board as suggested past times Mr Duffy (@MrDuffyMaths).

For the 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display, the creator says that she mightiness blueprint a checklist as well as prize organisation to encourage students to purpose the total attain of reflective tools. This proposition reminded me of a dyad of other ideas I saw on Twitter this week. In @CorbettMaths' post almost how to purpose his 5-a-day questions, he suggests that students set their completed questions inwards a ballot box as well as a fortnightly prize depict takes place. He also shared @MissKMcD's loyalty carte du jour ideas which she's explained inwards this weblog post 'Learning amongst Loyalty Cards'.
misskmcd.wordpress.com
4. Everyday lessons
My weblog is almost sharing creative ideas as well as engaging resources. But my lessons aren't all-singing all-dancing. If y'all were to uncovering most of my lessons you'd run across a pretty measure format of: starter, explanation, discussion, practice, extension. I create create opportunities for students to create investigations as well as exciting activities but non inwards every unmarried lesson. As y'all tin tell past times the championship of my blog, it's actually of import to me that I pick engaging resources. Sometimes that simply agency a good designed worksheet. Harry Webb's (@websofsubstancepost almost maths lessons as well as priorities is good worth a read, especially for NQTs who volition presently live drowning inwards lesson plans. In my NQT twelvemonth each lesson took me a dyad of hours to plan. Four years on, my lessons accept around xxx - 45 minutes to plan, which is soundless totally unsustainable as well as inefficient but I acquire a flake quicker every year. Being able to acquire skilful resources from my weblog should increase my planning speed as I won't create got to create as well as then much hunting for resources.

Harry's post also gave me a novel idea. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 box on the board for students to write downward the homework questions they flora difficult - such a uncomplicated thought but much ameliorate than how I create it at the moment, which unremarkably involves lots of students talking at me at once!

5. Bits as well as pieces
Here's a modest option of the other ideas I saw on Twitter this week:
  • I dearest this 'things to create when you're stuck' poster from The Maths Magpie (@TheMathsMagpie).
thegriddle.net
I flora out this calendar week that my term 'maths gems' is totally unoriginal - here's a squeamish 'assortment of mathematical marvels' which are also called maths gems. Speaking of nicely designed websites, create accept a hold off at Mathigon, shared this calendar week past times Chris Watts (@watchri01) - stunning, isn't it?

So that's it for this week. My theme resources posts volition render presently as well as I'll also operate on a this post written past times a pupil I flora out that inwards Republic of Lithuania 1st September is a 'celebration of cognition day'. Also, inwards the Lithuanian equivalent of our Year 13, they create got a '100 twenty-four lx minutes catamenia celebration' inwards which they create got a prom to commemorate that they create got solely 100 days left of school. The residuum of the post is to a greater extent than oftentimes than non almost clothing shopping for Lithuanian teenagers, as well as then non quite as well as then interesting... I'd similar to uncovering out to a greater extent than almost traditions inwards teaching around the world.

3. Plenaries, extensions, puzzles as well as loyalty cards
misstait.wordpress.com
This brilliant 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display got me thinking almost the materials I ready for my early on finishers. The creator of this display, Kerry Tait (@misstait_85), wrote a blog post describing the review tasks contained within, which are intended to encourage students to reverberate on their learning. This is a actually squeamish idea. Kerry is a scientific discipline instructor but this would operate as good inwards maths.

At the destination of my lessons I tend to become for extension activities rather than reflection tasks. In every lesson I give extension operate to the appropriate pupils at the appropriate time. My students know that I'm actually impressed if they create got a become at the extension cloth but at the same fourth dimension I emphasise that maths isn't a race. There's value inwards occasionally planning a relatively curt master copy exercise as well as an 'extension' that is accessible to all, non simply the brightest or the quickest. Most people relish beingness stretched. I desire all of my students to come upwards out of maths lessons feeling similar champions.

My extension operate is usually a challenging inquiry relating to the lesson theme but sometimes I purpose puzzles instead. For event at the destination of a Key Stage iii lesson on the monastic tell of operations I give students the classic four fours puzzle. For fifty-fifty an greater challenge there's this sixes puzzle shared by Chris Smith (@aap03102) (I recall my 6th formers would relish this one), or perchance fifty-fifty something on Friedman numbers.
@edfromo
Here's a few to a greater extent than puzzles as well as extensions I've come upwards across this week. My schoolhouse has a lunchtime puzzle guild for Year 7s as well as then these volition come upwards inwards handy at that topographic point too, as well as I may prepare a weekly puzzle board as suggested past times Mr Duffy (@MrDuffyMaths).

For the 'Finished? Try 1 of these...' display, the creator says that she mightiness blueprint a checklist as well as prize organisation to encourage students to purpose the total attain of reflective tools. This proposition reminded me of a dyad of other ideas I saw on Twitter this week. In @CorbettMaths' post almost how to purpose his 5-a-day questions, he suggests that students set their completed questions inwards a ballot box as well as a fortnightly prize depict takes place. He also shared @MissKMcD's loyalty carte du jour ideas which she's explained inwards this weblog post 'Learning amongst Loyalty Cards'.
misskmcd.wordpress.com
4. Everyday lessons
My weblog is almost sharing creative ideas as well as engaging resources. But my lessons aren't all-singing all-dancing. If y'all were to uncovering most of my lessons you'd run across a pretty measure format of: starter, explanation, discussion, practice, extension. I create create opportunities for students to create investigations as well as exciting activities but non inwards every unmarried lesson. As y'all tin tell past times the championship of my blog, it's actually of import to me that I pick engaging resources. Sometimes that simply agency a good designed worksheet. Harry Webb's (@websofsubstancepost almost maths lessons as well as priorities is good worth a read, especially for NQTs who volition presently live drowning inwards lesson plans. In my NQT twelvemonth each lesson took me a dyad of hours to plan. Four years on, my lessons accept around xxx - 45 minutes to plan, which is soundless totally unsustainable as well as inefficient but I acquire a flake quicker every year. Being able to acquire skilful resources from my weblog should increase my planning speed as I won't create got to create as well as then much hunting for resources.

Harry's post also gave me a novel idea. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 box on the board for students to write downward the homework questions they flora difficult - such a uncomplicated thought but much ameliorate than how I create it at the moment, which unremarkably involves lots of students talking at me at once!

5. Bits as well as pieces
Here's a modest option of the other ideas I saw on Twitter this week:
  • I dearest this 'things to create when you're stuck' poster from The Maths Magpie (@TheMathsMagpie).

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