This calendar week I spent iv days at the ATM-MA Conference. It was great! I went to a broad diversity of sessions in addition to receive got come upwards dwelling amongst a lot to reverberate on. In my electrical flow purpose (working mainly to improve Year xi results) I experience similar I've started to lose sight of what mathematics teaching is all about. Next twelvemonth I'll last teaching alone Year vii in addition to 8 in addition to am looking frontwards to trying some novel approaches. This conference presented the perfect chance to get together my thoughts.H5N1 residential conference is a real dissimilar experience to the ane hateful solar daytime events I unremarkably attend. There were numerous opportunities to create lots of maths in addition to encounter lots of novel people. I enjoyed the social activities in addition to I was impressed past times the venue in addition to the means the conference was organised past times the ATM.
I'm a trustee of The Mathematical Association in addition to real proud to correspond them at events similar this. The members of MA Council are lovely in addition to I believe that the operate they create is truly of import to our profession. Not alone create they receive got an incredibly rich history going dorsum to 1871, but they also receive got exciting times ahead amongst Ems Lord of Nrich every bit President in addition to Hannah Fry every bit President Designate. If you lot desire to join, secondary membership is alone £5.20 a month. I'm already looking frontwards to the 2 nighttime MA Conference inward 2020 which I'm absolutely for sure volition last awesome. I promise that lots of my readers volition bring together me there.
I've decided to utilization this weblog post to part v ideas in addition to resources I saw at #ATMMA19. Obviously I'm non sharing whatsoever of the large ideas in addition to deep thinking inward a brusque weblog post - you lot receive got to truly expire to these conferences for that kind of affair - but at that topographic point mightiness last a few helpful things hither that people haven't seen before. I enjoyed literally every unmarried session I attended at this conference in addition to haven't talked almost them all inward this post, but create receive got a brain to me in addition to Craig Barton chatting almost the first two days of the conference on Craig's podcast:
Conference Takeaway - #ATMMA19 Day 1
Conference Takeaway - #ATMMA19 Day 2
1. Etudes
Colin Foster did an first-class opening plenary. Here I'm merely sharing ane activity nosotros had a expire at during his talk: 'Percentage Change'. Visit his website mathematicaletudes.com for lots to a greater extent than similar this. You truly receive got to receive got a expire at these tasks to larn how goodness they are. The thought is that students prepare procedural fluency inward rich work solving contexts.
Craig in addition to I had a nifty fourth dimension at the Nrich workshop run past times Alison Kiddle in addition to Charlie Gilderdale. We did iii tasks which are all linked from the conference page on the Nrich website.
Polygon rings was a highlight of the conference for me! I dearest a fleck of angle geometry. I specially liked how fun it was to seat together our polygon rings using ATM Mats, knowing amongst absolute certainty that they would jibe together perfectly because we'd worked out the angles.
3. SMILE
Steve Lyon in addition to Mike Anderson from STEM Centre ran a session inward which nosotros all got to receive got a expire at some tasks from former SMILE resources in addition to and then speak almost which tasks nosotros enjoyed. There are c2000 SMILE resources which receive got been scanned inward in addition to uploaded to the STEM Centre website. It's an overwhelming number of resources therefore a goodness house to start is amongst the SMILE cards here which are organised past times topic.
There were a number of delegates inward this session who had never heard of SMILE. I utilization SMILE resources occasionally but I know at that topographic point are hundreds I've never seen. The resources that Steve in addition to Mike had chosen for this session are inward booklets here. I didn't endeavor all of them but specially enjoyed 'Multiplication Review' (SMILE Card 2386) where students are asked to appear at v dissimilar multiplication methods in addition to endeavor to empathise what's going on. Although I'd looked at 'Russian Peasant Multiplication' earlier I'd never truly taken the fourth dimension to intend almost why it works. It was a prissy affair to operate out.
If you lot similar this in addition to then also banking concern check out this vivid pack of SMILE activities 'Standards Unit a fair fleck but had non seen the 'Dissecting a Square' task.
There is therefore much to a greater extent than to speak almost from this presentation but I can't part the whole lot here! So create banking concern check out all of Don's slides on his blog.
I accept every chance to nowadays at conferences for 2 reasons - showtime because I'm ever therefore excited to part all the fascinating materials I've found, in addition to 2d because I intend it's truly of import that both women in addition to classroom teachers seat themselves frontwards to speak at didactics events. We can't complain almost beingness underrepresented if nosotros don't volunteer to speak. At this conference, where anyone was welcome to submit a workshop proposal, I worked out that almost 43% of the speakers were female. That's non bad, but given that our profession is dominated past times women, nosotros could create better. I truly really encourage all teachers, specially females, to consider submitting a presentation for adjacent year's conferences when the fourth dimension comes. If you lot receive got a item surface area of expertise, or create something interesting inward your classroom, or if you've done some research, or you lot desire to part some nifty tasks in addition to activities, in addition to then delight create larn involved.
Finally, listeners of the podcast volition know that Craig in addition to I were rather hopeful that nosotros mightiness win the quiz ane time to a greater extent than later on in conclusion year's surprise victory. We pulled together a nifty squad (me, Craig, Andrew Taylor, David McEwan in addition to David Bedford), in addition to hither nosotros are all looking rather optimistic at the start of the night:
We definitely chose the incorrect circular to play our joker, but nosotros even therefore ended upwards coming 3rd which made me real happy because nosotros won Easter eggs! Well done to the teams that came showtime in addition to 2d (including our quiz nemesis, the lovely Alison Kiddle) - real good played.
I also desire to state give cheers you lot to Jen Shackley, Andy Sharpe, Ben Sparks in addition to David Bedford for keeping me companionship at in addition to later on the slightly bonkers (but delightful) opened upwards mic trial on the in conclusion nighttime of the conference. What fabulous people.
See you lot all ane time to a greater extent than adjacent time!
Students are asked to operate out what fraction in addition to percent of the foursquare each department is. When looking at this trace of piece of work nosotros had some interesting discussions almost what prior noesis is required, what reasoning is involved, in addition to what assumptions must last made to consummate it. Following this trace of piece of work students are asked to brand upwards their ain dissection on a grid amongst 100 squares - this becomes a truly interesting trace of piece of work for agreement percentages. Some nifty examples are also provided for degree discussion.
Although I was introduced to the Standards Unit on my PGCE it took me a quite a few years to realise that instead of merely using the tasks, I should truly read the suggested approaches in addition to intelligence prompts that expire amongst each task. The resources in addition to their accompanying notes are absolutely brilliant.
We did a lot to a greater extent than inward Heather's session that truly got me thinking, but I volition merely advert ane to a greater extent than affair here: Heather gave us a 'what's the same, what's different?' film to ponder:
I noticed that both shapes had ane yoke of parallel sides. Heather started the intelligence past times bespeak who had spotted the most boring affair that these shapes had inward common. I was almost to offering my proffer because I thought it was going to last a pretty mutual answer, but in addition to then others offered answers similar 'they're both shapes' in addition to 'they're the same colour'. Then it got a fleck competitive, amongst people trying to come upwards up amongst something fifty-fifty to a greater extent than boring. And every bit a number I started noticing to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than things almost these shapes. The nifty affair almost this start to a intelligence is that it gets fifty-fifty the most reluctant or to the lowest degree confident students contributing, noticing things, in addition to smiling. What a lovely idea.
Students tin of course of written report endeavor some numbers, though I await that most teachers would expire direct for algebra.
5. Don Steward
It was wonderful to reckon Don Steward again. I showtime met him when he presented at my schoolhouse dorsum inward March 2016. His workshop was on probability - he spoke almost its house inward the curriculum, showed us some wonderful tasks for teaching it, in addition to shared some fascinating historical context. He has shared his presentation inward iii weblog posts:
Obviously there's loads of nifty materials hither therefore you lot should download the presentations. In this post I'm merely sharing a few extracts.
This query is lovely:
Don's laid of 'probability in addition to words' tasks are nifty fun. I receive got used these before.
Don's ideas on teaching systematic listing are fantastic. For example, hither is ane means of thinking almost the ordering of A, B in addition to C.
H5N1 prissy thought when teaching students systematic listing is to nowadays them amongst lists amongst bits missing:
And banking concern check out how beautifully animated this is:
My Presentations
I presented twice on Wednesday. First I did a v infinitesimal slot during David Acheson's speak 'Proof past times Chocolate etc'. I spoke almost amusing contexts from former maths textbooks. Later I did my ain 1.5 hr presentation on the development of vocabulary inward maths teaching. I mightiness nowadays some of that at La Salle's adjacent conference inward Sheffield therefore I'm non sharing the slides on here. If you lot were at the presentation experience gratuitous to electronic mail me for a copy.I accept every chance to nowadays at conferences for 2 reasons - showtime because I'm ever therefore excited to part all the fascinating materials I've found, in addition to 2d because I intend it's truly of import that both women in addition to classroom teachers seat themselves frontwards to speak at didactics events. We can't complain almost beingness underrepresented if nosotros don't volunteer to speak. At this conference, where anyone was welcome to submit a workshop proposal, I worked out that almost 43% of the speakers were female. That's non bad, but given that our profession is dominated past times women, nosotros could create better. I truly really encourage all teachers, specially females, to consider submitting a presentation for adjacent year's conferences when the fourth dimension comes. If you lot receive got a item surface area of expertise, or create something interesting inward your classroom, or if you've done some research, or you lot desire to part some nifty tasks in addition to activities, in addition to then delight create larn involved.
Finally, listeners of the podcast volition know that Craig in addition to I were rather hopeful that nosotros mightiness win the quiz ane time to a greater extent than later on in conclusion year's surprise victory. We pulled together a nifty squad (me, Craig, Andrew Taylor, David McEwan in addition to David Bedford), in addition to hither nosotros are all looking rather optimistic at the start of the night:
See you lot all ane time to a greater extent than adjacent time!
