Dreaming Close Maths

I've alone been dorsum at function 3 weeks together with I've already started to dream nigh maths again. And non inwards a expert way. I score a laid of homeworks together with dream nigh the answers - they swim around my caput all nighttime long, tormenting me. Perhaps I shouldn't score inwards the evenings.

I also prevarication awake at nighttime thinking nigh lessons that didn't acquire well. I know, I know - don't dwell on them - afterwards all, I acquire from my mistakes together with they brand me a ameliorate teacher.

Today I desire to focus on the expert lessons. This post service is nigh 3 things that went good this week. As good every bit beingness therapeutic for me, hopefully there'll also endure some ideas hither to inspire you.

1. Angles
At the terminate of a sequence of lessons on angles amongst Year seven I gave out this vocabulary check. I told my students to examine to fill upwards it inwards without referring to their notes. I was pleased that some high lineament function was submitted:

It turned out to endure a genuinely worthwhile exercise for revealing misconceptions. The most mutual misconception was that co-interior angles are equal. There were also a lot of sketches missing the right parallel business notation:

Just forgetting the arrows or unaware the lines must endure parallel?

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few to a greater extent than surprising misconceptions came upwards too:

Worrying misunderstanding of the Definition of parallel

Confusion over vertically contrary angles

Normally I'd avoid an activity that doesn't genuinely involve solving maths problems, only I recollect I'll purpose this 1 in 1 trial again because it was thus revealing.

I took a commencement await at my Year 7's books this weekend. Some were a big mess thus I require to produce to a greater extent than function on improving their presentation. I recollect it's genuinely of import to constitute expert working practices inwards Year 7. The painting exhibit below shows 1 of the best books inwards the class. This is why I desire to purpose iVisualiser inwards my classroom - I desire to exhibit this student's mass to the degree every bit an illustration of how classwork should await (margins, sketches inwards pencil, clear workings, underlined answers etc).

2. Problems
At the terminate of a sequence of lessons I oftentimes brand an A3 canvas of problems relating to that topic. The questions come upwards from a multifariousness of sources including Median Don Steward together with Brilliant.org, together with sometimes I include 1 or 2 yesteryear GCSE questions. My students function inwards pairs answering the questions inwards whatever monastic state - sometimes this is for a whole lesson, sometimes one-half a lesson. The illustration below is 1 I used inwards a Year 10 quadratics lesson, afterwards they'd completed a bill of fare sorting activity.

The radius work (bottom left) originated from Chris Smith's newsletter together with I've mentioned it inwards a span of spider web log posts before. I told my Year 10s I'd endure real impressed if anyone managed to solve it. The adjacent lesson, 2 girls brought me the right solution together with talked me through their method. I honey it when students produce maths 'voluntarily' inwards their ain time, together with I honey it when they surprise me yesteryear figuring out the solution to a challenging problem.

Solving the radius problem

I gave the same work to my Year 9s. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few girls came upwards the solution 36 - although it was incorrect, their thinking was interesting. They correctly argued that the circle must endure inwards a foursquare - they thought that the overstep must endure a multiple of nine together with the side must endure a multiple of 8, thus the sides of the foursquare must endure a multiple of both nine together with 8 (ie 72). I similar their reasoning together with they explained it well, only there's no ground why the sides of the foursquare receive got to endure a multiple of 8 together with 9. Actually the radius is 29, thus the foursquare has sides of length 58.

I've been doing a lot of problem-based lessons this yr (using upwards my school's stocks of A3 paper!) together with I've been real impressed yesteryear my students' efforts thus far. They seem to relish these lessons, thus I'll proceed doing them every instantly together with then.

Lovely work for a surds work solving lesson

3. #LikeAGirl
This isn't maths, only it does receive got a link to maths thus deport amongst me.

I've taken on a Year eleven tutor grouping this term. They're lovely girls, if a lilliputian loud at times. I receive got 3 twenty infinitesimal afternoon registration slots to fill upwards each week. This calendar week I showed them the vivid #thisgirlcan video, only they didn't seem especially inspired. I recollect it has to a greater extent than of an deport on on women my historic menses than teenage girls. The Head of PE thus recommended the #likeagirl video together with this 1 got a ameliorate reaction. If you lot haven't seen it, produce receive got a look.


It struck me that this video has parallels amongst gender issues inwards maths together with science. I function at a girls' schoolhouse where these gender issues are non-existent. We receive got over 200 6th shape students taking maths - it's the most pop dependent area inwards the schoolhouse - together with at that spot is absolutely no perception of it beingness a 'male' subject. I acknowledge that at that spot are some disadvantages of single-sex education, only this liberty from the influence of gender stereotypes is 1 of the clearest advantages I've seen. If I was to tell my students that maths together with scientific discipline are male-dominated, they'd endure surprised together with perplexed. But inwards many schools (and inwards social club inwards general), doing maths 'like a girl' is considered an insult, similar throwing similar a daughter or running similar a girl.

The video genuinely got me thinking nigh the maths gender debate thus I'm going to position 'discovering this video' downwardly every bit my 3rd success of the week.

The rest
Please don't recollect that every lesson I learn goes well... far from it! Many lessons aren't worth commenting on, together with some could genuinely endure classified every bit disastrous... I tried Plickers for the commencement fourth dimension amongst Year seven on Friday. At the final infinitesimal my iPad app randomly froze thus I had to purpose my iPhone instead. Scanning the room took far likewise long. In fact, it was painfully slow. We gave upwards afterwards 4 questions, which was a shame because I'd spent a land setting it all up. I even thus genuinely similar the thought though, together with my students seemed to similar it too. So if I tin acquire it working in 1 trial again on my iPad, I'll definitely examine in 1 trial again some other day.

Speaking of trying novel technology, I've gear upwards a multiple selection examination for my Year 10s on Mon which I intend to score using Quick Key. I'll write nigh how it goes adjacent week.

Polygraph was the absolute highlight of the calendar week for me only I haven't featured it hither because I wrote a split post about it (as shortly every bit I got habitation from schoolhouse on Wednesday, because I was thus excited!).

That's it from me. I promise there's been some helpful ideas inwards this post. I recollect all teachers would honour it genuinely worthwhile to reverberate on a few things that went good each week. If you lot desire to slumber soundly, don't dwell on the bad stuff, only pat yourself on the dorsum for the expert stuff. And don't score afterwards 9pm!