5 Maths Gems #114

Welcome to my 114^th gems post. This is where I part some of the latest news, ideas too resources for maths teachers.

1. Polypad
Philipp Legner, author of the beautiful website Mathigon, has been working on some novel resources for schools too teachers. The commencement novel tool - published today - is a library of virtual manipulatives called Polypad.

There are polygons, fraction bars, issue too algebra tiles, Cuisenaire rods, pentominoes, too many other features. Like all of Mathigon, it's completely costless to purpose too industrial plant on all mobile too desktop devices.

2. Don Steward
Don has been publishing loads of novel resources lately. I'd dear to part all of them hither simply it makes to a greater extent than feel for yous to see his blog too scroll through them yourself! I've started to add together them to my resource libraries.

One illustration is his recent laid of exercises titled 'Linear equations extras'. Next twelvemonth I'll last teaching a duo of Year 8 classes. The system of run includes a unit of measurement on linear equations. They commencement met this theme inward Year 7. Once I've assessed how expert my pupils are at solving linear equations, I mightiness dip into Don's questions if appropriate - they acquaint a expert chance for stretch too challenge equally good equally interleaving. Take for illustration these linear equations that involve decimals.  Here pupils tin develop their fluency inward solving equations too at the same fourth dimension do working alongside decimal operations.

3. Arithmetic Sequences
Sarah Carter (blog post virtually how she uses Step Puzzles from Naoki Inaba when teaching arithmetics sequences.

These puzzles are accessible to whatsoever historic catamenia group. By looking at the illustration higher upwards yous tin likely figure out how they run without whatsoever instructions. The numbers along each conduct job must cast a linear sequence.

There are lots of examples on Sarah's weblog - they start off slow simply acquire much to a greater extent than challenging. There's also an English linguistic communication language version of this resources on TES. I'm teaching sequences to Year vii side yesteryear side term - I promise to plow over my pupils some fourth dimension to play alongside these lovely puzzles.

4. Templates
Thanks to Ben Gordon (@mathsmrgordon) for sharing a laid of editable worked example templates. There are diverse layouts of Frayer models, illustration pairs, guidance fading too wrong examples.

I'll last using Frayer models side yesteryear side twelvemonth - I convey a plan!

5. Puzzle of the Week
Andy Sharpe (@asharpeducator) has been running Puzzle of the Week for a piece now. There are straight off 100 puzzles on puzzleofthweek.com inward the Puzzle Library, all costless too sortable yesteryear theme too difficulty.

Why non encourage your students to submit solutions to the weekly competition? This would run good equally business office of a schoolhouse puzzle club. Information virtually how to come inward is here.

Updates
Twitter is relatively serenity during the summertime holidays these days. It's really dissimilar to 5 years agone when the summertime vacation catamenia was awash alongside weblog posts too tweets virtually maths teaching too resources. Conversations this summertime arrive at from a violent combat virtually how to position cream too jam on a scone (I convey no idea, simply I do quite fancy a scone...) too intelligence virtually really horrific political developments (it's similar the Handmaid's Tale is really happening). If you're taking a summertime pause from Twitter, hither are a few bits too pieces yous mightiness convey missed.

• MEI's (@MEIMaths) latest app Sumaze! Adventure is straight off out. I dear Sumaze!
• I updated my conferences page. It straight off lists national maths instructor events inward 2019/20. If you've non attended before, why non come upwards along to a conference side yesteryear side year? You mightiness dear it.
• If yous desire to attend the 1 24-hour interval preparation course 'Marvellous Maths Teaching' that I'm running alongside Craig Barton therefore it would last a expert thought to acquire your asking inward at schoolhouse inward early on September earlier it sells out. We've already sold 100 tickets. 
• The MA's July 2019 eNews came out, sharing news, puzzles too resources for maths teachers.
• 42 mathsy activities, 1 for every 24-hour interval of the schoolhouse holidays. 
• Craig Barton (@mrbartonmaths) published his latest Slice of Advice podcast "What did yous acquire this year?". Maths teacher Charlotte (@mrshawthorne7) made this awesome sketchnote piece she was listening. 

Here are some ideas too resources I've had through on e-mail over the few weeks:

• Maths instructor Laurie Luscombe (@mrluscombemaths) sent me a fantastic description of his approach to introducing the surface area of a circle. This is good worth a read when you're planning lessons on this topic.
• Australian maths instructor Wendy Taylor emailed me virtually her website mathsquad.org which includes costless homework booklets for Year 7. If you're thinking of using homeworks for mixed theme retrieval therefore do convey a hold off at these booklets.
• Martin Lofthouse pointed out that Active Maths is straight off costless to use. I used to purpose this inward my NQT twelvemonth simply it required a subscription dorsum then. For illustration banking concern check out the tree diagrams whiteboard worksheet and match the spinner alongside the graph (see gif below). Also convey a hold off at fishy equations and the speed distance fourth dimension tool and the ratio generator.

I've been working on my workshop for #mathsconf21 inward Peterborough inward October. I've constitute therefore many dandy resources I can't hold off to purpose them alongside my pupils side yesteryear side twelvemonth too part them at the conference.

I mightiness acquaint the same workshop at #mathsconf20 inward Edinburgh simply I can't decide!

I've been working hard on my mass 'A Compendium of Mathematical Methods'. I'm over halfway through straight off too convey started talking to publishers which is really exciting.

Because I'm focusing on my mass summation a duo of other projects this summer, too spending a lot of fourth dimension alongside my household unit of measurement (we're off to Bailiwick of Jersey side yesteryear side week!), I won't last blogging much during the holidays. If you're planning lessons for September therefore yous mightiness abide by some of my posts from previous years helpful, such equally Year vii Maths Activities too Bridging the Gap: Revisited (for Year 12 teachers).

I'll exit yous alongside this moving painting of a weight motorcar that appears to last present a existent life Normal distribution, shared yesteryear @gin_and_tacos.

Two Maths Apps For Children

A piffling piece agone I had a comment on my weblog from a raise who asked if I could recommend some apps for their children. I couldn't at the time, but directly I can. I late did some locomote researching some of the best apps related to maths, logic as well as work solving for all Key Stages (from historic catamenia 4 through to eighteen). There are many! In the procedure of doing this query I downloaded some bright apps for my ain children to endeavor out. My daughters Maddie (7) as well as Hettie (5) got to hold upwards my guinea pigs, as well as thankfully they actually loved the apps I chose for them. I've decided to write almost 2 of my favourite apps here. This is the start fourth dimension I've written a shipping aimed at parents rather than teachers. Note that I bought these apps myself - no 1 has paid me to promote their app (I don't practise that!).

Thinkrolls
As I write this shipping my 5 yr one-time is sitting adjacent to me playing Thinkrolls. She loves it! Every directly as well as and thence she asks me to plow over her a hint when she gets stuck. I endeavor non to plow over her a hint - I know she tin locomote every score out herself, in 1 lawsuit she's had a mean value almost it. Thinkrolls is a beautiful piffling game as well as absolutely perfect for her age. Easy agency is aimed at 3 to 5 yr olds as well as difficult agency is for ages 5 to eight. The thought is to motion cute piffling characters around mazes. It takes logic as well as creative thinking. It's super fun, as well as good worth the £3.99.

I've e'er been actually hesitant almost paying for apps but directly I realise that's a chip giddy - I purchase books as well as board games, I rent films as well as subscribe to Netflix, I pay for swimming lessons as well as Kung Fu as well as thence on - thence I'm non certain why I thought that I shouldn't pass £3.99 on a clever piffling educational app.

I'm really pleased to come across that the developer of Thinkrolls has a let out of similar apps thence that when nosotros complete the start Thinkrolls nosotros tin endeavor some other 1 inward the series. 

Slice Fractions
My 7 yr one-time has been playing Slice Fractions. This is direct related to the maths curriculum but I don't mean value she thinks of it equally a maths game. To her it's but a game involving woolly mammoths inward funny hats.

She's done a piffling chip of locomote on fractions at schoolhouse but she's really much a novice. As shortly equally the app introduced fraction annotation she started to uncovering it a chip tricky because she doesn't know the basic concepts (eg what a quarter is), but she's non been pose off. She loves it as well as she seems to hold upwards picking upwards the concepts pretty quickly. The makers of this app tell that query shows that "Slice Fractions significantly improved students’ surgery inward a really brusk total of time". So possibly this game volition aid to educate my daughter's agreement of fractions, likewise equally giving her opportunities to solve problems as well as mean value logically. And fifty-fifty if it doesn't aid her empathise fractions better, as well as thence there's no downside because to her it's but a fun game.

Slice Fractions is £3.99, as well as there's a sequel (Slice Fractions 2).

If yous receive got children a similar historic catamenia to mine, I recommend both Thinkrolls as well as Slice Fractions. In my see they're worth buying.

The other maths apps that are actually good respected are those from Dragonbox. They receive got apps for kids from historic catamenia 4 upwards to teenagers (including algebra for both 5 as well as twelve yr olds). I haven't tried them nonetheless but I've heard they are awesome.

By the agency - I haven't featured the bright apps Box Island as well as Sumaze Primary hither because I've blogged almost them before. I should cite Numberblocks though - they receive got 2 lovely apps, 1 of which is free.

Enjoy!

My guinea pigs!

Math ≠ Memorization

   

     Math inwards the the US has been taught via memorization for decades. Memorize multiplication facts. Memorize add-on tricks. Memorize procedures. Memorize songs for procedures. Memorize dances for procedures. I've seen them all, as well as I've heard skillful arguments for them all, exactly I disagree. I am non proverb that math students should non memorize, I am proverb DO NOT learn via memorization.
     
    Teaching math through memorization causes problems for all students. Clearly if a pupil struggles alongside recall, as well as that is the agency that the math is existence taught...they volition non learn. Those who tin memorize volition "excel" inwards math upwards to a surely point. These students volition eventually striking a wall as well as volition fighting alongside their mightiness to memorize procedures because of the difficulty of mathematics. They bring non developed problem-solving skills thus they all of a abrupt bring a real hard fourth dimension inwards math class.

    So...if you lot should non learn via memorization so how should you lot teach? Teach work solving to the indicate of understanding. If students tin explicate the "why" to a physical care for so they ain the concept. I discovery that many math teachers don't know the "why". This is a huge problem. Dig into the textile as well as larn it backwards as well as forwards. You quest to ain the textile earlier you lot await your kids to ain it.  Take the fourth dimension as well as analyze your math lesson plans. Identify textile that you lot learn through memorization as well as figure out a dissimilar agency to learn it. Your students volition exercise goodness from your extra work.

GRAB YOUR FREEBIES HERE!

Activate Your Classroom

      

     

Have you lot e'er been inwards a math degree too it feels similar a Charlie Brown classroom?  All you lot take away heed is "blah, blah, blahhhh." Unfortunately, when teachers lecture they oft create a "blah blah" classroom.

Passive vs. Active Classrooms
In passive classrooms, teachers do nearly or all of the thinking. Students oft only sit down in that place inwards the classroom similar a slice of furniture.  Teachers do all of the lecturing, if you're lucky students volition re-create a few notes inwards their unorganized notebooks.  Teachers oft learn using taught algorithms that students demand to memorize. Unfortunately these algorithms are without pregnant to the students. Teachers assign around exercise problems too students endeavour to do the homework too convey no sentiment how to do it. The motivated students volition assay assistance from their parents who oft only perish through the same algorithm alongside their pupil stride past times step. The to a greater extent than unmotivated students volition non do the homework. The instructor too thus silently labels the pupil every bit lazy, too doesn't focus on them every bit much. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 PASSIVE classroom is LECTURES.

In active classrooms, the students do nearly or all of the teaching. The teacher's fourth dimension becomes that of a moderator too mentor. Students are given tasks where they are meant to disclose the math, too perchance fifty-fifty disclose the algorithm. When students disclose mathematics, the math has pregnant too students volition retain a lot better. Teachers lead the thinking of the students to assistance them brand connections. Students are inwards accuse of their learning too ain the material. An ACTIVE classroom is QUESTIONS.

GRAB YOUR FREEBIES HERE!

Ask Yourself Why

    

      A mutual electrical load from parents is that they don't know how to assist their kid alongside their math because they "learned it differently". This comment lonely makes me realize how poorly math was taught inwards the past. The math has non changed. What the parents are actually maxim is "I never understood the concepts at a deep marking hence I don't know how to assist my child." This isn't the parents fault, together with I never think bad of worried parents. However, this is a mistake of the quondam system.

     With all that said, the bulk of teachers were educated alongside the quondam math system. So I ask, exercise nosotros sympathise the pure mathematics of what nosotros teach? Are their concepts that nosotros fighting alongside understanding? Now remember, agreement the mathematics of a concept does non hateful you lot own got memorized the algorithm. Understanding the math agency you lot know why, together with you lot tin explicate or fifty-fifty seek the concept mathematically. This agreement is imperative to pedagogy every marking of mathematics. Ask yourself why alongside everything that you lot teach. If you lot don't know why, together with then own got the fourth dimension to figure out why. Your ain marking of agreement volition reverberate inwards your students.

GRAB YOUR FREEBIES HERE!