Monthly Archives: March 2013

Mar 30 2013

Resources for Constructions and Loci

1.  Worksheets and activities – Construction and Loci from the Year 9 book of the Mathematics Enhancement Program.  A very useful set of pages from CIMT with examples and exercises: http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/book9/bk9_12.pdf 

Screen Shot 2013-03-30 at 21.08.13

Continue reading →

Mar 16 2013

Lesson Planning and The Plenary – Some ideas and printable resources for you to use

If you look over this excellent and helpful document on Lesson Planning and the famous “Plenary “, you’ll see that it says that:

“There are a number of reasons why the plenary tends to be the least successful part of the lesson. Sometimes teachers have not planned it sufficiently thoroughly or don’t allow enough time for it. Sometimes the teacher does all the work instead of making sure that the pupils are as active in this part of the lesson as they are in the starter, perhaps summing up without giving the pupils an opportunity to articulate what they have learned.”

Also, OFSTED say that it is looking for the following:

“…plenary sessions in lessons are used flexibly and geared to giving pupils an opportunity to say what they have learned.”

So I found a brilliant website that helps with this challenge.  Visit FortheTeachers Blog and you’ll find some very helpful (and printable) ideas!

Friday Five: Tools for Reflection – For the Teachers.

Mar 6 2013

InThinking – Teach Maths

Teach Maths.

Mission

InThinking is an innovative educational consultancy service which provides quality training for teachers & administrators in IB World Schools. We are also committed to developing outstanding web-based teacher resources and to promoting critical thinking across the curriculum.

Core Activities

1. Teacher Workshops We specialise in workshops for IB teachers & administrators. Since 2004 we have run over 180 workshops which have been attended by more than 3000 participants from 520 schools in 73 countries.

2. School Visits Our consultants are available to visit schools and provide on-site training. We offer whole-staff INSET and subject specific training for departments which can be tailored to your specific needs.

3. Teacher Resources We offer a variety of high quality educational resources ranging from quarterly newsletters to subscription subject sites for teachers.

4. Student Workshops We run student workshops and conferences throughout the academic year and a two week student summer camp every July. Our focus throughout is on the development of critical thinking skills.

Mar 6 2013

3 quick ways to improve your lessons – Awareness, Activity, Acclaim

Although some topics can be fascinating or relevant to everyday life, mathematics lessons don’t always lend themselves to engaging and inspiring activities.  Here are three ideas that I usually consider when I’m not sure how to liven up a lesson that needs some flair:

1.  AWARENESS.  How can I get them thinking about this topic?

Use a short video clip, a picture, a story, a song or an interesting object to capture the interest of students right at the beginning of the lesson.

2.  ACTIVITY.  What will students do during the lesson?

Focus on what you will do to keep the students active.  Let them create a foldable booklet, complete a Tarsia puzzle, use mini-whiteboards or participate in an online quiz that you have created.

3.  ACCLAIM.  What will make them remember this lesson?

Find a way to make the lesson unique, memorable and eventful.  Use a new classroom management technique, focus on one particular word or have a major theme that relates to each aspect of the lesson.

To illustrate the ideas above, here is my plan for a topic that I will be teaching to a Year 7 group.  I have included a downloadable template to make it easier for you to try with your own lesson planning.

Image

3A Example lesson plan – ESTIMATION

3A lesson plan template MrWilliamsMaths