24 January 2018

5 Maths Gems #82

Welcome to my 82nd gems post. This is where I share some of the latest news, ideas and resources for maths teachers.

1. GCSE Questions by Category
Jamie Frost (@DrFrostMaths) has started to create a set of "Full Coverage" GCSE revision worksheets. So far he's published question compilations for four topics: bounds, proof, functions and direct and inverse proportion. These compilations contain one example of each different category of past GCSE question for each topic. I expect I'll use these in revision lessons this summer.
2. Cover Me
The lovely people at MathsPad have made some new interactive 'Cover Me' puzzles for eighteen different topics. Four are free. I've enjoyed having a play with these.
3. GCSE Resources
David Morse (@maths4everyone) has shared a large number of free GCSE and iGCSE resources on TES - you can find them through maths4everyone.com. His collection includes a really helpful set of topic booklets and topic review sheets. I like the questions on these review sheets and have added a link to my 9 - 1 Revision Resources post.
Some of these would work well for Year 12 too.

4. Number Election
@MathsEdIdeas shared a lovely set of resources for a 'Favourite Number Election'. The idea is that students campaign for their favourite number and an election is held, perhaps to mark Pi Day or the NSPCC's Number Day. 
5. Visuals
I've recently spotted a few animations on Twitter that are worth sharing. @brilliantorg shared a visual representation of a difference of two squares.

Tim Brzezinski‏ (@dynamic_math) shared an interactive animation showing how to find the surface area of a cylinder, which is something students often seem to forget.



This tweet about representing an equation, and the excellent Twitter conversation that followed, is worth a look.


Also check out new website MathIsVisual.com which was created to assist in building a better conceptual understanding of mathematics through the use of visuals.

Update
I recently wrote another two posts about what I've found in old textbooks: Equations Exercises and Lost Vocabulary. I'll be sharing more old textbook exercises soon. In the meantime, if you enjoy browsing through old textbooks (my new hobby!) then here are a few links:

The big news in the world of maths education last week was the publication of Craig Barton's book 'How I Wish I'd Taught Maths'. I first read a review copy a couple of months ago and knew it would be a huge hit. It's great to see all the incredible feedback that Craig is getting. People love it. I was unbelievably chuffed when I saw my name on the back cover. My daughter keeps telling everyone that "mummy is on a book!". You can read my review here.

I'd like to say a belated thank you to Jamie Frost for inviting maths teachers on Twitter to festive drinks at his house earlier this month. I had a lovely evening.
I'm looking forward to the Kettering conference on 10th March. I'm not speaking at this conference but will be helping to run the MA book stand so do come along and say hello. I'll also be at the pre-conference drinks at the Premier Inn on the Friday night.

Also, don't forget that the early bird rate for BCME tickets ends next week - book now! It's the biggest maths conference of the year and takes place in the Easter holidays. I wrote a post about it here.

I'll leave you with this joke shared by @PG_Zan.








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