5 Maths Gems #166

Welcome to my 166^th gems post. This is where I share some of the latest news, ideas and resources for maths teachers.

1. Mixed Interwoven Revision Tasks
@nathanday314 shared a set of interwoven revision tasks aimed at Year 11. These excellent tasks are editable and suitable for projecting on the screen. 

2. Completion Tables

@studymaths did a conference presentation on completion tables or 'fill in the blanks' activities. I've always been a big fan of this task format which features so much opportunity for challenge and reasoning. There are loads of lovely examples on @studymaths' Twitter feed. Here are a couple that I particularly like. First, one on standard form.

And second, one on functions - the idea for this one came from @PaulRodrigo2718.

3. Sparx Workbooks

Sparx Maths has shared a free set of Crossover Workbooks - these might be helpful for GCSE revision or intervention sessions.

Speaking of intervention, I've recently started running a Year 11 maths intervention in tutor time and I wrote a thread about how I'm structuring it. It includes a link to the diagnostic test that I used at the start of the intervention.

4. Formula Sheet Tasks
This year our students will receive formula sheets in their GCSE, and we need to make sure they know how to use them effectively. It's possible that they will forget they have this sheet in the exam because they're not used to using one. I've previously blogged about resources that students can use to practise using the formula sheet, including these 'Assessment Aid Tests' from @taylorda01 and these formula sheet tasks and PowerPoints from @Just_Maths. Thanks to @colleenyoung for drawing my attention to another resource: formula sheet tests from OCR. These are useful no matter what awarding body you use. OCR has also published some formula sheet top tips. 

5. Problem Solving Techniques
Thanks to @SarahFarrellKS2 for sharing a blog post about supporting students with problem solving techniques. This is aimed at primary teachers but there's lots of sensible advice for everyone. It features resources for teachers and maths leads to use. 

Update
There are two things you only have one more day to do: 

• Book a place at the Joint Conference of Mathematics Subject Associations and receive the early bird discount. This takes place at Warwick University in the Easter holidays. I've booked my place! I'm really looking forward to it.
• Apply for the Key Stage 5 Maths Coordinator Role at my school which is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in the launch of a new Sixth Form. Alternatively, if you want to teach A level at my school but you don't fancy the TLR, please get in touch.

Here are some things you might have missed:

• More GCSE Revision Grids were shared by @OTHMaths
• @MattTheApp continues to add new features to mathswhiteboard.com. The most recent addition is a 'Catch Phrase' style game called Maths Phrase.
• @jemmaths shared OAT Maths which is a fully resourced and freely available curriculum project developed by her team at Ormiston Academies Trust.
• @mrsouthernmaths shared an  A Level Maths and Further Maths parallel schedule which is very helpful for me as I need to plan my A level curriculum this year.
• @boss_maths shared a lovely blog post about the words nine and new which I found absolutely fascinating.
• Lots of generous teachers continued to share excellent resources: check out the Twitter feeds of @ChrisMcGrane84, @draustinmaths and @giftedHKO to see their latest creations. Also note that @ChrisMcGrane84 is running another task design course which you can register for now.

Yesterday, Craig Barton and I spent the day at a recording studio working on a project with AQA. Watch this space!

Finally, I'll leave you with this 'Spicy Question' from @1stclassmaths. You can find more spicy questions here - there's lots of great challenge for your students in these questions. 

Tips for Teachers

Exciting news! Craig Barton has a new book out: Tips for Teachers. If you're a maths teacher who reads my blog then I'll be surprised if you haven't read at least one of Craig's other books, so I don't need to tell you how utterly engaging his style of writing is. You already know that this book will be a thoroughly enjoyable read, packed full of sensible and practical teaching ideas. It's classic Craig.

In this book Craig takes things that many experienced teachers already do, and tells us how to do them considerably better. And for people new to teaching, highly effective classroom practices are broken down and explained in such a way that they are super easy to implement for the first time.

For example, Craig tells us how to Cold Call, how to use mini-whiteboards, how to do exit tickets and what to do if a student says 'I don't know'. He tells us what we're doing wrong and how to get better. I've been teaching a long time now, but when I read this book it made me acutely aware that I can improve in a number of areas. All teachers can always improve. It forced me to reflect on my embedded routines and wonder if a few tweaks here and there might benefit my students.

Questioning 

My favourite bits of advice are those regarding questioning and checking for understanding. I thought I was pretty good at questioning until I read these sections! In Craig's advice on improving Cold Calling, he gives detailed explanations and advice on:

1. Telling students why you're doing Cold Call

2. Asking the question, then saying the name

3. Giving adequate wait time before taking the answer

4. Asking students to respond using full sentences

5. Giving adequate wait time after hearing the response

6. Managing your tell

7. Promoting active listening

This takes the reader from this starting point (i.e. not very good use of Cold Call):

Teacher: Harry, can you tell me Pythagoras' Theorem?

Harry: c² = a² + b²

Teacher: Fantastic. Okay, next question...

right through to this:

Teacher: Okay, no shouting out, everyone silent thinking (wait)...  What is Pythagoras' Thereom?... (wait) ... Harry?

Harry: c² = a² + b²

Teacher: Full sentence please...

Harry: Pythagoras' Theorem is c² = a² + b²

Teacher: (wait) Thank you, Harry. Kyle, what do you think of what Harry just said?

There are further examples, including those that show a sequence of Cold Calls. 

What I like about Craig's books is that he explains things incredibly well, because he's an outstanding teacher himself. He practises what he preaches - his book is full of very clear modelling, making it easy for teachers to learn techniques and apply them in their own classroom.

In terms of checking for understanding and addressing misconceptions - something that is vitally important in the maths classroom but maths teachers often struggle with - I love Tom Sherrington's '8 out of 10' tip on Page 189 (read the book for more on this!).

Rounding Up

The other section that really struck a chord with me is about 'Rounding Up'. 

Rounding up, as it's described by Doug Lemov, is when a teacher responds to a partially or nearly correct answer by affirming it and adding critical detail to make the answer fully correct. Like this: 

Teacher: What is a good first step when trying to solve 6x + 5 = 29... Molly?

Molly: You move the add 5 to the other side, and it becomes a takeaway 5.

Teacher: Nice! So you are saying subtract 5 from both sides of the equation, because subtracting 5 is the inverse operation of adding 5.

I do this all the time, and I kind of feel like it's important to do it to ensure my students are always exposed to clear and correct explanations. But this book made me question my thinking on this.

Craig explains why we shouldn't round up, and gives examples of more effective exchanges between student and teacher. Since I read this, I've been working on improving my questioning and cutting down the frequency of my 'rounding up'.

***

Just like Craig's other books, Tips for Teachers is incredibly useful for both new and experienced teachers. If you're a reflective practitioner who is always striving to improve, then read it - I think you'll be surprised by the sheer volume of good ideas. 

This excellent book again shows us that Craig Barton is one of the UK's leading experts in teacher development.