My outset calendar week dorsum at run has been challenging to state the least. Eight novel classes, a novel Year xi tutor group, over 200 names to learn, changes to schoolhouse policies as well as practices, novel plant nursery routines for my toddler as well as baby... the listing goes on. I also celebrated a Fibonacci birthday this week, thence I’ve been actually busy both at run as well as at home. I know it volition acquire easier when I acquire dorsum into the swing of things. I received my timetable yesteryear electronic mail during the Christmas holidays thence at that spot was no chance for a handover with the previous teacher. This calendar week I've been busy trying to figure out what topics to instruct and, for my examination classes, how I'm going to agree everything inwards earlier study acquire out commences inwards May. I'm out of my comfort zone without detailed plans! I alone run iii days a calendar week but this yr I'm teaching viii dissimilar classes nether a undertaking part organization (double the seat out of classes I had terminal year!). I'll convey to survive real mindful of the sense of my students, who all convey at to the lowest degree ii maths teachers directly - switching betwixt teachers as well as topics tin survive hard for them.
Job sharing has its challenges but at that spot are simply about advantages, the master copy i existence that I directly convey my ain classroom (most part-timers are schoolhouse nomads). I dear non having to movement from room to room all the fourth dimension - it actually does brand my days less stressful.
When I left run to convey a babe I was Key Stage 5 Coordinator, a role that I loved. I don't convey a TLR anymore thence am focusing all my efforts on teaching. Since starting to write this spider web log as well as entering the Twittersphere I've acquire a much to a greater extent than reflective teacher. In this post I desire to part a pair of things that convey gone good this week.
Job sharing has its challenges but at that spot are simply about advantages, the master copy i existence that I directly convey my ain classroom (most part-timers are schoolhouse nomads). I dear non having to movement from room to room all the fourth dimension - it actually does brand my days less stressful.
When I left run to convey a babe I was Key Stage 5 Coordinator, a role that I loved. I don't convey a TLR anymore thence am focusing all my efforts on teaching. Since starting to write this spider web log as well as entering the Twittersphere I've acquire a much to a greater extent than reflective teacher. In this post I desire to part a pair of things that convey gone good this week.
Angles with Year 7
The matter I let on hardest nearly teaching Year vii is that I don't actually know what maths they've done inwards previous years. I demand to see simply about local primary schools as well as let on simply about Year vi maths lessons. This calendar week I found out that most of my students were aware that the interior angles of a triangle amount to 180o, but non aware that vertically reverse angles are equal. I found simply about questions (example below) inwards which they had to combine their existing noesis with their newly acquired knowledge. They found these quite challenging - I don't yell upwards they're used to multi-step questions similar this.
Finally, I recommend the brusque video Gems 19). I showed it inwards my lesson on triangles as well as it went downward well.
Problem Solving with Year 11
It's of import that I chop-chop found a adept human relationship with my Year xi class. I've acquire their instructor at a belatedly phase inwards their GCSE course, but I yet convey fourth dimension to brand a difference. I demand this degree to trust me. I meet them v times a fortnight as well as that gives me 36 lessons to complete the syllabus as well as laid upwards for their exams. This calendar week I decided to pass a lesson getting to know them. I handed out a problem solving activity then went circular as well as met each educatee individually, chatting to them nearly their predicted grades as well as the topics they desire me to review. While I circulated, they worked on viii problems of varying levels of difficulty. In the goal I ran out of fourth dimension to speak to everyone but I yet yell upwards the lesson went good - they were actually engaged inwards solving the problems as well as I heard lots of discussions nearly mathematics.
These problems are from a diversity of sources (thanks to all originators!). At the goal of the lesson the alone job that remained unanswered was the 'find the radius of the circle' job from Chris Smith's newsletter - most students hadn't fifty-fifty attempted it but I promised them we'd await at it simply about other day.
I did a similar lesson with Year 8 (top set), except all their problems involved Pythagoras' Theorem (I told them to job Pythagoras, pregnant they had a starting yell for for each question. Perhaps I shouldn't convey told them). Again, my students were actually engaged inwards this activity. They peculiarly liked the 'Spider Box' question. The alone inquiry that no-one answered was Ed Southall's semi-circle job (I suggested they challenge parents or older siblings to convey a go). Also, the inquiry below was answered incorrectly yesteryear almost every educatee (they squared the plough over to acquire 4w2 instead of 16w2).
Support
Student Communication using Blogs). I'm trying Twitter equally an choice this year, the thought existence that students (or their parents) follow me for useful links (eg for examination revision), interesting maths, reminders (eg 'you convey a attempt out side yesteryear side week') as well as thence on. I've already started tweeting links to homeworks thence students tin impress a re-create if they lose their sheet. I've also said that I volition offering maths back upwards through Twitter, thence they tin enquire for assist anytime they acquire stuck on a homework or when revising.
I'm non certain how successful this volition be. Other schools are much to a greater extent than Twitter-friendly than mine. We don't convey a schoolhouse Twitter concern human relationship to communicate with parents, as well as I yell upwards I'm the outset instructor at my schoolhouse to attempt to job Twitter for educational purposes. So I got nervous giggles from my classes when I told them nearly it. I dubiety many of them convey a Twitter concern human relationship thence it mightiness non work, but we'll see. I'll written report dorsum on this inwards a few months!
What's Next?
Well it's alone been a calendar week thence I've yet got loads to try. I downloaded iDoceo but haven't had a jeopardy to await at it yet. I'm also increasingly cracking on setting upwards a visualiser (via my iPad), to present examples of educatee run on the IWB (amongst other things). Funnily plenty i of the most useful things I've done this calendar week is job my ain website, resourceaholic.com, to let on resources! My resources libraries convey saved me a lot of time. I've already noticed gaps inwards them though - nil on angles inwards triangles for instance - thence I'll run on boosting my libraries over the side yesteryear side few months.
That's it from me. I've found it quite therapeutic to reverberate on my outset calendar week dorsum at schoolhouse as well as I hope there's been something helpful for you lot hither too. There'll survive no gems post this calendar week because I've non had much fourth dimension to acquire on Twitter, but I'll write i side yesteryear side week. Please don't forget to acquire a complimentary ticket to La Salle's National Mathematics Teacher Conference which is on Pi Day inwards Birmingham (I'm delivering a session). I hope to meet you lot there. Also, White Rose Math Hub's Celebration of Maths is definitely worth attending. I'm gutted I can't conk (I can't afford the educate fare to Leeds!) but it looks awesome.
It's of import that I chop-chop found a adept human relationship with my Year xi class. I've acquire their instructor at a belatedly phase inwards their GCSE course, but I yet convey fourth dimension to brand a difference. I demand this degree to trust me. I meet them v times a fortnight as well as that gives me 36 lessons to complete the syllabus as well as laid upwards for their exams. This calendar week I decided to pass a lesson getting to know them. I handed out a problem solving activity then went circular as well as met each educatee individually, chatting to them nearly their predicted grades as well as the topics they desire me to review. While I circulated, they worked on viii problems of varying levels of difficulty. In the goal I ran out of fourth dimension to speak to everyone but I yet yell upwards the lesson went good - they were actually engaged inwards solving the problems as well as I heard lots of discussions nearly mathematics.
I did a similar lesson with Year 8 (top set), except all their problems involved Pythagoras' Theorem (I told them to job Pythagoras, pregnant they had a starting yell for for each question. Perhaps I shouldn't convey told them). Again, my students were actually engaged inwards this activity. They peculiarly liked the 'Spider Box' question. The alone inquiry that no-one answered was Ed Southall's semi-circle job (I suggested they challenge parents or older siblings to convey a go). Also, the inquiry below was answered incorrectly yesteryear almost every educatee (they squared the plough over to acquire 4w2 instead of 16w2).
Student Communication using Blogs). I'm trying Twitter equally an choice this year, the thought existence that students (or their parents) follow me for useful links (eg for examination revision), interesting maths, reminders (eg 'you convey a attempt out side yesteryear side week') as well as thence on. I've already started tweeting links to homeworks thence students tin impress a re-create if they lose their sheet. I've also said that I volition offering maths back upwards through Twitter, thence they tin enquire for assist anytime they acquire stuck on a homework or when revising.
I'm non certain how successful this volition be. Other schools are much to a greater extent than Twitter-friendly than mine. We don't convey a schoolhouse Twitter concern human relationship to communicate with parents, as well as I yell upwards I'm the outset instructor at my schoolhouse to attempt to job Twitter for educational purposes. So I got nervous giggles from my classes when I told them nearly it. I dubiety many of them convey a Twitter concern human relationship thence it mightiness non work, but we'll see. I'll written report dorsum on this inwards a few months!
What's Next?
Well it's alone been a calendar week thence I've yet got loads to try. I downloaded iDoceo but haven't had a jeopardy to await at it yet. I'm also increasingly cracking on setting upwards a visualiser (via my iPad), to present examples of educatee run on the IWB (amongst other things). Funnily plenty i of the most useful things I've done this calendar week is job my ain website, resourceaholic.com, to let on resources! My resources libraries convey saved me a lot of time. I've already noticed gaps inwards them though - nil on angles inwards triangles for instance - thence I'll run on boosting my libraries over the side yesteryear side few months.
That's it from me. I've found it quite therapeutic to reverberate on my outset calendar week dorsum at schoolhouse as well as I hope there's been something helpful for you lot hither too. There'll survive no gems post this calendar week because I've non had much fourth dimension to acquire on Twitter, but I'll write i side yesteryear side week. Please don't forget to acquire a complimentary ticket to La Salle's National Mathematics Teacher Conference which is on Pi Day inwards Birmingham (I'm delivering a session). I hope to meet you lot there. Also, White Rose Math Hub's Celebration of Maths is definitely worth attending. I'm gutted I can't conk (I can't afford the educate fare to Leeds!) but it looks awesome.
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| Selfie with my girls on my terminal twenty-four hr catamenia of motherhood leave |
