1. Plans
At my schoolhouse nosotros used to cause got 4.5 periods a calendar week to instruct Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 level. That was reduced to 4 periods a calendar week due to budget cuts - a loss of or thus xv teaching hours. Suddenly everything was a rush. In the get-go twelvemonth I taught AS flat maths, I ran out of time. I taught the trapezium dominion inward 20 minutes simply earlier my students went on written report leave. The side past times side twelvemonth I made detailed plans thus it wouldn't come about again. This is what my project design for Year 12 looked similar final twelvemonth (I taught C1 in addition to C2 inward v periods a fortnight, some other instructor taught this course of instruction M1):
It's simply a uncomplicated Excel file. I do these for all my classes at the destination of the summertime holidays. I consult the schoolhouse calender get-go thus I know when each twelvemonth volition live on off-timetable.
These plans cause got to live on flexible - I tweak them regularly throughout the schoolhouse year. For illustration final twelvemonth nosotros were told to pass some Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 flat lessons doing target-setting in addition to feedback amongst our students, which wiped out a few hours teaching fourth dimension thus I had to conform my plans. There are also times when a theme takes a chip longer than expected. Last twelvemonth I originally intended to destination C2 amongst my Year 12s past times Easter but that was pushed dorsum every bit the twelvemonth progressed. This left me amongst less revision fourth dimension than I wanted, but at to the lowest degree I completed the syllabus.
These plans assist me overstep away on on track. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 twosome of hours invested at the start of the schoolhouse twelvemonth agency no to a greater extent than guesswork in addition to no to a greater extent than missed deadlines.
2. Mind your language
When you lot start teaching maths you lot cause got to live on real aware of your language. You chop-chop acquire used to using the appropriate terminology. How many people tell the missive of the alphabet O when they hateful the publish null - especially when they tell scream upward numbers? Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 maths instructor mustn't brand mistakes similar that.Also beware of words that volition campaign disruption. Teenagers cause got dingy minds in addition to are easily amused. I've written a listing of words to avoid here. You cause got been warned!
3. Writing on the board
You'll presently acquire used to setting your piece of employment out clearly - at the destination of lessons, stand upward dorsum in addition to expression at what you've written on the board. My boards are oft a disorganised mess. Beware of the bad illustration onslaught Countdown - Rachel Riley in addition to Carol Vorderman are both guilty of terrible nonsensical workings:
4. Misconceptions in addition to Shortcuts
 |
If you lot haven't silent read the mass Nix The Tricks thus it's absolutely essential that you lot read it. We're all nether fourth dimension pressures in addition to nosotros all desire our students to acquire the best possible bear witness grades, but we're maths teachers, thus let's instruct maths. Helping students develop a conceptual agreement of mathematics is a challenge but volition pay off inward the long run. Some teaching tricks confuse students (eg the mnemonic BODMAS). Other tricks are thus complicated that the amount of encephalon infinite taken upward memorising them could live on ameliorate used doing proper maths. This butterfly method for adding fractions is a goodness illustration - far ameliorate to instruct students how in addition to why to notice a mutual denominator.
 |
| Nix: Butterfly fractions |
5. Myths
Don't stress virtually all the teaching myths you lot hear - read Shaun Allison's post Mythbusting for reassurance. Are you lot nether the impression that every lesson has to cause got an chemical constituent of grouping work? It doesn't.
Your students require many opportunities for independent practice, thus don't live on afraid of it.
6. Behaviour
Sometimes modest changes brand a big difference. Do you lot acquire students working every bit presently every bit they arrive? Are your instructions clear? Ask experienced colleagues for ideas. You'll notice that conduct is best when students are immersed inward interesting mathematics. The theory is that if you lot engage them thus the goodness conduct volition follow, but it's non ever every bit tardily every bit that. Use back upward mechanisms, overstep away on restating your expectations, live on consistent in addition to don't live on afraid to inquire for help.
7. Resources
You could lose hours to a fruitless search for the perfect resource. If you lot cause got something real specific inward mind, it's belike quicker to brand it yourself.
Have some go-to resources websites that you lot ever banking enterprise agree get-go (don't forget my resource library!). There's some peachy stuff on TES but it tin dismiss live on genuinely difficult to notice it (thankfully they are inward the procedure of improving their search functionality). When I'm looking for resources I ever banking enterprise agree Teachit Maths, MathsPad, Median in addition to Mathematics Assessment Project. Ed Southall has real helpfully shared his well-organised internet bookmarks which you lot tin dismiss upload to your browser.
8. Marking
If you lot prepare a lot of homework, you lot cause got to do a lot of marking. Sometimes it all piles upward in addition to becomes overwhelming. I to a greater extent than oft than non prepare one Mythbusting for reassurance. Are you lot nether the impression that every lesson has to cause got an chemical constituent of grouping work? It doesn't.
Your students require many opportunities for independent practice, thus don't live on afraid of it.
6. Behaviour
Sometimes modest changes brand a big difference. Do you lot acquire students working every bit presently every bit they arrive? Are your instructions clear? Ask experienced colleagues for ideas. You'll notice that conduct is best when students are immersed inward interesting mathematics. The theory is that if you lot engage them thus the goodness conduct volition follow, but it's non ever every bit tardily every bit that. Use back upward mechanisms, overstep away on restating your expectations, live on consistent in addition to don't live on afraid to inquire for help.
7. Resources
You could lose hours to a fruitless search for the perfect resource. If you lot cause got something real specific inward mind, it's belike quicker to brand it yourself.
Have some go-to resources websites that you lot ever banking enterprise agree get-go (don't forget my RAG123 and tools similar QuickKey mightiness assist growth your mark efficiency.
I tend to prepare homeworks on sheets rather than inward exercise books, simply thus I don't cause got to comport heavy books habitation for marking. If you lot do this in addition to your schoolhouse does mass scrutinies to banking enterprise agree teachers' mark thus you lot cause got to brand sure that a) your homework sheets are easily stuck into an exercise mass (eg printed on i side, A5 if possible) in addition to b) that your students genuinely stick them in, otherwise it volition expression similar you lot never do whatever mark at all.
Bear inward take away heed that some students volition lose their homework sheets. To avoid excuses, brand sheets available for printing through a course of instruction blog, Twitter concern human relationship or an accessible folder.
You know how they tell that lesson planning gets quicker every year? Well that's assuming it doesn't accept you lot an hr to rails downward the materials you lot used inward the previous year. I've learnt to organise my files good thus I tin dismiss chop-chop notice what I'm looking for.
This is how I do it: inward 'My Documents', I cause got a folder for each class. In the folder for each class, I cause got a folder for each topic, numbered according to the guild I taught each topic. Here's an illustration for a Year 10 class:
I prepare them upward every bit I overstep away thus it's non time-consuming. Within each folder I utilization a publish for each lesson - the illustration below is the inequalities folder (if I wrote lesson plans, they'd live on inward hither too).
Another identify to live on organised is emails. It entirely takes a 2nd to do folders inward Outlook. The entirely emails inward my inbox are those that I require to action. Everything else is filed away every bit presently every bit it's received, thus I tin dismiss notice data real quickly. Here's my structure:
I also cause got total remote access from my habitation PC to the schoolhouse network, thus I tin dismiss access SIMs in addition to all schoolhouse directories from home. All I require at nowadays is a photocopier inward my kitchen thus I don't waste matter fourth dimension queuing to photocopy at work! I encounter these things every bit fourth dimension savers but others think they're a measuring likewise far, it's a affair of personal preference.
If you lot acquire a omnibus or prepare to piece of employment thus don't endeavor to mark. It's non worth the hassle. I was i time thus busy at piece of employment that I took a pile of mark to the pub on a Fri in addition to did it on the night-bus home. Not recommended. Bus in addition to prepare journeys are a goodness fourth dimension to relax or read a book, but if you lot experience similar at that topographic point aren't plenty hours inward the twenty-four hours for relaxing, thus instead utilization these journeys for catching upward on Twitter in addition to teaching blogs. If you're non on Twitter thus bring together immediately. That's my most of import tip from today's post: bring together the community of maths teachers on Twitter - you'll live on amazed at how much you lot learn. |
| Expert teaching - taken from classteaching.wordpress.com |
