Multiple Selection Questions

Multiple selection questions (MCQs) convey ever been pop inwards maths inwards but about parts of the world. In recent years they convey gained popularity inwards England too Wales, too are straight off ordinarily used equally a diagnostic tool inwards the classroom. MCQs are also straight off a telephone commutation characteristic of AQA's GCSE papers.

Some teachers convey been quest where they tin abide by MCQs that are aligned amongst our curriculum. I've listed but about sources below - if y'all convey anything to add, delight email me.

1. Foundation too Higher GCSE Multiple Choice Questions by Topic
Suitable for Key Stage iii too 4.
I constitute these multiple selection quizzes at operate - I believe they were written past times Julie Bolter, in all probability to accompany a textbook. There are quizzes for a let on of topics including sequences, measure shape too coordinates.

2. Foundation too Higher GCSE Multiple Choice Revision Questions
Suitable for Key Stage iii too 4.
There's a large selection of multiple selection questions here, both inwards PowerPoint too Word. The topics are mixed too so these would live on useful for testify revision or retrieval practice. Thanks to Mitesh Patel for sending me these. We don't know the master source too so delight tweet or e-mail me if y'all know.

3. Diagnostic Questions
Suitable for Key Stages 1 - 5.
This fantastic website from Craig Barton has a huge gain of multiple selection questions, contributed past times users. You tin chop-chop do quizzes for purpose amongst mini-whiteboards, voting cards or Plickers. The most powerful facial expression of this website is the chance to laid students quizzes online - this allows teachers to read explanations too thence analyse students' thinking.

It's worth checking out the ready made quiz collections including quizzes from White Rose, UKMT, Edexcel, AQA too OCR.

Grace Horne, who is Head of Maths at Kettering Science Academy, has sent me her amazing set of multiple selection quizzes. She's made 85 consistently formatted quizzes, each containing 5 questions drawn from diagnosticquestions.com. Quizzes are categorised past times theme too GCSE tier. Answers are provided. This is a real helpful resource! Huge thank y'all to Grace for sharing this.

4. SQA
Suitable for Key Stage 5.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority used to set Objective Tests for Higher Mathematics. These incorporate lovely questions for Year 12 too 13, roofing topics such equally calculus, trigonometry, sequences, vectors too the equation of a circle. Thanks to Helen Dey for telling me nigh these. Thanks also to @mrallanmaths for sharing this editable banking concern of Objective Test questions.

5. Integral

Suitable for Key Stage 5.
MEI provides a slap-up selection of multiple selection tests for H5N1 score Maths too Further Maths on Integral (school login required). The illustration below is from a Normal Distribution assessment for Edexcel S1.

6. 30 Number Starters
Suitable for Key Stage iii too 4.
Ben Cooper (@bcoops_online) on TES provides a PowerPoint of 30 multiple selection quizzes for diverse let on topics including fractions, decimals too percentages. 

7. Functional MCQs
Suitable for Key Stage two too 3.
Thanks to Jon Treby for this laid of Functional Multiple Choice Questions. They are split upward past times theme too all questions are contextual.

8. Foundation of Advanced Mathematics 

Suitable for Key Stage 4.

Stuart Price (@sxpmaths) wrote a post nigh using multiple selection questions from Foundation of Advanced Mathematics exams for Year 10 revision competitions. There's a let on of past times papers to depict questions from - most of the topics are from GCSE too the questions are suitable for extension inwards Year 10 too 11.

There's lots to explore here! If I've missed anything, delight e-mail it to resourceaholic@gmail.com. Thank you!

Some Things I've Tried

The lastly viii weeks have got been the busiest I've always experienced. There's been lots of factors at play to brand this stream especially exhausting, both at schoolhouse in addition to at abode - it doesn't assist that my 17 calendar month erstwhile immature adult woman nonetheless doesn't slumber at night! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 suspension is much needed. Half term also provides a adept chance to reverberate on simply about novel things I've tried this term.

Source: The Guardian/ Ros Asquith

1. Famous Five
This is an thought from Gems 35. It plant similar this:

1. Before each Year 10 lesson, I write the words 'Famous Five' on the board.
2. As my students brand it I have got a starter activity create for them. 
3. Under the championship Famous Five, I write the names of the firstly v students to settle downwards in addition to start working. They LOVE beingness on this list! It's getting harder to select the Famous Five because they've all responded thence good to this.
4. At the halt of the lesson I say, "If you're on today's Famous Five listing you lot tin larn out now, the balance of you lot pack upward in addition to stand upward behind your chairs quietly". The Famous Five dash out of the room.

The funny affair is that simply about of these students have got registration inward the same room at 1 time after my lesson, thence they have got nowhere to rush off to! They simply similar the glory of beingness Famous Five. 

This has been a actually successful first to minimise faff at the outset of my lessons. Also, because it's a chip dissimilar to what they're used to, it has helped me create a adept human relationship amongst this class. Huge thank you lot to Emma Mccrea for sharing the thought - arrive at read her original post to encounter how it plant for her.

2. Assessment 

I've been doing variety of sources and keep the format consistent - each quiz is xv minutes long in addition to consists of 12 multiple selection questions.

These quizzes have got chop-chop conk an established routine. Most students have got total wages of the 'open book' dominion - during the show I encounter them looking dorsum through their do books at notes in addition to examples. This encourages adept greenback taking during lessons.

I degree the quizzes A, B or Not Yet (inspired yesteryear this post from Sarah Hagan). If a pupil receives a 'Not Yet' in addition to thence they haven't demonstrating sufficient agreement of the theme thence they have got to have got simply about other quiz after schoolhouse the next week. Of course of didactics at that topographic point has to live remedial activity betwixt receiving a 'Not Yet' in addition to resitting the quiz - these students either encounter me for assist after lessons, or I ship them links to Corbett Maths or Hegarty Maths videos.

My firstly quiz resulted inward xiii Not Yets in addition to exclusively 8 As. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 worrying publish of students couldn't multiply decimals thence I taught the theme to the whole course of didactics 1 time to a greater extent than using a dissimilar approach. The results were much improved inward the retake.

These quizzes exclusively have got most xxx minutes to grade - inward those xxx minutes I gain a valuable insight into my students' understanding. I promise that these regular depression stakes quizzes volition encourage my students to stay focused, have got adept notes in addition to seek support. Do read Kris Boulton's post 'How tests learn in addition to motivate' which inspired me to start doing these quizzes. So far it's been a swell success.

3. Modelling Good Work 

Every classroom inward my subdivision has a visualiser. Unfortunately none of them seem to function (probably due to recent software updates) thence this foiled my conception to utilise visualisers this twelvemonth to present examples of pupil work. Instead, I have got photos of adept function spell I'm marking. There's no signal inward telling students that they should ready their function out improve without giving examples.

I've been trying this out amongst my Year 12 class. They're studying S1 in addition to we've been working on summarising information (eg hateful in addition to criterion difference of continuous data). It's slow to brand accuracy slips inward these calculations in addition to students who neglect to present clear workings inward exams could halt upward scoring no method marks.

The pic below is an instance of a student's answer to a criterion difference enquiry - I showed this photograph to the course of didactics when I returned their most recent homework. Few students inward this course of didactics had received total marks for this question.

It's non perfect, but this pupil has definitely got the correct idea. He's drawn out the whole tabular array clearly in addition to written downwards the formula for criterion deviation. He's shown intermediate steps in addition to his workings are really slow to follow. If exclusively all my students ready their function out similar this - the worst examples were those who tried to mash their workings into the margin of the enquiry newspaper ('Fermat-style' workings). I promise that yesteryear showing adept examples to the class, the character of function volition improve. I'll study dorsum on this afterwards inward the year!

4. Communication
At my previous schoolhouse the exclusively straight communication I had amongst parents was on Parents Evening. I never called, emailed or met amongst parents. At my novel schoolhouse every instructor recognises the importance of engaging parents in addition to this is done really effectively across the school. I decided to engage the parents of my Year 10 students yesteryear means of an introductory electronic mail at the start of term, followed yesteryear half-termly newsletters. Here's my firstly newsletter:

I've included an update on what we've been studying, praise for students who've done especially well, information most membership of the Society of Young Mathematicians and more.

I'd been planning to arrive at a newsletter similar this for years thence I'm glad I finally did it. I found this MathedUp post encouraging - it includes a lovely instance of a newsletter produced yesteryear Mo Ladak which is worth a look.

As Jim Riley (@tutor2u) said when I shared my newsletter on Twitter, "Most parents mightiness non tending - but if simply 1 or ii do, it is all worthwhile".

So that's it - 4 ideas that seem to live working well. I'll weblog 1 time to a greater extent than afterwards this twelvemonth to update you lot on whether these initiatives conk on to live effective. Thanks for reading!

5 Maths Gems #47

Hello too welcome to my 47^th gems post. This is where I portion 5 maths teaching ideas I've seen on Twitter.

1. Don's Multiple Choice
I oftentimes write close Don Steward's resources - it's worth checking his weblog every directly too and hence to run into what he's added. This calendar week I was browsing his 'practice too quiz questions' weblog (which is divide to his primary blog) when I noticed that he has started to hit first-class sets of multiple selection questions - here's an example:

 He has also produced unopen to lovely 'odd i out' activities:

Both types of activeness would operate amongst technologies such every bit Plickers or Quick Key. Multiple selection questions are making a fleck of a comeback at the 2d - for to a greater extent than sources, run into my transportation 'Multiple Choice Questions'.

2. Inequality Question
I actually similar this inquiry from Steve Blades (@m4thsdotcom). Ask your students for the minimum too maximum value of abc to banking concern represent their understanding of inequalities too integers.

I'll purpose this amongst my Year 11s - many of them struggled amongst the inquiry below inward their mock GCSE, which suggests a lack of key understanding of inequality symbols. 

3. Math Wall of Shame

Thanks to Megan Schmidt (Starters too Progress Tests for the novel GCSE. 

Update
My post Five things you lot mightiness non know close the novel GCSE content #1 was good received. I promised a 2d transportation amongst 5 to a greater extent than facts close the novel GCSE... I'm working on it exactly I mean value I've flora unopen to discrepancies betwixt examination boards that I'm investigating. Watch this space!

There's been 2 announcements since my final gems transportation that you lot mightiness live on interested in. The outset is that the appointment too venue has been laid for researchED Maths too Science. It's on Sabbatum 11th June inward Oxford. I mean value this volition live on a fantastic event. I bring to attend a marriage ceremony reception inward Kent that evening so I'll bring to larn out early, exactly volition definitely live on at that spot inward the morning. Tickets are probable to sell out quickly.

The 2d statement was regarding novel tests for times tables. We all concur that fluency inward times tables is vital (as is conceptual understanding of multiplication) exactly at that spot is disagreement over whether to a greater extent than Key Stage 2 tests are desirable.

It's also worth noting unopen to other alter regarding testing (see above) - from 2017 Year seven maths teachers volition bring 3 months to 'fix' students who did non 'pass' Key Stage 2...

It's been a hectic outset calendar week dorsum at schoolhouse exactly thankfully this weekend I didn't bring whatsoever marker to hit hence I had the chance to catch the first-class Escher exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery. It finishes on 17th Jan hence if you lot desire to become too hence larn tickets now! The gallery store is total of mathsy gifts too.

I'll larn out you lot amongst a prissy demonstration of Pythagoras' Theorem from mathwarehouse.com.

Going Well...

I'm struggling amongst workload at the minute but I'm taking a quick intermission from the marker together with UCAS references to portion 3 things that are going actually good this year.

1. Low Stakes Quizzes 

I started doing regular multiple selection quizzes amongst my Year 10s final twelvemonth together with right away loved it (I wrote almost it here). I've never done anything earlier that's given me so much insight into my students' agreement together with the effectiveness of my teaching. My Year 10s ended upward beingness taken yesteryear a PGCE pupil for a pregnant role of the twelvemonth so the quizzes stopped, but I possess got reintroduced them this twelvemonth amongst the same cast (now Year 11) together with ane time to a greater extent than I'm reminded of how awesome these quizzes are.

My weekly quizzes possess got twenty minutes to run inwards the lesson (we create it every Friday), summation almost twenty minutes to score later the lesson. The quizzes don't possess got long to brand when I'm planning my lessons - lately I've only been using the snipping tool to possess got questions from Diagnostic Questions (shhh, don't tell Craig!). You tin persuasion my quizzes here.

I plow over each pupil a flat (A, B or Not Yet) together with anyone who scores 100% gets a sticker (they dear that!). The quizzes are opened upward mass so there's no stress for students - inwards fact they dear them (I learn a cheer when I tell it's fourth dimension for the quiz!) together with they are ever excited to encounter their score inwards the side yesteryear side lesson. For me 'it's similar I'm looking at the freaking Matrix' (in the words of Nathan Kraft inwards this post almost vertical whiteboards!). Seriously, this is ane of the best things I've ever done.

2. Folders
My Year 11s at nowadays work band binders instead of practise books. It's brilliant. I bespeak to write a dissever ship service almost how this plant because there's lots to say. Loads of people told me it wouldn't work, mainly because the folders would chop-chop buy the farm disorganised (which may still happen - we're exclusively 3 weeks in), but I've designed a proficient laid of resources that minimise the direct chances of messy folders. I'm pretty confident that it volition proceed to run well. Watch out for a ship service almost this!

3. Times Table Rock Stars
I'm non certain I'm allowed to seat photos of my students on my blog, but if I could together with then you'd encounter the happy faces of my Year 7s absolutely loving Times Tables Rock Stars (whilst wearing wigs together with sunglasses!). All Year seven teachers at Glyn at nowadays possess got ane lesson inwards an information technology Room every fortnight to run a Times Tables Rock Stars lesson. I create the newspaper version amongst my cast too, summation I've only launched an later schoolhouse 'Rock Gods' monastic tell for groovy Year 7s. H5N1 publish of teachers possess got also laid other classes (Year 8 to Year 10) together with it seems to last going good all round. My students happily sit down at that spot for a amount hr enthusiastically practising times tables, together with I learn to hear to stone music so it's win-win...!

So that's 3 things are going peculiarly good for me this year. Are you lot trying anything novel that seems to last working? Please tweet me or comment below.