GCSE Examination Fashion Questions by Matter
Booklets
Curriculum booklets are all the fad in the intervening time. I do not train utilizing a ‘booklet method’ myself, however I typically make use of MathsPad‘s good curriculum booklets, both when setting cowl or when searching for good high quality duties to make use of in my educating. MathsPad are nicely forward of the sport, having already revealed booklets for the complete Yr 7 – 10 curriculum, with simply Yr 11 nonetheless to come back. Every of their booklets is available in two ranges: core and help. As at all times with MathsPad sources, their duties are very nicely designed and their booklets embrace a number of pretty actions for problem. Here is an instance I shared in Gems 175 – these algebra puzzles will be discovered within the booklet Yr 10 Basis Chapter 2: Algebraic Expressions. These puzzles have six ranges of problem and would work nicely with any 12 months group.
And following this there are some apply questions. For some purpose I by no means explicitly train this talent, so this web page has impressed me to make a tweak to my educating of this subject.
For extra good examples of maths curriculum booklets, take a look at this one on diagonals in quadrilaterals from @AMercerMaths and this one on calculations with customary type from Nathan Day.
Synthetic Intelligence
2024 was the primary time that AI has actually been on our radars in training. As a occupation we’re reasonably sceptical about it. Academics are more and more inspired to look to AI for workload-saving measures however I am not satisfied… Provided that I do not even like utilizing different folks’s PowerPoints within the classroom, I am hardly going to start out utilizing AI to plan my classes. And if I wish to write a letter, it could be simply as fast for me to put in writing it myself reasonably then enter a load of prompts into AI.
Maths lecturers are much more sceptical than others as a result of our preliminary makes an attempt at utilizing AI for process design utilizing easy prompts like ‘give me ten wordy questions on sharing in a ratio’ have produced some reasonably boring duties and an entire load of maths errors. Nonetheless, there are two makes use of of AI price keeping track of:
New Sources
We’re lucky in maths training to have a continuing circulate of recent sources. I typically function these my gems posts and hyperlink to them in my useful resource libraries, which give a fast manner for lecturers to search out high quality duties for his or her classes. Right here I function a number of the most prolific publishers of recent sources during the last 12 months.
Nathan Day designs very intelligent duties packed filled with problem and shares them by interwovenmaths.com. There’s all kinds of sources to take a look at on his web site, together with these pretty ‘snake’ duties.
Final 12 months Dr Frost employed a crew of writers to develop his unique PowerPoints and develop his assortment of sources. In consequence there’s been a gradual stream of recent and improved content material shared on drfrost.org, together with vital updates to his A degree maths and additional maths PowerPoints. Observe @DrFrostResource to maintain up-to-date with the brand new sources revealed.
All the pieces Else
There’s at all times one thing new being shared within the maths educating group. Listed here are a couple of extra issues you will have missed over the previous 12 months:
- Craig Barton has continued to provide maths training podcasts. My most up-to-date one was on ‘Ten methods to get superb GCSE outcomes‘ – I used to be pleasantly shocked by how a lot good suggestions this acquired!
- Rob Southern and Susan Whitehouse revealed the guide Educating A Degree Maths.
- New web site Maths Advance is filled with very difficult extension questions, excellent for top attaining lessons.
- LUMEN launched their Key Stage 3 curriculum: find out about it right here.
- @StudyMaths continues so as to add new options to mathsbot.com. My favorite current additions embrace Discover the Primes and Prime Manufacturing unit.Â
- @cclay8 shared a set of calculator guides for the brand new Casio mannequin. I’ve discovered these actually helpful in guaranteeing that I am aware of all of the features and menus on the brand new calculators.
- PolyPad continues to develop its unbelievable vary of digital manipulatives.Â
- @MattTheApp made a whole lot of developments to Maths White Board during the last 12 months – it is packed filled with video games and actions for college kids.
- My favorite maths training tweets of the 12 months have been from @catrionateaches who typically shares actually artistic concepts to assist enhance the best way we clarify issues.Â
- My favorite weblog posts have been from @MrDraperMaths. His ideas on process design are at all times price studying.
Apologies if I’ve missed one thing huge right here. Preserve a watch on my month-to-month gems posts – I attempt to cowl the whole lot in these!
Social Media
This summer season, tweets by Elon Musk angered lecturers a lot that it sparked a mass exodus to different social media platforms (primarily Threads and BlueSky – although amongst maths lecturers, it appears that evidently BlueSky is the desire). Academics are organising new communities there the place we will take pleasure in chatting about maths training with out our feeds being filled with racism and hatred. I already had accounts on each BlueSky and Threads so you will discover me there if you want (mathsjem), although I’m nonetheless very hopeful that Twitter will come out the opposite facet of all this. Hopefully the Musk nightmare is momentary.
Occasions and Conferences
For those who’re trying to attend occasions with different maths lecturers, there are at all times rather a lot to select from.Â
I am planning to have a 12 months off internet hosting occasions myself, however there are many conferences and occasions within the upcoming college 12 months which might be price trying out. I’ve listed a few of these right here to provide you a style of what is usually accessible, although most dates haven’t but been revealed. For those who’ve not attended earlier than, why not give it a go?
- Full Maths normally run three in-person conferences all through the tutorial 12 months. These happen on Saturdays in October, March and June at varied places in England. The subsequent occasion is #mathsconf36 which is on twelfth October in Sheffield.
- Huge Maths Jam is a superb ‘leisure maths’ occasion going down on 2nd – third November 2024. It isn’t about educating – it is about maths. There are additionally smaller month-to-month MathsJam occasions for maths fans to get collectively in a pub and share puzzles, video games and issues. They usually meet on the second-to-last Tuesday of each month in places world wide.
- Maths Hubs run a great deal of skilled growth alternatives all year long – get in contact along with your native hub to search out what’s on supply.
- The maths topic associations (together with the MA and ATM) supply a spread of CPD alternatives. This normally features a huge residential convention within the Easter holidays.
- The MEI Convention sometimes occurs initially of July.
Get pleasure from the remainder of your summer season break.
