A New Chapter

A lot has changed since I last posted on the blog. And I do mean a lot. After spending a year working in Primaries and tutoring students from age 6 to 26 in Maths and English, and most importantly caring for my children, it was time for a fresh start.

So... we moved... to Hong Kong. This is not a blog about moving to Hong Kong. That is here. I am now part of an international school, working at primary level. So as a result, my blog is being resurrected, as this past year I have spent collating and sharing some of the great resources we have in secondary with primary teachers. Now, my big job is to support this idea of mastery - identify resources that allow teachers to dig deeper into certain topics, and offer tips and hints on some of the basics too.

Many of the resources I refer to will be referenced and praised as they should - but there will be a real mix of age related resources so I will at some point try to organise it in the way Don Steward or Resourcaholic does.

Indices/Powers Extension

Once you have mastered Indices at GCSE, there isn't a lot of investigation without going into logs, so I created these sheets - they are difficult and would probably do well in A level classes too.

Drawing Challenges - Geometry Proof

I've used these for introduction to proof, angles and any geometry subject really.

Encourage the student to give an absolute reason why they might not be able to complete any of the challenges.

I usually ask students to prove or draw on the whiteboard as we are going along. Students can use peer work as they work themselves. Sometimes I might send someone who is wrong up to the front to draw their solution - this normally generates great debate and questions many students working.

Fraction Finding - Mastery Exercise

Fraction Finding - Mastery

Low entry - use when students can add fractions together. The higher ability students should be looking for strategies to quicken the guessing process.

Finally - create your own homework for another student.

Ratio Boxes

I saw a question recently in the new AQA textbooks that got me very excited. The reason is that it is low entry. All these style questions can be solved with simple trial and error and some basic simplifying of ratio.

However, life is made a lot easier if you use normal techniques for dividing into a ratio. It is a real puzzle question which tests deep understanding of the work, whilst also offering an opportunity to at least have a go in some way. If this is the way GCSE's are going, then I can't wait!

Below are some extra extension questions I have made to have a go at too. They come with solutions :)

Resource Sharing - sometimes a bad thing?

It's been a while since I posted, as life has been fairly hectic in recent months.

A new job has kept me busy, and I have enjoyed the challenge of a new school and department fighting their way out of special measures. However, with much of my time spent on behaviour management and familiarising new routines, I have barely had time to consider fresh ideas on teaching strategies and writing new resources.

Thank goodness for Resourceaholic, Don Steward and #mathschat. Barely a week has gone by in the last four months without spending some time on these sites. I raid my extensive pen drive for resources, and then cross check the two blogs above to confirm whether or not there are better resources available.

All of this leads me to ask a serious question about my current attitude to resource sharing. Have I become too lazy to value my own ideas for teaching? I am excited to use well thought out and substantiated resources, without question. I do wonder though, would I be more enthusiastic if I used my own ideas?

One lesson in particular was a parallel lines and angles lesson with a low ability year 9 class. I had a plan ready, but only 9 students turned up to the lesson. So I did something I have rarely done. I ditched the plan and went with an idea in my head.
We put some tables together, sat round it and stuck some coloured tape across the table. We marked some angles, did some measuring, and proved some angle rules. The students were really engaged, they got to write on the table, and they left the lesson with a real positive attitude. It was clear they enjoyed it as much as I did.
This isn't a preach of how good this resource is - and it certainly isn't some revolutionary new resource, but it was my own idea at that time.

Was it the idea, or the fact I was enthusiastic and showing a willingness to do something different?
I have always been commended on my use of interesting ideas (cue trumpet blowing noise) and yet, given the other pressures of teaching and the fantastic blogs and resources out there already, I have turned my back on my own thoughts, and settled for other teacher's fantastic resources.

Perhaps we should always take time to produce a really well thought out resource if, for nothing else, it inspires us to believe in our own work.

Resources - BIDMAS, BODMAS, PEDMAS

I like topics that drip through and affect other areas of the curriculum. If you don't get order of operations, it could haunt you for the next 5 + years.
As oppose to say, circle theorems.


I'll start by directing to Resourceaholic - there is almost everything you need on there. In fact, once you click on this link, I may never see you again.

Resourcaholic Number

I start by playing Family Fortunes with the BIDMAS or BODMAS (whatever the school preference is) and ask the pupils to guess the order, with sound effects. It's not easy to upload this and explain how to set this up, but if you message me I will tutor the process.

I then explain BIDMAS and PEDMAS (American version) too.

We have a discussion about whether it matters about addition and subtraction. I always write

3 - 2 + 1

And explain I can actually get two answers (zero and two).

2 + 1 = 3

3 -  3 = 0

This causes great debate until we conclude that the negative in front of the two is IMPERATIVE.

Then activities, some from the link above, some from: Number Loving and some from Maths Box - which I have linked to here:

I use the order of operations settler as a competition - each person highlights five questions. Then they work out the answers. Then they add them up, and I give a prize to either the highest, lowest or nearest to 20 etc etc.

Round Robin Bidmas is a good activity. The idea here is each person answers a question, but the others do not say anything - they also do not correct anything. Then, when it is done, they check all the answers together, looking for any mistakes. That is when the discussion is great and rewarding.

Also some treasure hunts in the link too.

My activity Crack The Padlock can be used with this Bidmas resource

Finally a puzzle to finish:

All resources are here, or in links above