So, what to craft for that maths geek special someone … may we suggest polyhedral dice pillows?
These squashy beauties are from ¡The Anticraft!. There are full instructions and helpful diagrams on the website. These would also be a great classroom resource.
Warning: the folks at Anticraft are honest in their language, so don’t click if you prefer subtler prose.
Look what my class did today:
We used a hexagonal Tarsia puzzle on expanding single brackets to create large hexagons.
The puzzles were stuck on paper, cut out and the edges reinforced with tape. Twelve hexagons make a splendid snowflake. Once it was stuck together, the wall display was as tall as a Y7 pupil.
Just think what you could do with Tarsia puzzle shapes: snowflakes from hexagons, christmas trees from triangles and bunting from dominoes.
If you want more puzzles, visit Mr Barton Maths for a plethora of resources.
Back in post 73: ‘Calculators: The New Hope’ I discussed using a simple worksheet to identify issues with calculators and to get students to write their own help guide. That worksheet is now available in pdf format: How to use a Calculator. There is also a new link on the original post.
Note: Even if your school doesn’t use that particular make/model of calculator it’s still a good discussion resource or starting point for your own worksheet.
Do you know that feeling when you are starting a topic which is building on existing knowledge and you are not sure how much to recap? Too much recap and they start the topic bored, too little recap and the new work is too difficult. What to do?
To quote an old UK TV ad: “I want to be a tree!” (Prudential, 1989).
I have a bright class of 13/14 year olds and needed to start some algebra work. We ended up making a tree.
Equipment
Activity 1
In small groups, pupils draw mindmaps for the word ‘Algebra’. Encourage them to group or link topics.
Activity 2
Collect the answers on the main board. Any concepts which are not specifically algebra can be categorised as foundation skills eg understand calculating with negative numbers.
Activity 3
Split the diagram into parts:
Stones: foundation skills which are essential for algebraic success
Branches: subdivisions of algebra
Leaves: specific topics or objectives
Fruit: examples
Activity 4
Assign the different stones, branches, leaves and fruit to pupils to complete.
Activity 5
Assemble your tree. I added an owl and a disembodied voice asking ‘which careers need algebra?’. My branch labels were quickly covered by leaves, so I substituted extra leaves with these labels instead.
Variation
This could work for any topic in any subject. Imagine how good a tree lined corridor would look – a new tree for every area of study.
Review
I moved around the room chatting to pupils as they worked and got a good idea for where I need to start the next lesson. The pupils now have a visual representation of how algebraic concepts link and overlap. In hindsight, I’d probably make the leaves and fruit smaller so that links are clearer.
Show me your learning trees on twitter and I’ll share them on here. @Ms_KMP
This post is a progress report on the learning wall from the post 160.
I gave Year 11s (post GCSE group) A4 templates and objectives from the Y7 scheme of work. Their job was to write a clear explanation and address common misconceptions. They were free to use any resource in the room or on the internet to help them.
Here are some examples of their work:
They would make a great wall display on their own. If you want to use this template you can download it here: Student template.
The next task is to put their explanations onto help cards. The idea is to have the explanation and a question on the front of each card and the misconceptions and worked solution on the back. I will also have the chance to correct any errors before they reach the wall.
So far, so good …
How much time do you waste looking for where you last marked a book? If you are doing work sampling, how can you quickly get a feel for how often books are marked?
This is a genius idea that my colleagues came up with: simply wrap a sticker around the page.
Our stickers are a picture of a page with a tick. Some classes stick their stickers in as part of their self-assessment before the teacher marks their book.
So quick, so simple … I’m so lucky to work with such inspirational teachers!
Earlier this term, my colleague, J, and myself attended the rather brilliant #TMNorthWest at Calderstones School. We were particularly inspired by the idea of independent or ‘Help yourself’ learning walls. We’ve chosen this as our Departmental focus for the year and once we have trialled it, we hope to install a learning wall in every maths room.
The basic premise is that ideas and key points are collected in themed pockets, which students can go to whenever they require assistance or a hint on how to progress. The cards are numbered and indexed. The idea was introduced by Claire Gillies in the context of English lessons.
The self help cards were stored in hanging wallpockets:
Claire used the Kusiner wallpockets from Ikea.
There are six pockets in this particular product. We have chosen to split them into the following categories:
*Number
*Algebra
*Data
*Shape
*Using equipment
*Index
We designed our cards to have methods, misconceptions, Levels/Grades, a question with worked answer and possibly QR codes to useful videos.
Now, sitting and designing a self help card layout is easy. Completing them is a much bigger task! We have decided to start with KS3 and have selected key objectives from the Y7 scheme of work.
We also have GCSE classes who sat their exams last week and, quite frankly, need a break.
This sounds like fate …
The plan is that Year 11 students will take Y7 objectives and write self-help cards. Teachers will moderate/edit what they write.
Well, that’s our plan for a bit of independent student power. I’ll continue to post about our walls as they develop.