Understanding

Confession time. When people talk about ‘understanding’ in maths I don’t know what they mean. At what point do we say we’ve ‘understood’ something mathematically? Or know it ‘in depth’? When is enough, enough? I’ve worked in a few different maths departments over the years and had the opportunities to work across different schools and … Continue reading Understanding →

Developing Subtlety

Nobody likes recipe blogs where you just want to check you’ve got the right tins in before nipping down the shops but there’s 1500 words on their Mam’s new shed to get through before you get to the actual stuff so… TL:DR – Structuring and ordering questions in maths is a powerful and subtle tool … Continue reading Developing Subtlety →

Relevance

The George Monbiot article in the Guardian today argues for a relevant curriculum to the 21st century that's against routine tasks and favours exploration rather than indoctrination. It's factual inaccuracies on the state of education and it's solutions are something more articulate and knowledgeable minds can hash out more clearly, as the comments on it … Continue reading Relevance →

Hey Teacher, Leave Them Kids Alone

Induction’s been officially passed, new term INSETs are done and dusted, and it feels like the holidays were an age away already. September’s here, and it’s time to get back into the swing of teaching. The timetable’s somewhat fuller, and there are less names to learn this time round, but it’s still equally nerve-wracking and … Continue reading Hey Teacher, Leave Them Kids Alone →

Minding My Mindset

I love learning stuff. It doesn’t really matter what it is either, I just enjoy the act of learning. When I was at school I had an extra-curricular timetable that would make a tiger mother wince. A general week would include the following: learning how to kick people in the face on Tuesdays, Thursdays and … Continue reading Minding My Mindset →