Another positive week in class with Y8z5 this week and very positive feedback from the teacher that meet the class on Wednesday (as was in London attending a professional commitment). Thank you.
The key message from class this week is the need to;
- expect more from class time (focus, determination and learning resilience)
- expect more of themselves out of class time, all learning in class, is available and signposted in MyMaths. This is an opportunity for students to invest in themselves
- homework is set, marked and monitored
- the absolute importance of core maths skills – practicing multiplication tables is critical to our future progress
All of the points above are all important, one is critical in the short-term – multiplication tables.
Outlook for week 3
I am pleased to report that students expectations are already improving. The one area that could improve further is personal readiness – equipment and pens in particular. On the positive side, a small handful of students are already practising and preparing for the next class. What is more, for one student, her hard work clearly showed and demonstrated the impact of practice. More on the 5 minute challenge later.
On Friday I told the students that “I know and understand that Maths feels like a huge personal mountain to be climbed” and with that I shared this short clip to reinforce that, with hard work and practice, so much can be achieved.
In relation to practice – Tommy Morrisey
On first look Tommy Morrissey looks like a remarkable three year older golfer. Then, when you look closer, you realise he sends that golf ball one hundred yards plus down the fairway with a one-arm swing. Do not see the barriers, keep your eyes on the fairway.
Homework has been set, currently reinforcing class-learning, and is immediately marked by MyMaths. You will have received your letters. I made two phone calls this week, both confirmed the letters had reached their destination. Hopefully you have your too. With MyMaths feedback is immediate and “we” look over the homework completion in class weekly. Please encourage students to achieve their best grade, even if it means retaking the tasks set. Specific tasks are set for specific students. Students know that homework is not set equally for the class, rather it is set for individual students. In future, homework may be used prepare students for their class learning too.
To summarise, homework (set by Mr Still) is currently being used to
- reinforce class learning
- build Maths confidence as homeworks can be resubmitted until the desired grade is reached and some homeworks are targeted to address specific learning blind spots.
- Times Table Rock Stars is an interactive times tables practise site. 50+ questions per day, approximately 5 minutes or less.
Home learning is encouraged. Revisiting lessons on MyMaths, repeating homeworks set.
I wanted to focus the last paragraph on the importance of multiplication tables. Almost all of my students in 8z5 are not yet able to recall their multiplication tables accurately and swiftly. The impact is significant and sometimes crippling, acting like a deceleration parachute for the importance Maths learning in the lessons. We (you, I and the students) need to secure that knowledge as swiftly as possible, otherwise topics such as multiples, factors, lowest common multiples, prime numbers and many more to come, appear like hurdles in front of a 100m sprinter.
Next steps
I am not the first Maths teacher to face this challenge. Here are three of my proposed solutions.
At the start of every lesson we attempt the 5 minute multiplication square challenge (currently set at easy). First to beat the challenge was Billie. As important, most students are now getting onto square two, and three. The tool to create multiplication squares and other Maths challenges can be downloaded here.
Times Table Rock Stars
Times Table Rock Stars questions involve division as well as multiplication, with speed as well as accuracy monitored and rewarded. The aim is for 8z5 to practice as much as possible. The creator of TTrockstars tells me that improvement gains are most noticeable when students are practicing 50+ questions each day. So there is the second challenge.
Reward
Fantastic Friday’s will be the day that we recognise personal improvements.
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