Transforming Maths lessons: From ordinary to extraordinary Matt Skoss Wiki: maths-no-fear.wikispaces.com Ning: remoteteachers.ning.com Twitter: matt_skoss

The only person I can can change is myself!

12 day challenge Trial 2-3 ideas

Creating urgency... At a personal level With colleagues With kids

Implementation Dip

No such thing as a lousy lesson or activity! What would I do differently next time?

What are you thinking about now... that you weren ’ t thinking about 6 months ago?

How do we leverage ‘the Cloud’ for Mathematics learning?

Shared document for reflections instead of:

John Mason: “ Mathematics hasn ’ t been done in a Mathematics lesson unless it has involved generalising. ”

2 families of roos need to pass each other on a mountain slope. Constraints: Can only jump into a vacant square Can jump over a roo into a vacant square Can ’ t jump backwards Minimum number of moves Jumping Kangaroos

in Adelaide

Which is the odd one out, and why?

Is there a Maths task lurking in there?

Mathematicians ask... How many ways are there of arranging... ? How can I convince you I ’ ve found them all?

How many ways of arranging five tiles? Pentomino tiles

Allowed? Yes or no?

How many ways of arranging five tiles? Pentomino tiles

How can all the Pentomino tiles be arranged? What rectangles are possible? What are not possible?

Not possible? Argue a mathematical case why some rectangles are not possible?

Building new tasks...

Perimeters - Which has biggest? Smallest? What about two shapes together?

Symmetry - Where could you add a 6 th square to give the shape symmetry?

How many ways of arranging 3 or 4 cubes? What constraints are possible? Soma cube

How many ways of arranging 3 or 4 cubes? What constraints are possible? Soma cube

Viewing my classroom as an archaeological dig...

Challenge students ’ sense of mathematical attributes

Say what you see!

What would a typical 7 year old say?

25 cm 32° x

or

25 cm 32° x

25 cm 32° x Hypotenuse Adjacent

25 cm 32° x Hypotenuse Adjacent Cos Rule: cos 32° = Adjacent Hypotenuse

25 cm

Questions to provoke mathematical thinking, triggering changes in practice Good sources: Thinkers Primary Questions & Prompts Questions & Prompts for Mathematical Thinking Building on the work from Zygfryd Dyrszlag, a Polish Mathematics Educator Published by ATM(UK) Available online from search on Mason & Watsonwww.aamt.edu.au

Questions... Closed Open Extended Investigati on

Questions... Closed Open Extended Investigati on

Questions... Closed Open Extended Investigation What is 3 + 4? What pairs of numbers add to 7? How many pairs of numbers add to a given sum?

Questions... Closed Open Extended Investigation What is 3 + 4? What pairs of numbers add to 7? How many pairs of numbers add to a given sum?

Additional Conditions Imposing a constraint, then repeating the same question with additional constraints added one by one. Each additional constrain prompts learners to think more precisely about the properties of the example they are creating.

Give me an example of... a set of numbers whose mean is 5 and whose mode is 4 and whose median is 3 and whose range is 6 and whose standard deviation is 1 (for the brave!)

Give me an example of... a quadrilateral with at least two right angles and whose sides are not all the same length and which has reflective symmetry about at least one diagonal

Always, sometimes never true All numbers in the 5 times tables end in a five To multiply by ten put a 0 on the end Division always makes smaller Squaring a number makes it larger