Secondary Maths 1 A resource for school CPD leaders

This presentation is for school CPD leaders. It’s a resource for structuring a 45-minute CPD session on maths. It contains six clips from programmes shot in secondary schools, and each clip is 3-4 minutes long. To accompany the clips there are short programme summaries and discussion starters. Clips do not need to be watched in any particular order, and the presentation can be adapted to suit the priorities of individual schools. The discussion starters are included as suggestions only. Click on the weblinks to view the full programmes and additional resources. ( All programmes covered by the Creative Archive Licence can be viewed on the Teachers TV website and downloaded by registered users of the site.)

Overview These six clips, with their accompanying discussion starters, focus on two aspects of secondary maths: Geometry - Dynamic geometry software (clip 1), bearings (clip 2), investigating pi (clip 3), and vectors (clip 4) Data handling - Students collecting their own data (clips 5 and 6)

1. KS3/4 Maths – Using Dynamic Geometry Dynamic geometry software can transform the teaching of mathematical concepts. In this clip, Year 9 students use a grid of seven interlinked circles to define the properties of 2D shapes.

“Convince yourself, convince a friend and then try and convince me.” How does discussion help students to develop their understanding of geometry? What would be lost if students were to do this investigation using pen and paper rather than using the software?

2. KS3/4 Maths – Bearings The topic of bearings is ideal for getting students out of the classroom and letting them explore. Higher ability Year 8 students undertake a classroom-based activity on three-figure bearings before embarking on a treasure hunt.

What prior learning would students need to have undertaken in order to make the most of this treasure hunt? How could the teacher manage the errors that students might make in the course of this activity?

3. KS3 Maths – Investigating Pi Top set Year 9 students investigate an experiment first performed by French naturalist George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in

How does this activity help to link attainment targets MA1, MA3 and MA4? The class is not sure why the result of the investigation is pi. How could the teacher support students in discovering the reason for the result?

4. KS3/4 Maths – Vectors Wendy Fortescue-Hubbard demonstrates some practical applications of vectors. In this clip, Year 10 students use science equipment to investigate how vectors can represent velocities and forces.

Could this activity be adapted for use with a whole class? What can students learn from a practical exploration of vectors that they couldn’t learn from a textbook? In what other areas of the curriculum can practical exploration be used to develop students’ understanding of the topic?

5. KS3/4 Maths – Motivating Maths at GCSE: Getting Away from the Textbook Motivating GCSE maths students has been identified as a national problem. One maths teacher tries to get away from the textbook as she introduces her Year 10 class to a statistics module. Students investigate how manufacturers decide the sizes of collars and cuffs.

This teacher wanted students to feel motivated by practical activity. To what extent has she succeeded? Can the more imaginative teaching approaches used at KS3 be sustained throughout KS4?

6. KS3 Maths – Mean, Median and Mode Year 8 pupils consider the appropriateness of using the mean, median and mode by researching house prices from around the country.

How effective is the subject of house prices as a context for investigating averages? What is the value of asking students to collect their own data? What other real life contexts would help students to engage with the subject of mean, median and mode?