Association of Teachers of Mathematics (UK)

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To view our articles in Common Denominator, visit the following link https://www.mav.vic.edu.au/Services-and-News/Common-Denominator-Magazine

Real life mathematical problems are full

of opportunities for students to explore

different aspects of mathematics. The

Collatz Conjecture, otherwise known as the

Hailstone Sequence due to the up and down

nature of the pattern, is a rich task worth

exploring with your students. Curriculum

wise, students are required to demonstrate

an understanding of the four operations as

well as the order of the operations, as well

entering into algebra for those students who

are ready.

A key element of a great mathematics lesson is the collection of formative data. But a difficultly often discovered is how to collect the data. We want to be able to collect data as part of our regular lessons, not to have our students have to complete separate assessments all the time. Whilst these have their place, we can collect more meaningful data on an ongoing basis.

This article will look at a topic I discussed at the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Conference in 2019. Something that has been successful, both in my classroom and in other classrooms, is the use of cross checks during the lesson. I acknowledge that these can be used at a unit level to track student progress. For the purposes of this article, the focus will remain on using them as a formative assessment tool during a lesson.

I love reading to my class, especially a high-quality picture story book. One of my personal favourites is the adventures of Marcel the Monster in Monster Chef by Nick Bland. This article follows the approach outlined by Russo and Russo (2017) known as the Narrative-First Approach, involving ‘beginning with rich narratives, and mapping on the mathematics’.

To view our articles in MAV Prime Number, visit the following link:  https://www.mav.vic.edu.au/Services-and-News/MAV-Journals/Journal-resources

Having games that can effectively allow students to practice multiple skills and that can be extended or condensed based on student need is a highly effective aspect of a teacher’s approach. Games such as Roll, Make and Compare do not require students to learn a new game for each skill they are introduced to, and therefore allow students to solely focus on their understanding of the mathematical concepts.

This game is designed to allow students to develop a number of key concepts of numeration they will require before encountering formal place value. Students are required to make numbers up to 10, name the number of objects in a collection, record symbols and then match them to a collection and also to name the symbol.

Games are, quite rightly, becoming a more popular tool for teachers of mathematics. Games are inherently engaging and require minimal equipment, making them perfect for both a warm up or a whole lesson.

A major reason that games are a perfect component of a rich maths program is their ability to be easily differentiated. Games are also favoured because they allow students to practise their fluency, but they can also be used to explore a student’s reasoning. This article discusses the game, 5 to Make 25, exploring how the game can be differentiated as well as looking at how it can be used as a window into student’s reasoning.

Fractions, a concept widely considered to be one of the most difficult for students to learn, is often ‘simplified’ to make it more understandable.

USE THIS PICTURE AS A STIMULUS FOR LEARNING TASKS 

Vessel is a tourist attraction found in Hudson Yards in New York City. This honeycomb-like structure rises 150 feet, has 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps and 80 landings for visitors to climb.

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