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  • Number
    • Arithmetic >
      • The Four Operations >
        • The Four Operations (QQI)
        • The Four Operations (10QQI)
        • The Four Operations (QQI Count Down)
        • The Four Operations (QQI Relay)
        • The Four Operations (QQI BINGO)
        • The Four Operations (QQI Worksheets)
        • The Four Operations (Video)
        • Timestables Square (QQI)
        • Grid Multiplication (QQI)
      • Missing Numbers >
        • Missing Numbers (QQI)
        • Missing Numbers (10QQI)
        • Missing Numbers (QQI Count Down)
        • Missing Numbers (QQI Relay)
        • Missing Numbers (QQI BINGO)
        • Missing Numbers (QQI Worksheets)
      • Order of Operations >
        • Order of Operations (QQI)
        • Order of Operations (10QQI)
        • Order of Operations (QQI Count Down)
        • Order of Operations (QQI Relay)
        • Order of Operations (QQI BINGO)
        • Order of Operations (QQI Worksheets)
      • Powers of Ten >
        • Powers of Ten (QQI)
        • Powers of Ten (10QQI)
        • Powers of Ten (QQI Count Down)
        • Powers of Ten (QQI Relay)
        • Powers of Ten (QQI BINGO)
        • Powers of Ten (QQI Worksheets)
      • Decimal Operations >
        • Decimal Operations (QQI)
        • Decimal Operations (10QQI)
        • Decimal Operations (QQI Count Down)
        • Decimal Operations (QQI Relay)
        • Decimal Operations (QQI BINGO)
        • Decimal Operations (QQI Worksheets)
      • Rounding >
        • Rounding (QQI)
        • Rounding (10QQI)
        • Rounding (QQI Count Down)
        • Rounding (QQI Relay)
        • Rounding (QQI BINGO)
        • Rounding (QQI Worksheets)
      • Products and Sums (QQI)
      • Products and Sums (10QQI)
    • Fractions >
      • Cancelling Fractions >
        • Cancelling Fractions (QQI)
        • Cancelling Fractions (10QQI)
        • Cancelling Fractions (QQI Count Down)
        • Cancelling Fractions (QQI Relay)
        • Cancelling Fractions (QQI BINGO)
        • Cancelling Fractions (QQI Worksheets)
      • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions >
        • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions (QQI)
        • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions (10QQI)
        • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions (QQI Count Down)
        • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions (QQI Relay)
        • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions (QQI BINGO)
        • Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions (QQI Worksheets)
      • Fractions of Amounts >
        • Fractions of Amounts (QQI)
        • Fractions of Amounts (10QQI)
        • Fractions of Amounts (QQI Count Down)
        • Fractions of Amounts (QQI Relay)
        • Fractions of Amounts (QQI BINGO)
        • Fractions of Amounts (QQI Worksheets)
      • Fraction Arithmetic >
        • Fraction Arithmetic (QQI)
        • Fraction Arithmetic (10QQI)
        • Fraction Arithmetic (QQI Count Down)
        • Fraction Arithmetic (QQI Relay)
        • Fraction Arithmetic (QQI BINGO)
        • Fraction Arithmetic (QQI Worksheets)
    • FDP >
      • Fraction Decimal Conversions Drill
    • Percentages >
      • Percentages of Amounts >
        • Percentages of Amounts (QQI)
        • Percentages of Amounts (10QQI)
        • Percentages of Amounts (QQI Count Down)
        • Percentages of Amounts (QQI Relay)
        • Percentages of Amounts (QQI BINGO)
        • Percentages of Amounts (QQI Worksheets)
        • Percentage of Amounts (Video)
      • Writing Numbers as a Percentage >
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (QQI)
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (10QQI)
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (QQI Count Down)
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (QQI Relay)
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (QQI BINGO)
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (QQI Worksheets)
        • Writing Numbers as a Percentage (Video)
      • Percentage Change >
        • Percentage Change (QQI)
        • Percentage Change (10QQI)
        • Percentage Change (QQI Count Down)
        • Percentage Change (QQI Relay)
        • Percentage Change (QQI Worksheets)
        • Percentage Change (Video)
      • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage >
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (QQI)
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (10QQI)
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (QQI Count Down)
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (QQI Relay)
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (QQI BINGO)
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (QQI Worksheets)
        • Increase and Decrease by a Percentage (Video)
      • Compound Interest and Simple Interest >
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (QQI)
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (10QQI)
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (QQI Count Down)
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (QQI Relay)
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (QQI BINGO)
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (QQI Worksheets)
        • Compound Interest and Simple Interest (Video)
      • Overall Percentage Change >
        • Overall Percentage Change (QQI)
        • Overall Percentage Change (10QQI)
        • Overall Percentage Change (QQI Count Down)
        • Overall Percentage Change (QQI Relay)
        • Overall Percentage Change (QQI BINGO)
        • Overall Percentage Change (QQI Worksheets)
      • Reverse Percentages >
        • Reverse Percentages (QQI)
        • Reverse Percentages (10QQI)
        • Reverse Percentages (QQI Count Down)
        • Reverse Percentages (QQI Relay)
        • Reverse Percentages (QQI BINGO)
        • Reverse Percentages (QQI Worksheets)
        • Reverse Percentages (Video)
      • Mixed Percentages >
        • Mixed Percentages (QQI)
        • Mixed Percentages (10QQI)
        • Mixed Percentages (QQI Count Down)
        • Mixed Percentages (QQI Relay)
        • Mixed Percentages (QQI BINGO)
        • Mixed Percentages (QQI Worksheets)
    • Factors and Multiples >
      • Number Properties (QQI)
      • Product of Primes >
        • Product of Primes (QQI)
        • Product of Primes (10QQI)
        • Product of Primes (QQI Count Down)
        • Product of Primes (QQI Relay)
        • Product of Primes (QQI BINGO)
        • Product of Primes (QQI Worksheets)
      • HCF and LCM >
        • HCF and LCM (QQI)
        • HCF and LCM (10QQI)
        • HCF and LCM (QQI Count Down)
        • HCF and LCM (QQI Relay)
        • HCF and LCM (QQI BINGO)
        • HCF and LCM (QQI Worksheets)
        • HCF and LCM (Video)
      • 100 Square Multiples (QQI)
      • 100 Square Types of Numbers (QQI)
    • Standard Form >
      • Standard Form Conversions >
        • Standard Form Conversions (QQI)
        • Standard Form Conversions (10QQI)
        • Standard Form Conversions (QQI Count Down)
        • Standard Form Conversions (QQI Relay)
        • Standard Form Conversions (QQI BINGO)
        • Standard Form Conversions 2 (QQI BINGO)
        • Standard Form Conversions (QQI Worksheets)
      • Standard Form Arithmetic >
        • Standard Form Arithmetic (QQI)
        • Standard Form Arithmetic (10QQI)
        • Standard Form Arithmetic (QQI Count Down)
        • Standard Form Arithmetic (QQI Relay)
        • Standard Form Arithmetic (QQI BINGO)
        • Standard Form Arithmetic (QQI Worksheets)
    • Ratio and Proportion >
      • Ratio (Video)
    • Surds >
      • Surds Activities >
        • Surds (QQI)
        • Surds (10QQI)
        • Surds (QQI Count Down)
        • Surds (QQI Relay)
        • Surds (QQI BINGO)
        • Surds (QQI Worksheets)
  • Algebra
    • Algebraic Manipulation >
      • Collecting Like Terms >
        • Collecting Like Terms (QQI)
        • Collecting Like Terms (10QQI)
        • Collecting Like Terms (QQI Count Down)
        • Collecting Like Terms (QQI Relay)
        • Collecting Like Terms (QQI BINGO)
        • Collecting Like Terms (QQI Worksheets)
      • Expanding Single Brackets >
        • Expanding Single Brackets (QQI)
        • Expanding Single Brackets (10QQI)
        • Expanding Single Brackets (QQI Count Down)
        • Expanding Single Brackets (QQI Relay)
        • Expanding Single Brackets (QQI BINGO)
        • Expanding Single Brackets (QQI Worksheets)
      • Factorising >
        • Factorising (QQI)
        • Factorising (10QQI)
        • Factorising (QQI Count Down)
        • Factorising (QQI Relay)
        • Factorising (QQI BINGO)
        • Factorising (QQI Worksheets)
      • Expanding Quadratic Brackets >
        • Expanding Quadratic Brackets (QQI)
        • Expanding Quadratic Brackets (10QQI)
        • Expanding Quadratic Brackets (QQI Count Down)
        • Expanding Quadratic Brackets (QQI Relay)
        • Expanding Quadratic Brackets (QQI BINGO)
        • Expanding Quadratic Brackets (QQI Worksheets)
      • Factorising Quadratics >
        • Factorising Quadratics (QQI)
        • Factorising Quadratics (10QQI)
        • Factorising Quadratics (QQI Count Down)
        • Factorising Quadratics (QQI Relay)
        • Factorising Quadratics (QQI BINGO)
        • Factorising Quadratics (QQI Worksheets)
        • Factorising Quadratic Expressions (Video)
        • Factorising Four Term Expressions (Video)
      • Indices >
        • Indices (QQI)
        • Indices (10QQI)
        • Indices (QQI Count Down)
        • Indices (QQI Relay)
        • Indices (QQI BINGO)
        • Indices (QQI Worksheets)
      • Completing the Square >
        • Completing the Square (QQI)
        • Completing the Square (10QQI)
        • Completing the Square (QQI Count Down)
        • Completing the Square (QQI Relay)
        • Completing the Square (QQI BINGO)
        • Completing the Square 2 (QQI BINGO)
        • Completing the Square (QQI Worksheets)
      • Algebraic Fractions >
        • Simplifying Algebraic Fractions (Video)
        • Adding and Subtracting Algebraic Fractions (Video)
        • Multiplying and Dividing Algebraic Fractions (Video)
    • Coordinates >
      • Coordinates (GGB)
      • Coordinate Battleship First Quadrant (GGB)
      • Coordinate Battleship All Four Quadrants (GGB)
      • 3D Coordinates (AGG)
    • Equations >
      • Linear Equations >
        • Solving Linear Equations >
          • Solving Linear Equations (QQI)
          • Solving Linear Equations (10QQI)
          • Solving Linear Equations (QQI Count Down)
          • Solving Linear Equations (QQI Relay)
          • Solving Linear Equations (QQI BINGO)
          • Solving Linear Equations (QQI Worksheets)
        • Solving Equations with Algebraic Fractions (Video)
      • Quadratic Equations >
        • Solving Quadratic Equations >
          • Solving Quadratic Equations (QQI)
          • Solving Quadratic Equations (10QQI)
          • Solving Quadratic Equations (QQI Count Down)
          • Solving Quadratic Equations (QQI Relay)
          • Solving Quadratic Equations (QQI BINGO)
          • Solving Quadratic Equations (QQI Worksheets)
        • Solving Quadratic Equations by Factorising (Video)
        • The Quadratic Formula (Video)
        • Problems Involving Quadratic Equations (Video)
      • Simultaneous Equations >
        • Solving Simultaneous Equations >
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (QQI)
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (10QQI)
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (QQI Count Down)
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (QQI Relay)
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (QQI Relay Fixed)
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (QQI BINGO)
          • Solving Simultaneous Equations (QQI Worksheets)
        • Solving Simultaneous Equations Graphically (Video)
        • Simultaneous Equations by Substitution (Video)
        • Simultaneous Equations by Elimination (Video)
        • Simultaneous Equations - One Non-Linear (Video)
    • Sequences >
      • Sequences Activity (QQI)
      • Sequences Activities >
        • Sequences (QQI)
        • Sequences (10QQI)
        • Sequences (QQI Count Down)
        • Sequences (QQI Relay)
        • Sequences (QQI BINGO)
        • Sequences (QQI Worksheets)
      • Generating Sequences (Video)
      • General Term for Linear Sequences (Video)
      • Simple Quadratic Sequences (Video)
      • General Term for Quadratic Sequences (Video)
      • General Term for Cubic Sequences (Video)
      • Geometric Sequences (Video)
      • Common Differences (QQI)
    • Graphs >
      • Straight Line Graphs >
        • Drawing Straight Line Graphs (GGB)
        • Gradient of a Line (GGB)
        • Gradient of a Line 2 (GGB)
        • Parallel Lines (GGB)
        • Perpendicular Lines (GGB)
        • y = mx + c Activity (GGB)
        • Battleships 1 (AGG)
        • Battleships 2 (AGG)
        • Battleships 3 (AGG)
        • Find the Lines 1 (AGG)
        • Regions in Graphs (Video)
      • Non-Linear Graphs >
        • Drawing Curves (GGB)
        • Quadratic Graphs Activity (GGB)
        • Finding Quadratic Functions (Video)
      • Graphs with a Casio GDC (Video)
    • Graph Transformations >
      • Graph Transformations 1 (GGB)
      • Graph Transformations 2 (GGB)
      • Graph Transformations 3 (GGB)
      • Graph Transformations 4 (GGB)
      • Graph Transformations 5 (GGB)
      • Graph Transformations 6 (GGB)
    • Functions >
      • Functions Introductions (Video)
      • Function Graphs and Important Points (Video)
      • Solving Unfamiliar Equations Using Functions (Video)
      • Function Notation Revision (Video)
      • Composite Functions (Video)
      • Inverse Functions (Video)
  • Shape
    • Symmetry >
      • Reflection Symmetry >
        • Reflection Symmetry in Quadrilaterals (GGB)
        • Reflection Symmetry in Triangles (GGB)
        • Reflection Symmetry in Other Shapes (GGB)
      • Rotational Symmetry >
        • Rotational Symmetry in Quadrilaterals (GGB)
        • Rotational Symmetry in Triangles (GGB)
        • Rotational Symmetry in Other Shapes (GGB)
    • Area and Perimeter >
      • Polygons >
        • Perimeters (GGB)
        • Area of a Triangle (GGB)
        • Area of a Parallelogram (GGB)
        • Area of a Trapezium (GGB)
        • Area of Compound Shapes (GGB)
        • Perimeter and Area (GGB)
      • Circles >
        • Discovering Pi (GGB)
        • Circumference of a Circle (GGB)
        • Area of a Circle (GGB)
        • Running Tracks (GGB)
        • Circle Area Problem (GGB)
        • Circles and Squares (GGB)
      • Area (QQI)
      • Area (10QQI)
      • Tilted Squares (GGB)
      • Difference Between Two Squares (GGB)
    • Volume and Surface Area >
      • Volumes and Surface Areas (QQI)
      • Volumes and Surface Areas (10QQI)
    • Angles >
      • Guess the Angle (GGB)
      • Angles on a Straight Line (GGB)
      • Angles around a Point (GGB)
      • Angles in a Triangle (GGB)
      • Angles in a Quadrilateral (GGB)
      • Angles in a Regular Polygon (GGB)
      • Angles on Parallel Lines (GGB)
      • Striping Angles (GGB)
    • Transformations >
      • Reflection >
        • Reflections (GGB)
        • Reflection Challenge (GGB)
      • Rotation >
        • Rotations (GGB)
        • Rotation Challenge (GGB)
      • Translation >
        • Translations (GGB)
        • Translation Challenge (GGB)
      • Enlargement >
        • Enlargements (GGB)
        • Enlargement Challenge (GGB)
        • Other Scale Factors (GGB)
      • Challenges >
        • Which Transformation (GGB)
        • How Many Transformations (GGB)
        • Find Them All (AGG)
        • Ultimate Challenge (GGB)
      • Matrix Transformations (AGG)
    • Pythagoras Theorem >
      • Pythagoras Theorem Activities >
        • Pythagoras Theorem (QQI)
        • Pythagoras Theorem (10QQI)
        • Pythagoras Theorem (QQI Count Down)
        • Pythagoras Theorem (QQI Relay)
        • Pythagoras Theorem (QQI BINGO)
        • Pythagoras Theorem (QQI Worksheets)
      • Pythagoras Theorem (GGB)
      • Pythagorean Triples (GGB)
      • Pythagoras Proof (GGB)
      • Ladders up Walls (GGB)
      • Pythagoras in 3D (GGB)
      • Finding the Hypotenuse Example (Video)
      • Finding a Shorter Side Example (Video)
    • Trigonometry >
      • Right Angled Trigonometry >
        • Right Angled Trigonometry (QQI)
        • Right Angled Trigonometry (10QQI)
        • Right Angled Trigonometry (QQI Count Down)
        • Right Angled Trigonometry (QQI Relay)
        • Right Angled Trigonometry (QQI BINGO)
        • Right Angled Trigonometry (QQI Worksheets)
        • Discovering Trig Ratios (GGB)
        • Finding Lengths (GGB)
        • Finding Missing Lengths (Video)
        • Finding Missing Angles (Video)
      • Sine Rule (Video)
      • Cosine Rule (Video)
      • Sine and Cosine Rules (Video)
    • Circle Theorems >
      • Angle in the Centre vs Angle at the Circumference (GGB)
      • Angle at the Centre vs Angle at the Circumference (Video)
      • Angles in a Semicircle (GGB)
      • Angle in a Semicircle (Video)
      • Angles in Cyclic Quadrilaterals (GGB)
      • Angles in a Cyclic Quadrilateral (Video)
      • Angles in the Same Segment (GGB)
      • Angles in the Same Segment (Video)
      • Tangents (GGB)
      • Tangents (Video)
      • Alternate Segment Theorem (GGB)
      • Intersecting Tangents (GGB)
      • Intersecting Tangents (Video)
      • Intersecting Chords (GGB)
    • Vectors >
      • Vectors and Scalars (Video)
      • Vector Notation (Video)
      • Resultant Vectors (Video)
      • Resultants of Column Vectors (Video)
      • Scalar Multiplication (Video)
      • Magnitude of a Vector (Video)
    • Miscellaneous >
      • Squares (GGB)
      • Tangrams (GGB)
      • Euler Line (GGB)
      • Geoboards
  • Statistics
    • Probability >
      • Probability (QQI)
      • Probability (10QQI)
      • Probability Tools (Flash)
    • Averages >
      • Averages Activity (QQI)
      • Listed Averages >
        • Listed Averages (QQI)
        • Listed Averages (10QQI)
        • Listed Averages (QQI Count Down)
        • Listed Averages (QQI Relay)
        • Listed Averages (QQI BINGO)
        • Listed Averages (QQI Worksheets)
        • Averages From Lists of Data (Video)
        • Quartiles and Interquartile Range (Video)
      • Averages from Frequency Tables >
        • Averages from Frequency Tables (QQI)
        • Averages from Frequency Tables (10QQI)
        • Averages from Frequency Tables (QQI Count Down)
        • Averages from Frequency Tables (QQI Relay)
        • Averages from Frequency Tables (QQI BINGO)
        • Averages from Frequency Tables (QQI Worksheets)
        • Averages From Frequency Tables (Video)
        • Averages From Grouped Frequency Tables (Video)
      • Averages With A GDC (Video)
    • Statistical Diagrams >
      • Cumulative Frequency (Video)
      • Scatter Graphs and the Mean Point (Video)
      • Scatter Graphs and Linear Regression on a GDC (Video)
      • Correlation and the Correlation Coefficient on a GDC (Video)
  • Post 16 Topics
    • Binomial Expansion >
      • Binomial Expansion (Video)
      • Binomial Theorem (Video)
      • Binomial Coefficients (Video)
      • Binomial Applications (Video)
    • Coordinate Geometry >
      • Coordinate Geometry (QQI)
      • Coordinate Geometry (10QQI)
      • Equation of a Circle (AGG)
    • Differentiation >
      • Differentiating Polynomials >
        • Differentiating Polynomials (QQI)
        • Differentiating Polynomials (10QQI)
        • Differentiating Polynomials (QQI Count Down)
        • Differentiating Polynomials (QQI Relay)
        • Differentiating Polynomials (QQI BINGO)
        • Differentiating Polynomials (QQI Worksheets)
      • Finding Gradients of Curves (QQI)
      • Finding Gradients of Curves (10QQI)
      • Finding Turning Points of Curves (QQI)
      • Finding Turning Points of Curves (10QQI)
    • Trigonometry >
      • Radian and Degree Conversions >
        • Radian and Degree Conversions (QQI)
        • Radian and Degree Conversions (10QQI)
        • Radian and Degree Conversions (QQI Count Down)
        • Radian and Degree Conversions (QQI Relay)
        • Radian and Degree Conversions (QQI BINGO)
        • Radian and Degree Conversions (QQI Worksheets)
      • Trigonometric Exact Values >
        • Trigonometric Exact Values (QQI)
        • Trigonometric Exact Values (10QQI)
        • Trigonometric Exact Values (QQI Count Down)
        • Trigonometric Exact Values (QQI Relay)
        • Trigonometric Exact Values (QQI BINGO)
        • Trigonometric Exact Values (QQI Worksheets)
      • Graphs of Trig Functions (GGB)
  • Starters, Puzzles and Enrichment
    • UKMT Random Question Generator
    • @mathschallenge Random Questions
    • School of Hard Sums Random Questions
    • Random Starter of the Day
    • Mathematically Possible (QQI Starter)
    • Adding Challenge (QQI Starter)
    • Date Starter (QQI Starter)
    • Name That Number (QQI Starter)
    • Matchstick Random Questions
    • Choose 3 Numbers (QQI Starter)
    • What's The Question (QQI Starter)
    • Mathematical Words (QQI Starter)
    • Number of the Day (QQI Starter)
    • Anagrams and Missing Vowels (QQI Starter)
    • Missing Vowels and Word Jumbles (QQI) >
      • Missing Vowels and Word Jumbles Simple Numbers (QQI)
    • Tables (QQI)
    • Target Boards (QQI)
    • Missing Signs (QQI)
    • Random Activities >
      • Exploding Dots
      • Easter Date
      • Easter Tangrams (GGB)
      • Zeller's Algorithm
      • Batman Equation (AGG)
      • Templates
    • Mathematical Videos >
      • Fermat's Last Theorem (Video)
      • Pi Song (Video)
      • Monty Hall Problem (Video)
      • Symmetry, Reality's Riddle (Video)
      • Music of the Primes (Video)
      • Folding Paper (Video)
      • Nature by Numbers (Video)
      • Inspirations (Video)

Slow Teaching

27/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Slow Teaching by Jamie Thom is an excellent book to give you a brief overview of lots of different areas of teaching and learning. The premise of the book is Thom trying to convince us that we should slow down in all the things we do, both in and out of school. And he has me convinced!​
Tackling topics such as classrooms, relationships, questioning, wellbeing and teacher improvements, each chapter is succinct and to the point. They also all end with a series of Slow Questions, to help the reader reflect on their own practice in light of the slow ideals (given below as an overview of the ideas shared).
Thom's main point is that the fast lifestyle of many (mainly new) teachers is unsustainable, and there are many ways to slow down, and actually become a better and more efficient teacher. Taking the slow, thoughtful approach can help us better balance our lives, be better teachers, have better relationships with students, and improve our wellbeing.
I have summarised the 21 chapters briefly in this sketchnote.
Picture
Minimalistic Classroom
  1. Is your classroom in need of a minimalist review?
  2. What immediate changes could you make to ensure the clarity and organisation of your environment?
  3. What would the impact of ten minutes of decluttering a day have on your psychological state?
  4. What new organisational structures could you implement?
  5. Does you classroom model student excellence?
  6. Is the passion you have for your subject clear in your classroom?
Streamlined Planning and Teaching
  1. Are you falling into the Mr Hare planning trap?
  2. Do you have a clear vision of where each class you teach needs to be by the end of the term and by the end of the year?
  3. Have you broken down the learning into manageable chunks of planning?
  4. Do you have a clear idea of what each assessment will be for schemes of work?
  5. Have you slowly mastered the content you will be teaching?
  6. Have you considered student misconceptions in your planning?
  7. Have you planned for slow and deliberate practice in individual lessons?
  8. Are you regularly checking students' understanding?
An Actor's Paradise: The Non-Verbal in the Classroom
  1. Do you spend time reflecting on your non-verbal communications in the classroom?
  2. Are you conscious of your posture and the impact it has?
  3. Could you embrace a straighter, more upright posture?
  4. Do you use had gestures purposefully to support your words?
  5. Do you have teacher blind spots in the classroom; are you engaging with the whole room through eye contact?
  6. How could you use eye contact more effectively to build positive relationships
  7. Could you move more strategically in your classroom?
Efficient Teacher Talk
  1. Could your teacher talk be deliberately slowed down?
  2. Are you aware of you breathing in the classroom and how this is impacting your ability to explain?
  3. Could you embrace elements of Churchillian preparation of your teacher talk?
  4. Are you aware of how students are responding to the pace of your speech?
  5. What could you do to employ the pause more effectively in the classroom?
  6. Are you harnessing the power of slow storytelling and anecdotes in the classroom?
Questioning: Rediscover the Potential
  1. Are you falling into the 'rapid-rifle approach' to questioning?
  2. What other questioning traps do you need to be conscious of in your teaching?
  3. What 'wait time' strategies could you easily implement into your own teaching?
  4. Are you getting the balance right between closed and open questions?
  5. Could you make more use of questioning as a form of differentiation in your lessons?
  6. How could you script your questions for impact?
  7. What strategies can you use to tackle the "don't know' or quiet classes?
To Praise or not to Praise
  1. Are you falling into over-praising with any of your students or groups?
  2. What phrases could you adapt to make your praise more specific?
  3. Is their scope in your classroom to make praise more related to effort?
  4. Are you striving to encourage a growth mindset in your classroom?
  5. Are you looking for classroom 'bright spots' and praising students who demonstrate behaviour expectations?
  6. How often are you positively engaging with parents?
  7. Do you celebrate the commitment and support of teachers who work alongside you?
Refining Relationships
  1. Are you making enough time outside of your busy teaching day to prioritise building positive relationships?
  2. Is the empathetic mindset present in your interactions with young people?
  3. Are you communicating genuine enthusiasm in the presence of all your students?
  4. How well are you listening to students both inside and outside of the classroom?
  5. Are you conscious of the introvert/extrovert divide and using strategies to positively engage with both?
  6. Could you involve yourself in  more activities outside of the classroom to generate positive relationships with students?
Serene and Stoical Behaviour Management
  1. Do you focus on what you can proactively control when reflecting on behaviour?
  2. Are you self-aware and able to moderate emotion when working with challenging classes?
  3. Is there consistency and calm at the heart of your classroom persona?
  4. Are you applying whole-school behaviour policies rigorously in your work at school?
  5. Are the behaviour essentials imbedded in your work with each of your classes?
  6. What other aspects of stoical philosophy could you apply to your teaching?
The Power of Modelling
  1. Is you marking revealing significant misconceptions students have about how to structure and approach tasks?
  2. Are you investing lesson time in sharing assessment criteria that is difficult for students to grasp?
  3. What role does modelling play in your classroom now and could it be employed more?
  4. Are you making your thinking explicit to students and deconstructing how to approach a task?
  5. Could the be more scope for you to prepare a teacher model answer?
  6. Are you confident about not marking work and instead providing students with a model to ensure clarity about how they should complete a task?
  7. What opportunities are there to use student model answers in your lessons?
Developing Motivated and Reflective Learners
  1. Are you reflecting on ways to improve your students' ability to consider their own thinking?
  2. Are there more opportunities in lessons to model your thinking about how to approach tasks with students?
  3. Is time designated in lessons to give students opportunities to plan out how they will approach a task? Are they aware of the strategies that can use to do this?
  4. What steps are you taking to ensure that students are pausing and considering how well they are completing tasks?
  5. Is there time at the end of each task for students to evaluate how well it has been completed and make changes?
  6. Are you exploring both resilience and motivation with your students and making it a real focus in your interactions with them?
Debunking Manic Marking
  1. Are you becoming another victim of mindless marking fervour?
  2. Is there a more strategic approach you could take in deciding what to mark and when?
  3. Are you emphasising the sacred nature of marking and giving students time to construct a detailed self-assessment?
  4. Is your written feedback to students sparse and instructional?
  5. How much effort is going into training your students on how to respond to feedback?
  6. Could you look at building in more structured examples of peer assessment?
Memory Mysteries
  1. Are you considering memory in your planning and teaching on a daily basis?
  2. Are there more opportunities to employ the power of testing in your lessons?
  3. Are you falling into the 'speedy content' trap, racing through without returning to check understanding and interleave content?
  4. Are you allowing time for deliberate repetition of skills and giving students plenty of opportunities to practice?
  5. What potential is there for streamlining your lessons to provide complete clarity for your students?
  6. Are you being reflective about cognitive overload in your lessons?
  7. What potential could mnemonics have to aid students' memories in you subject?
Literacy: Beyond the Quick Fix Solutions
  1. Do you know the literacy demands of your individual subject(s)?
  2. How much and how often do you ask students to read in your subjects?
  3. Do you coach students on how to approach the style of reading required?
  4. How often do you model and discuss your own reading habits with students?
  5. Are you driving forward reading with your students, encouraging and providing them with guidance on reading for pleasure?
  6. Do you make spelling a focus in your lessons?
  7. Do you deconstruct spelling and use a range of strategies?
  8. Are you literacy aware in your marking? Do you mark for grammar and spelling alongside content? Do you encourage students to proofread with a literacy lens?
Teaching the Secrets of Effective Revision
  1. Are your students suffering from a lack of clarity about how to revise?
  2. Are you tackling the symptoms of over-confident students?
  3. Are your students clear on the dangers of cramming?
  4. What are the procrastination avoidance tips you can arm your students with?
  5. Can you help students to construct a revision timetable?
  6. What self-testing techniques do you want students to employ in their revision?
Reflect and Refine: Developing Passionate Teachers
  1. What aspect of your teaching would you value more feedback on?
  2. Who have your observed recently that has influenced an aspect of your teaching?
  3. Who has observed you teach and what was the impact of their observation?
  4. Could you designate more time to reflecting on your impact in the classroom? How would you complete this reflection?
  5. What dialogue are you regularly sharing about teaching?
  6. Could you act in a coaching capacity for a colleague? Would you benefit from some coaching?
  7. Could you engage more in research about teaching?
Understanding and Managing Stress
  1. Are you at risk of burnout?
  2. What is your relationship like with stress?
  3. What strategies are you using to manage feelings of stress?
  4. Are you using the support network of colleagues in school?
  5. Are you conscious of the perfectionism trap?
  6. Could you build in more optimism into both your internal and external presence in school?
Arming Ourselves against Anxiety
  1. Do you have a clear grasp of the potential anxiety trigger points in the year?
  2. Have you got an action plan for the first two weeks of the new academic year?
  3. Are you using a checklist approach to planning your day and week?
  4. Are you planning for parental meetings to help feel calm and be prepared?
  5. Is collaboration high up on your agenda?
  6. How can you ensure calm clarity during the exam season?
  7. Are you confidently informed and ready for an Ofsted inspection?
Tacking Teacher Insomnia: Sleep Easy
  1. What is your relationship with sleep like? Are you getting enough?
  2. Do you have a sleeping routine that you are sticking to?
  3. Could you reduce your caffeine intake?
  4. Is you bedroom a haven for sleep?
  5. Do you need to curb your use of electronic devices?
  6. Could you make time for more exercise to improve your wellbeing and sleep?
  7. Are you addressing worries proactively before going to sleep?
Embracing Mindfulness: The Meditating and Mindful Teacher
  1. How much of your day is spent on autopilot; present in body but not mind?
  2. Could you put ten minutes aside for yourself a day?
  3. What meditating routine would work best for you?
  4. How else could you use mindfulness throughout the day?
  5. Could you make time for some mindful eating or walking?
Value-Driven Leadership
  1. Are you clear about your motivation for teaching and learning?
  2. Are you a visible leader in school? How do you measure your impact?
  3. What values are important to you?
  4. How are you demonstrating those values?
  5. What policy processes could be streamlined to help staff?
  6. Is wellbeing a conversation your school is having?
  7. What are you doing to continue learning an developing?
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R-C Reflects 23/8/19

22/8/2019

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T&L Newsletter
The 12th issue of the T&L Newsletter I put together for our staff was released this week. It can be found here (along with all previous issues).
Weekly T&L Summary
This term I have started to put together a one sided weekly summary of the T&L bits. This includes the weekly meeting, the discussion group title, the upcoming reading club with a link to the article,  and the date and time of the learning walk for the week. It also includes links to 6 blogs (shamelessly taken from the ones shared by TeacherTapp) and what I am currently reading. The previous ones are also available on our T&L Website on the same page as the T&L Newsletter. The PDF Version is hyperlinked to the articles.
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​I decided to do this to streamline all information into one sheet. My end goal is that all information will be distributed through there, but for now I still need to send a few email about the most important things (as not everyone is reading the summary yet).
Checking for Understanding
This week I ran an INSET on Checking for Understanding, which is one of our Principles of Great Teaching. I asked twitter for some advice, and it didn't fail to give some ideas. 
​The original tweet is below, but make sure to check out the responses.

I am running an inset on checks for understanding next week. I know most of you are on holiday, but ideas are greatly appreciated. Especially some kind of activity to demonstrate the power. @87History @Doug_Lemov @teacherhead @HFletcherWood @mrbartonmaths @dylanwiliam

— Dan Rodriguez-Clark (@InteractMaths) August 15, 2019
​My presentation is here.
Frayer Diagrams
I was very excited to see this tweet on Sunday evening, and am looking forward to making use of them and creating some of my own.

I feel like Sunday night is the perfect time to reveal my latest project - https://t.co/fLw2ic3GQH. In collaboration with @JoLocke1, @MisterRapley, @timdolan, & @StudyMaths; a website dedicated to producing Frayer Models for maths topics. All downloadable, printable & editable!

— Mr Mattock FCCT NPQSL (@MrMattock) August 18, 2019
​As I started planning my next unit on discrete probability distributions, I have already started to attempt to put some together.
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Coaching
This week I started my second coaching cycle after a fairly successful first go last term. The teacher I worked with last term wanted to develop the students ability to use higher-level discussions. He worked on that by making use of a strategy he called pass the sentence. This worked by having the first student say something they know about a problem, and then each successive student had to repeat what had already been said, before adding their own idea. His was a small class so he did this with the whole class. By the end of the term, the teacher felt he had met his goal, and has been enthusiastically talking about the process to others.
​But there were a couple of things I learned from that first cycle. Firstly, we didn't set any clear way to measure the progress against the goal. We judged it based on 'feeling', and this means we do not know for certain that the strategy helped. We also did not make as much use of recording his classes as we should have, and this time round I am going to suggest we record many more classes (or bits of classes). 
​I am also considering whether it makes sense to actually go to multiple classes that the teacher teaches. I guess this will depend on the goal to an extent, but with something like raising levels of discussion (which is actually pretty similar to what the teacher has chosen this bimester too), that can be incorporated across all classes. That might make it easier to develop the habits, as opposed to only doing it with one class. When I decided to use example problem pairs, I did across all my teaching, so I was doing many times a day, and I think that helped embed the skill.
​In this second cycle we have recorded a lesson and watched it, and had a meeting after to go through the Identify Questions. It was a a really good meeting where we discussed ideas for over an hour, and at the end of it we both came away with a clear plan going forward. I also learned from last time to send a summary of the decisions (what the goal is, what strategy, next observation/meeting) to the teacher to confirm we are on the same page. We are recording again today, this time focusing on the students discussions, to get a baseline to judge progress against.
​I am really looking forward to pushing ahead with this cycle. The coaching process has been great for me, and I think it has huge potential to make a difference to what teachers do. 
Blogging
I have been quite active in my blogging over the last few weeks, with these posts:
  • Quiet: Understanding Introversion in the Classroom
  • High Impact Instruction
  • The Components of Direct Instruction
  • My Classroom
  • The Debate
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The Debate

15/8/2019

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This is a story about two teachers: Adam and Zack.
Adam believes that students learn best by exploring ideas they are interested in. By linking his lessons to authentic experiences, Adam believes that students will construct their own learning, which will be powerful for them as they are interested in it. Adam motivates his students with challenging real world problems that they want to find solutions to. In Adam's class, students are provided with real choices over their learning, both the content and the skills. 
Adam wants his students to leave school with the skills to succeed in the future, and is not concerned with the knowledge they have at the end, as content is just a delivery system for the skills. Critical thinking and creativity are the goals of education in the eyes of Adam, and to develop these he gives his students lots of authentic problems to solve.
Adam would describe himself as a "guide on the side", facilitating the learning of the students. He sees his job as helping students to develop into their own people, and to be there as a guiding force when students get stuck.
Adam's edu-heroes are Rousseau, Piaget, Vygotsky and Sir Ken Robinson.

Zack believes that students learn best when they are given clear instruction. Zack uses lots of examples to explain concepts, and he aims to give all his students access to the powerful knowledge that has been developed by generations of humankind. Zack motivates his students by making them successful in the early stages, giving them lots of practice of simple skills which build upon one another. In Zack's classroom, students learn what he has chosen, and he creates lessons to make this as successful as possible.
Zack wants his students to leave school with a good understanding of the knowledge that has benefited previous generations: the knowledge he believes to be powerful due to its longevity. After lots of practice on the basic skills, Zack will push students to solve complex problems, believing that critical thinking and creativity are based on the knowledge you already have, and are domain specific.
Zack would describe himself as a "sage on the stage", directing students to the content and skills they need to learn. He sees his job as imparting what he knows to his students and ensuring they understand it.
Zack's edu-heroes are Engelmann, Willingham, Rosenhine, Bjork and Wiliam.

Adam and Zack are about as far from each other as they can be in terms of their beliefs and practices within education. But what's truly important is that they both do everything they do because they believe it is what is best for their students.
There is a debate in education as to what the best approach is. And this debate gets very heated. The reason it gets so heated is that we all care deeply about the outcomes of our students. We all want nothing more than to give our students the best start in life, and provide them with an education that will serve them well for the remainder of their lives. 
But we disagree on how to do that.

And, perhaps more importantly, we disagree on what the purpose of education is in the first place. 
But that's fine. The debate that rages on is what holds us all to account. It is what makes us think about what we do, rather than just ploughing on doing the same as we always have.

I was first made aware of this debate when I joined twitter. Before that I was oblivious to the fact that there were large chunks of the education community who thought differently to me. In fact, I wasn't really aware of what I thought. It was only when I started to engage in the debate (mostly from the sidelines) that I began to think deeply about my own beliefs. I went away and read lots of articles and books. Over time my own views shifted because of the debate.
But most teachers are not on twitter, and are possibly completely unaware that this debate rages on. They do what they do because that is what they have been told is best. Or that is what they have always done. Or that is how they were taught. But we would never accept an argument from a student that blindly follows one source, without contrasting it to others. So why should we expect teachers to follow one path? Engaging in the debate is the only way to come to terms with who you are as a teacher.
Most teachers are not Adams or Zacks, but more like Daves, Tommys or even Michaels. They lie somewhere along the spectrum of the debate. Perhaps they are on one side, but have certain views that align to the other. And this is always shifting. Some people become more extreme in their beliefs. Some sway to the centre. Some completely switch sides. All these changes happen because of interactions within the debate. They happen because teachers are thinking about teaching and education.
When I started teaching I was probably a Dave. After discovering cognitive science, I swung to becoming a William. Now I am more like a Rory. Where will I be in two years time? Probably still on Zack's side of the spectrum, but who knows. I didn't expect to be here when I was a Dave!

My two takeaways from the story of Adam and Zack are these:
  1. The debate is important to help us all develop and provide the best education for our students;
  2. We all do what we do because we believe it is the best thing for our students.
Those who try to shut down the debate, or even win the debate, have probably strayed quite close to Adam or Zack. But their voices are important too. They are the ones who, usually by being provocative in their language, make teachers like me think about my position on certain issues.
So next time you find yourself disagreeing with somebody about education, don't dismiss them or try to shout them down. Have a conversation. Try to learn from them. And remember, we all want the best for our students.

If you are interested in an excellent post about the different modes of teaching, and how to mix up the worlds of Adam and Zach, check out this post: https://thinkingaboutteaching.blog/2019/08/03/traditional-or-progressive-how-to-get-the-best-of-both-worlds/
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Quiet - Understanding Introversion in the Classroom

6/8/2019

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I have just finished reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Just Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I read it as an introvert myself, trying to gain a greater understanding of some of my own limitations and find some of my strengths. But what I came away with most, was how being aware of the introverts in my class is so vitally important. Ironically, as an introverted child myself, I had never really considered this before.
Starting with an exploration of how extroversion became the ideal and the norm in the Western world, Cain looks to remind the world that both those on the extroverted side and the introverted side have strengths to offer. There are several reviews online that summarise the main points, and indeed Cain has a TED talk on the book too.
Before diving into the actual implications on teaching, a very important point must be made. Being an introvert is not something that needs to be "fixed". There is nothing wrong with introverted kids (or indeed adults). It is simply that they process information in a different way to extroverts. Much of society has developed to praise extroversion, but, as Cain goes to great lengths to explain, introverts have their own strengths. 
It is estimated that between a third and half of all people lie on the introverted side of the spectrum. That means that in a class of 30 kids, we would expect between 10 and 15 of them to be introverted. This may surprise you, as many introverted people have developed ways to appear to be more extroverted. But in doing this, they are not being themselves, but rather living up to what they think is expected of them by society.

And now to the impact on education…
First, introverts tend to be more sensitive to stimuli. That includes loud noises, lots of displays, and even caffeine. Their brain processes these stimuli in a different way to extroverts. Where extroverts are naturally "under-stimulated", introverts are naturally "over-stimulated". Let's consider classroom talk as one example. For an extrovert, the noise and buzz around the room is exactly what they need. This stimulates them to actually be thinking more. But for an introvert, this noise is a severe distraction. It over stimulates them, leaving them both exhausted and unable to think clearly. 
I can relate to that. When having a conversation with somebody, I enjoy getting into the details of whatever we are talking about. But when our conversation is in a loud space (such as the staffroom), I find it really difficult to focus on the conversation I am having. I often find myself flipping between the various conversations going on around me, and so I usually sit back, unable to actively participate in any of them properly. Now I understand this is because I am simply being over-stimulated by all that is going on around me.
What is the implication for teaching? Most teaching spaces are populated with lots of displays. These, especially if bright and large, can over stimulate the introverted students in our classes. And when students are working, if they are allowed to talk to each other, the introverted kids may be more likely to be unable to focus on the task on hand. Most introverts are able to deal with these in small doses, but being consistently bombarded by stimuli is a very draining experience for introverts. So when thinking about our classrooms and the activities we plan, try to use a range of activities that will suit both the extroverted kids and the introverted ones. And think about what time of day it is. If an introverted student has been made to work in high stimulus environments all day by the time they get to you, they may be utterly exhausted. And they may be in no fit state to do homework or anything else after school.

Secondly, Cain argues the importance of quiet sustained work, referencing the idea of flow from the work of Csikszentmihalyi and Deliberate Practice from Ericsson, and this is useful for both introverts and extroverts. Both these ideas require sustained time of silent work to think deeply about the current work, and they suggest that this individual deep work is where the most profound advances are made.
This is the natural state for most introverts. They are most comfortable working individually and in silence, and enjoy the challenge of the deep thought that this type of work enables. Introverts tend to be more engaged by parts of lessons which require them to think deeply and "be inside their own heads". This includes lectures and individual work.
Extroverts, on the other hand, tend to be less naturally adapted to this way of working, preferring to work in groups and discuss ideas. But, just as we need to help all students develop their ability to work in groups, we also need to help all students develop their ability to do deep independent work. What is more natural for extroverts is less so for introverts, and vice versa. 
What is the implication for teaching? Think about the types of group activities you use. Whilst introverts are not against working in a group (many actually enjoy this in small doses, as long as it is productive and roles are clearly defined), they need some time to themselves to think deeply too. We should also be providing support for extroverts to develop the ability to work individually, allowing them to access the strengths of deep work. Again, ensuring we use a mixture of group based and individual activities is vital to address the needs of all students in the class.

Thirdly, introverts tend to think very carefully about what they are going to say before actually saying something. They are more hesitant to say something that might be perceived as foolish. This can mean that in class discussions, whilst they are thinking of lots of great things, they may not choose to share them with the class. In fact, many introverted students might get fed up with their extroverted peers who will often shout out the first thing that springs to mind without thinking it through. They will probably see this as a waste of time, and will almost certainly get frustrated if this kind of behaviour is praised (e.g. when a teacher says something like "Good effort" or "Nice try" when it was completely irrelevant or plain wrong).
Whilst we do want students to develop into adults who are able to say what they are thinking when it truly matters, forcing them to do this is probably not the best way to approach this situation, and may just cause more anxiety. Similarly, we want to help our more extroverted students develop the skill of thinking before speaking at times, so they do not just say what is on their mind.
We must remain constantly aware that asking introverted students to participate in class more is asking them to act more like an extrovert, which is just not who they are. Instead we should celebrate the amazing qualities they bring to the class, such as deep thought. 
What is the implication for teaching? Giving students time to think before requiring answers is a great strategy, but even more so for introverted students. They will probably benefit from an extended period of time, where they can jot down a few of their ideas, and focus them a little, before being asked to share anything with the class. Whilst you should expect introverted students to participate in class, ensure they have time to be prepared before sharing. And don't force them if they really do not want to. The other side of this is when reporting to parents. The most dreaded line in a school report for an introverted student is "xxx needs to participate more in class". If they have something they feel is worth sharing, they will. If they are not sharing, then it is probably because they do not feel their ideas are fully formed and ready to be judged (by you or their peers). Telling them to participate more is telling them to be more extroverted. Rather than telling them to be something they are not, help them achieve their potential as an introvert by saying something like "xxx thinks deeply about content before sharing their well-formed ideas with the class" or "xxx has some really good insights in class based on their deep thought about the content".

​There are so many more insights throughout the book, and I strongly recommend reading it. If you are an introvert, it might help you identify with some of the parts of your character you have tried to change or hide to fit in with the extroverted ideal (as it did for me). If you are an extrovert, it might give you an idea of what life is like for an introvert.
But I can summarise my main takeaways with regards to teaching in three points:
  • Be aware of over stimulating introverts (or indeed under stimulating extroverts) and use a mixture of activities to address the needs of both types of student;
  • Introverts tend to prefer working individually (whereas extroverts tend to prefer working in groups), so, again, make use of both independent and group work in class in equal measures;
  • Introverts like to think deeply about content (especially before sharing in public), so provide time to think and do not impose extrovert ideals on introverted students (by telling them to participate more).
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    Dan Rodriguez-Clark

    I am a maths teacher looking to share good ideas for use in the classroom, with a current interest in integrating educational research into my practice.

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