MathsZest

Since the title for this weeks #MTBoS blogging challenge arrived by email, I’ve been thinking really hard about what my favourite things are about teaching. I’ve managed to get it down to four things!

1. I love looking for, and occasionally creating, resources for my students to use that helps their understanding or learning of maths. There’s so many creative activities around on the Internet, that many generous teachers have created and shared, and I must admit it gives me a little buzz when I find something that just seems perfect for what I’m going to be teaching.  My first stop is always resourceaholic, which then often leads me on to the quality resources on Don Steward’s Median and mathspad. I have a particular penchant for foldables for organising knowledge, after being introduced to them through the blogs of mathequalslove and rundesroom.
2. There’s been a couple of moments this week that reminded me how much I love the positive interactions we have with our students. I do need reminders as its all too easy to get bogged down in the difficult behaviour and negativities, so let me share what happened this week. A lively, chatty year 7 group who I want to keep on track with being focussed on their maths. We have a 3 step sanctions system in the classroom – verbal warning, written warning, detention. I gave one girl a verbal warning (and although verbal, we write it on the board) and my pen didn’t work very well. So she silently got a whiteboard pen out of the box on her desk and passed it to me, so I could write her name on the board. Whilst currently experiencing much challenge from several groups of pupils, this gesture really made me smile! The next day I was teaching my lovely year 10 group, last lesson of the day, and the hour just flew by as we learned and chatted together. I’m so proud of how well they’re doing!
3. I’m not sure I should admit to this one, but here goes nothing – I actually love marking! Not so much the writing of the comments and all that, but looking through either the pupils work or assessments and seeing what they’ve learnt and been able to put into practice. I have little internal celebrations when a pupil has done something really well, or shown real understanding, or thought of a way to solve something that I hadn’t thought of. I do get the “oh dear” moments as well, but this makes it easy for me to know what to do next with the pupils.
4. And finally I can’t write about my favourite things without mentioning stationery. I love stationery. Enough said!