I'm approaching the end of another session with another S1 class (the first year of secondary school in Scotland for pupils typically aged 11 or 12 on arrival after seven years of primary schooling). As the years go by I find I'm enjoying more and more working with these younger pupils - this particular group … Continue reading Interrogating Integers
Author: gerard mcnally
Explorer, learner and teacher (predominantly of mathematics) with an interest in the possibilities for growth in all three endeavours. A lifetime resident of North Lanarkshire; currently teaching in Glasgow, Scotland.
You’re Always Realising New Things: Graphs of Quadratic Functions (Part 2)
This article is about some lessons that haven’t happened yet, inspired by a serendipitous realisation during a lesson that has. In a previous post, “No Teachers Are Really Young”, I described some other lessons on graphs of quadratic equations with the same class. That post provides some context for this one and I would recommend … Continue reading You’re Always Realising New Things: Graphs of Quadratic Functions (Part 2)
Cuboids: a context for learning
I recently began teaching my S1 class (12-year-olds) about volume. This is a topic most of them had met at primary school - they were keen to tell me they knew that Volume = length x breadth x height. In addition, since joining my class, they have learned to find the areas of rectangles and … Continue reading Cuboids: a context for learning
My Back Pages – part 3: two triangles make a triangle
This is the third instalment of a record of some of my thoughts and actions in response to the #beingmathematical event on November 22 2018, part of series of fortnightly tasks and discussions for maths educators hosted on Twitter by ATM. I will continue to explore the relationships between how both novice and experienced learners … Continue reading My Back Pages – part 3: two triangles make a triangle
My Back Pages – Part 2: two triangles make a square (but not necessarily one with four sides!)
In Part 1 of this article I described my thoughts and actions before and during a recent #beingmathematical session provided by @ATMMathematics on Twitter. In this, Part 2, I shall share some thoughts I had afterwards in response to contributions from other participants in the event. I continue to explore the links between how children … Continue reading My Back Pages – Part 2: two triangles make a square (but not necessarily one with four sides!)
My Back Pages – Part 1: on #beingmathematical and being young (again!).
Once again I find myself writing about the Association of Teachers of Mathematics and their fortnightly Twitter sessions (@ATMMathematics, #beingmathematical. See my earlier blog entitled "Working with place-value: an increasing constraints activity"). A recent one came on the back of the second meeting of the Glasgow Branch of ATM, organised and hosted by Chris … Continue reading My Back Pages – Part 1: on #beingmathematical and being young (again!).
No Teachers Are Really Young: Graphs of Quadratic Functions (Part 1)
I recently began to teach my S4 class about graphs of quadratic functions. Based on my previous experiences, this is a topic many pupils struggle to cope with. In this post I will offer some possible reasons for this and some suggestions on beginning to address them. A further post will seek to develop this … Continue reading No Teachers Are Really Young: Graphs of Quadratic Functions (Part 1)
