Deb Friis

When I was a student I used to get a cheap coach from London to uni in Newcastle. It used to pull into a tiny service station at Leeming where the driver's wife would get on and sell sandwiches wrapped in clingfilm. Proud to say I have actually been there!

Thanks the topic tests are a good shout

Anyone know of any resources for the new Edexcel Extended Maths Certificate please? My son is sitting it and as it’s new we can’t find much - except on Twinkl (well done @mrmattock.bsky.social )!

It seems that @casiojapan.bsky.social have changed their calculator again, just when we'd almost got used to the new one, and loads of kids have them. Now there is another different model to deal with - apparently the S-D key is back! Not fair.

I do think some of this is pressure from school target setting - they come to you in maths with a target of a 6 (albeit aspirational) and it is really hard to say in y10 well you have to do Foundation and you can only get up to a 5. At least at H they have a chance of a 6

And why are edexcel grade boundaries so variable?

Yes this is what I feel. There is still a real thought that AQA is more accessible though. And even if boundary hike last year is due to easier paper, surely there's something in the psychology of a student needing loads more marks to get the next grade (ie they can't just : make it to the staples")

Yes agree, but got to convince HoD!

Big Q: my HoD is worried that given the #edexcel grade boundary hike last yr (esp at G6) more schs might put more kids in for F rather than H, and this will hike grade boundaries yet again. He is considering moving to #AQA. I know it should be fair, but poss isn’t? Thoughts please! #mathstoday

In #mathstoday I’ve been desperately trying to find some short videos I remember on the maths needed in various careers, aimed at KS3/4 (rather than A Level which I can find on AMSP
@meimaths.bsky.social ) I’m sure one featured Grove Lodge Vets in Brighton. Any ideas anyone pls? Or similar?

Lesson Planning Is Not the Basics: Why We’re Training Teachers Backwards I’ve been teaching secondary school students for over a decade, and in that time, I’ve dived deep into many aspects of teaching.

substack.com/home/post/p-...
Couldn’t agree more with this

I think he secretly likes matrices!

My son's school did last year, they have AddMa as an option, and so put them all in for L2FM as well! This year they don't put them all in but my son wants to do both for some reason

In #mathstoday I discovered that the @cambridgeocr.bsky.social Add Maths FSMQ and paper 2 of @aqaeducation.bsky.social L2 Further Maths are both pm of June 15th, with Physics GCSE in the morning. Now I know not many candidates will sit both but surely there will be some? Seems like poor planning!

In #mathstoday my further mathematicians told me it was their favourite A Level as "it makes us realise how everything links up" 😁😁 #ALevelMaths

I'll have a look at what I've got

Compare 6/5 and 7/6. Both 1 and a bit... so compare 1/5 and 1/6. 1/5 is larger as the pieces are larger (I explicitly discuss this with students now) so 6 miles in 5 mins is faster

Are you teaching it alongside GCSE or on its own? I think the different contexts mean that one scheme rarely works for anyone.

Thanks. 2017 was a bad time to take a break from teaching A Level! 🤣

Can I just check please, has skew now gone from Edexcel @ALevelMaths ?

I sew and crochet which both use quite a bit of maths, especially whilst altering patterns or working out how to construct things (I'm not just talking counting stitches and measuring) But they wouldn't be called maths hobbies.

I wish I could have gone to it but it clashed with my own unfortunately!

And @garethshadick.bsky.social @japleenkaur.bsky.social @dagsmaths.bsky.social and some people I missed unfortunately @atulrana.bsky.social . Particularly enjoyed hearing @morrismaths359.bsky.social speak today #MathsConf39

Really enjoyed my session at #MathsConf39 today and it was lovely to see so many people there. @justmaths.bsky.social @mathsjem.bsky.social @mrsdenyer.bsky.social @mrmattock.bsky.social @rjs2212.bsky.social @nathanday.bsky.social @brunoreddy.bsky.social @tessmaths.bsky.social and lots 1st times too!

I usually start with the abcd grid and ask them what they notice, so I sort of lead them in that direction (or in fact I've started with 2 digit numbers before I think)

Sorry for confusion - was trying to do it whilst eating breakfast! 😅

I teach a variation of ac method but use a grid which I think makes it less procedural and more logical:

⏳ Just 7 days to go until #MathsConf39 in London!

One week from now, hundreds of maths teachers will come together for a day full of learning, sharing, and inspiration. 🧮✨

🎟️ Don’t miss your chance to join them – secure your place today: completemaths.com/community/ma...

My #MathsConf39 workshop choices:

1 - Emma Lockhart
2 - @morrismaths359.bsky.social
3 - @mathsjem.bsky.social‬
4 - Georgina Green
5 - @runningstitch314.bsky.social

Join me with @lasalleed.bsky.social, get your ticket here: completemaths.com/community/mathsconf39

In #ALevelMaths today we looked at why inverse matrices work, which I am very happy about. I haven’t taught this before and was getting cross at the seemingly random stuff to learn! I didn’t do matrices until my degree and that was a loooong time ago. #MathsToday