In high school, I played the guitar. I had three major influences, the first of whom was my guitar teacher, James Brown. Yes, that was his name. He had the patience of a saint… literally. I was always late to lessons, yet he always seemed to have extra time for me. James’ approach to teaching…
So much of mathematics is focused on the end point: the answer, the solution, the proof. We attach so much emphasis on the destination — the more efficient the better. We place such high value on the final moment of the mathematical process; this is reflected in the language we choose to define one of…
I love John Mason and although I’ve even quoted it myself a few times, I think I don’t wholeheartedly agree with the statement “it is the ways of thinking that are rich, not the task itself”. Let’s face it: some math problems are better than others, and choosing the right one for students to explore…
I occasionally find problems to solve or scroll back through my camera roll for screenshots of problems shared online. I use these problems not to keep my mathematical skills sharp, but to rekindle my joy for mathematics and the continuous wonder it provides my mind. Sometimes I get to do this through my work, and…
Terrible title, I’m sorry, but there is some truth in it, isn’t there? There’s a lot about mathematics that most people haven’t even experienced, even for those who do admit to liking or even loving it. Maybe I should be more specific here – I wish more people knew what mathematics can be. I’m not…
A few months ago, my wife and I introduced our 2 year old son to his first bike. It’s different to my first bike in a lot of ways: it’s brand new #middlechildlyf, weighs nearly nothing, and has no pedals or brakes. It also has no bell, which is a genius omission. My first bike…
Teaching is overwhelming. The only thing that exceeds the workload are the expectations we place on ourselves. We get sick in the holidays because not even our immune system knows when to take a day off during the school term. We do a thousand jobs on one salary. It’s exhausting. This year, I haven’t been…
I had a go at creating a “Visual Pattern” after having so much fun attempting Simon Gregg’s pattern from Fawn Nguyen’s website. It looked like this: Can you see how it grows? Is there a rule to how it is growing or is it random? Stage 4, 5 and 6 might make it easier, but…
The more I recommend certain resources or websites for people to check out, the more I learn about the challenges faced by those who go to the internet for teaching materials. The biggest and most prevalent issue I’ve noticed is being able to find your way through the abundance of resources available. This makes it…
One of the most daunting things about doing anything for the first time is not knowing whether or not you’re doing it right. For beginning teachers, this is a very common and uncomfortable experience – I know, because five years ago I was in that position. Luckily for me, I was a part of a…
How I teach maths. 