Are you making New Year Resolutions? Monina Velarde’s site might inspire you!

Clearly the beginning of the academic year makes us think of  resolutions for the new school year but January offers another opportunity! Some possible New Year Resolutions for Mathematics Teachers:

This year I will:

• Use a greater variety of Starters.
• End my lessons with an appropriate plenary.
• Try some new resources.
• Ask great questions.
• Integrate rich tasks into my normal classroom practice.
• Reread Improving Learning_in_Mathematics – Malcolm Swan and try some / more of the excellent resources from the Improving Learning in Mathematics materials. (See also the IWB materials for these resources).
• Also reread ‘What Kind Of Restaurant Is Your Classroom?‘ by David Anderson and Lee Pace. I’d like to think my classroom is more gourmet than fast food!
• Use a greater variety of homework activities.
• Give my students clear and frequent feedback. See also ‘How am I doing?’
• Organise all my ideas and resources so I can find them again!
• Try some of the ideas from Shelley Terrell’s 30 goals challenge. This includes the very clear 2012 list (scroll down).
• Keep on using resources like the excellent (and updated again) Desmos graphing calculator and WolframAlpha that students can then use at home.

….and for your students!