Ollie Lovell, a mathematics educator and collaborator, shares his innovative insights on developing effective lesson structures for math teaching. He discusses the importance of lesson sequencing and the instructional phases of 'I do, We do, You do' to enhance student engagement. Their conversation highlights crafting purposeful 'do now' activities and integrating retrieval practices to boost learning retention. Ollie also explores tailoring lesson structures for different age groups, ensuring that teaching methods meet varied student needs.
The podcast emphasizes the necessity of developing a standardized mathematics lesson structure to improve teaching quality across departments.
Collaborative discussions between educators reveal differing perspectives on effective teaching practices, highlighting the need for further exploration in subsequent episodes.
Proposed lesson phases such as retrieval do nows and structured practices aim to enhance student comprehension and engagement in mathematics.
Deep dives
Introduction to ClassPad
The ClassPad is a new web-based emulator platform by Casio designed to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. It integrates all models of the ClassWiz emulator, allowing teachers to project large calculators on screens for better visibility during lessons. This versatile tool enables users to produce graphs, examine geometric shapes, create data sets, and generate number lines, providing an immersive learning experience. One of its standout features is the ability to display various mathematical representations side by side, fostering a deeper understanding of their interconnections.
Exploring Effective Lesson Structures
The podcast delves into the development of a new departmental lesson structure for mathematics, a collaboration between the host and his co-host. Initial discussions reveal differing ideas on what constitutes effective lesson structures, highlighting the necessity for a series of episodes to fully explore their thoughts. They aim to establish a consensus on the most effective teaching practices in mathematics, suggesting that their detailed discussions are crucial for capturing and evaluating best practices. This dialogue reflects a commitment to improving educational strategies through collaborative sharing of insights and experiences.
Identifying Department Challenges
The guest highlights various challenges faced by mathematics departments, particularly in key stages with non-specialist teachers and a lack of uniform teaching quality. Observations reveal issues such as students' inattentiveness, ineffective checks for understanding, and erratic teaching methods that lead to inconsistent student performance. The discussion emphasizes the importance of developing a standardized teaching approach to ensure all students benefit from high-quality mathematics instruction. This shared endeavor focuses on creating solutions that enhance collaboration and improve overall educational outcomes.
The Structure of Effective Lessons
The conversation outlines a proposed structure for effective mathematics lessons, consisting of various phases designed to optimize student comprehension. Proposed phases include retrieval do nows for reviewing past knowledge, atomization for breaking down complex concepts, and structured practices for consolidation of learning. Incorporating student responses during lessons is emphasized to gauge understanding and adapt teaching accordingly. The goal is to create a flexible yet systematic framework that helps teachers maintain control over their lessons while ensuring all students grasp essential concepts.
The Importance of Purpose in Do Nows
The podcast discusses the significance of establishing a clear purpose for do now activities, focusing on space retrieval. It posits that students should understand why these activities are essential, reinforcing their learning and retrieval processes. Suggestions include conducting frequent assessments of fundamental concepts through do now questions while avoiding over-complication to ensure effectiveness. Ultimately, the discussion advocates for a structured, purpose-driven approach that supports student engagement and consolidates foundational knowledge in mathematics.
In this episode, Ollie and I tried something different. I've been working with a school to help develop a departmental lesson structure with their maths team. I know Ollie had been doing something similar with a school he has been working with, so it seemed a good idea to chat through our ideas to see where we agreed and differed.
My original plan was to cover this all in one pod. But, as you will hear, I may have been a bit optimistic about that. So, we are going to turn this into a series of episodes. Given how far we got in this conversation, we should just about wrap up our dive into a lesson structure by 2029.