Maths Revision Tips

With the examination season upon us, both teachers and students are frantically trying to revise the key topics to boost students up a grade in time for the GCSE Exams. There is more pressure than ever on maths results within schools with one set of bad results often meaning relegation in the terms of Ofsted. However it is important that we remember the real reason why we as teachers are bending over backwards and putting many extra hours in to support and push our students over the final hurdle.

Every child does matter and not just every grade.

If we continually remember this as teachers then we are doing something right. We need to remember the child at the heart of the percentages, target students, high impact students, 3 and 4 lop critical students. We need to remember the fact they're children going through, what must now be, one the most highly pressured exam times of their lives and these grades will stick with them.

It is important as teachers we make sure it is clear to students, we are not bending over backwards for the next pay rise nor the schools Ofsted, these are something that should come naturally as a consequence of putting the student first. We are doing it because we care about the students lives and future. This is something as teachers we all know, but I fear somewhere may have forgotten to of been said or accepted by the students at times. I'm very lucky that in that the school I've moved to the ethos very much is student orientated and the students are so grateful for any and all support they are given. To change the grades and the students lives it really is a team effort and I certainly feel I am very lucky to have an extremely strong team of people around me. Remember there is no I in team.

This brings me to the focus of this blog, I've shared with my new department many ideas and resources I have stumbled across to help support students and staff with resources and below are my top few.

Top Revision Tools

Passports for Success

Hook the students into self revision, with launching the passport scheme in your department. Have the students stamp off their progress towards the quick win topics providing evidence of their work. Incentives the students by providing rewards, vivo points, money off the prom, equipment or sweets for example.

Quick Wits Revision

I'm a great believer that students need to be able draw on there knowledge of any topic in mixed up orders. Quick Wit revision allows students the opportunity to practise several questions in an extended starter. To advance on this you could provide a mark guide and ask the students to see how many marks they can get in x amount of time.

Timester Challenge - Skill Reviews

Many students believe a product revision session is doing billions of questions. The problem with this though is that students often complete 20 of the same question and chose topics they can already do. Skill reviews provide an opportunity for students to answer exam type questions till the point they get stuck. This then is the point they know they need to start revising from. It is also a good way to cover content quickly within a class and identify misconceptions.

Number

Algebra

Geometry

Data Handling

Corbett Maths 5 a Day

A great resources I know Many teachers are already aware of is Corbett Maths 5 a day worksheet, differentiated into numeracy, foundation and higher. These sheet focus in on the non negotiable must know knowledge for each level of student. I found it useful giving my year 11 C to B class one foundation and one higher one at the start of each lesson for 20 minutes. The foundation warms up there skills of the cross over topics and allows them to be successful before tackling the higher questions.

Hegarty Maths

Within Mr Hegarty Site he has created videos for students to watch on key topics. He has made this easily accessible for all students and even sub categorised into revision grade categories. Students can sign up for free and track there progress. This is a great revision tool for all students to have access to and knowledge about.

Diagnostic Questions

Mr Barton has put together a very useful series of multiple choice questions on many GCSE quick win topics. These multiple choice questions challenge the students concept and understanding of the mathematics to the highest level.

GCSE Takeaway

Mr Barton has also written a very useful post with links to GCSE Questions and Revision Materials called the Revision Takeaway. 

Hopefully I will find time to add to this blog post with the many more resources I have found, however I feel the above is a good start for any teacher looking for useful resources. Good luck to your students and to your school for this summers results. If you know of anymore great resources you have stumbled across please get in touch so I can add them to the list.

Miss B.