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Wonderful find for teaching resources.

The landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars is an excellent catalyst for a discussion with students about the nature of Mathematics. It is a chance to inspire curiosity and wonderment and to do so through a mathematical lens.

THE OUTLINE OF SCIENCE A PLAIN STORY SIMPLY TOLD

Wonderful old illustrations

Could some or all of this work online to build engagement? 1) close reading 2) engage with objects 3) attention through assessments

Number Talks are a wonderful way to see where our students are with their mathematical thinking. As a part of a daily routine, a Number Talk promotes number sense and mathematical reasoning. In this post, I revisit what a Number Talk can reveal about our students' understanding of mathematics, and how they might be used to promote a fresh perspective. In addition, I examine a success criteria for Number Talks that is more expansive and recognises their true power.

I just got this from one of the wonderful teachers in my circle. A lot of tech. programs (a lot of them offering access for free) to use for distance learning, and when we get back to school, flipped classroom activities. Stay healthy!

It is tempting to make predictions of the skills that our students will need beyond their time at school. Such wondering can be a useful guide as we contemplate what we shall focus on with our curriculum. Unsurprisingly, there is no shortage of predictions for future skillsets published by educators, economists and analysts. What might we learn from such lists, and how should education systems respond?

I have just had the opportunity to spend the weekend learning alongside a large group of mathematics teachers. After a day and a half of talking and thinking about mathematics teaching, I am excited to get back to school and try out some new ideas. There were also some key takeaways for me that I share below. These are the questions or wonderings that my mind wandered to while listening to the numerous talented speakers over the past two days.

"With the EU Referendum creating a divide Britain, many of us have been left wondering how we as educators can help heal the wounds. I was pondering this exact dilemma and came to a conclusion - Through the classroom. This week, I have been on an English as an Additional Language placement as a student in a school with a high concentration of pupils that are Black minority ethnic and/or have English as an additional language. It was a school-rich in all languages, that celebrates six religious days as well as observing all nearly all social action justice days. The children were welcoming and accepting of everyone that didn't look or sound quite like them. "

"Despite the prevalence of depression in the population, the devastating impact it can have, and the rise in public awareness in recent years, schools (and society at large) still find depression a taboo. Something which is often ignored and misunderstood. Where support is available wonderful things can happen mitigating some many of the pressures when the black dog comes barking. While a societal shift is needed, there are many, often small things that educators can do to help those who need help."

We are driven by curiosity. It is an innately human quality that has driven us to explore, ask questions, investigate, wonder why and search for a deeper understanding. In a very fundamental way curiosity is the driver of all self-directed learning. It is our desire to find out more, unlock new knowledge and answer our questions (big ones and little ones) that compels us to learn. Sir Ken Robinson famously and provocatively asked "Do Schools Kill Creativity?". The same question might be asked about curiosity.

"Ever wondered why Christmas Reindeer have red noses? You are about to find out with this musical Reindeer Orchestra. Make sure your volume is up."

"The iPad generation. That's what I call the children of today. Now that's neither a positive or a negative nickname, just a nickname, however, whatever view you have on it, the impact on our teaching is huge. Children are brought up with bright colours, avatars, HD and 4K screens, virtual worlds full of weird and wonderful characters and then there's school. I believe that it is vital that we, as educators, sit up and take note of this and rather than fight against it, embrace it. Make your teaching as fun and as interactive as you can. Bring lessons to life with hands-on experiences, opportunities to enquire and lessons where the children can investigate the world around them."

"High prior attainers. Gifted and talented. High Achievers. The students that are aiming for the very top grades at GCSE, that we're all determined to keep at A level for our subject. We put on trips. We run extracurricular clubs. We bring out the "Challenge Questions". We create peer mentoring. But one thing we often neglect is developing their sense of curiosity in our subject, developing that sense of wonder and awe for the best little bits, that need to actually just know how/ why/where/what is going on with this little bit of your subject."

"Imagine lying on the floor of a Tudor hall and gazing up at the expressions of art all around you, listening to the sound of melodies Henry VIII  would have heard, or breathing in the scent of seasonal herbs that have graced a kitchen garden for three hundred years. These wonderful experiences would be a treat to the senses for any of us, but for our students who are working towards or at Entry Level 1, multi-sensory learning is an essential part of engaging with the world around them."

"Last week, we had a welcome evening for the new staff joining DBIS at the start of this academic year, and as I was sharing a glass of wine and chatting to our newly arrived teachers, I realised that just two short years ago, it was me who was the newbie; just landed in Hong Kong and starting to settle in my new country and starting to get to know my new school."

"This is a superb site from the BBC with interesting questions to inspire awe and wonder. There are videos and other media which attempt to answer questions on history, science and much more."

"A superb resource which lets users search for descriptions by keywords which have been submitted by other users. Wonderful for creative story writing."

"A wonderful resource which for educators to present lesson slides and resources to a class on their own Apple/Android devices. The teacher can set the pace and chooses when the slides move on. This tool allows you to show images, text and set tests/quizzes in real time and collects the data."