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To produce Rich Starting Points (RSPs) at
A-level |
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School:
Paston College, Norfolk |
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Fellow: Jonny Griffiths |
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Email: jonny.griffiths@paston.ac.uk,
jonny.griffiths@ntlworld.com |
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Final Report |
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My Gatsby Teacher Fellowship project has
centred around writing open-ended, investigational,
mathematical activities called Risps (Rich
Starting Points). The idea is that these should
stimulate student exploration that leads directly
into syllabus topics covering pure mathematics
at A Level. Some of this material I devised
in the course of the year, while much is other
original material that I have been using in
my teaching for a while. Almost all of these
activities have been used in my classroom
at some stage in the year 2005-6. Put at its
simplest, my view is that many A Level maths
classrooms still use a Watch me –
Now you try approach, whilst I would
advocate an Explore – Reflect together
– Now try again model. The former
tack tends to deaden, while the latter recreates
within the classroom the logic of mathematical
discovery, and so brings topics to life. It
has the added benefit of differentiating the
material quite naturally, which is hugely
important if you have a range of abilities
before you. |
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A vital part of the project
has been to build task by task a Risps website
at www.risps.net
containing these materials. Rather as Dickens
published a novel chapter by chapter in the
Strand magazine, so I have posted one risp
a week onto my site. I have made risp-publishing
a part of my routine, and as with all meaningful
websites, the site has turned into a labour
of love. I have included pieces of whimsy
and humour, and the result is an intimate
account of how I and my students interact
in my classroom. In some ways it is closer
to a novel than a textbook, and I am proud
of what I have created in collaboration with
Gatsby. |
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But has the site been visited? Yes, between
September 1st 2005 and June 30th 2006 there
were 10 500 visitors (120 000 hits), with
the site growing steadily in popularity over
that time. 55% of visits have come from Europe,
and 40% from North America. This last week
alone, I have had 550 visitors. I have mailed
postcards advertising my site to every college
and university in the UK. Have I had any written
feedback? I would have liked to have received
more, but the feedback that I have had has
been unfailingly positive. For example: |
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I am delighted to record how very much
I enjoyed your [Risps] session at the ATM
conference. What I liked most was the way
you encouraged participants to think of ways
in which they might make what might be perceived
as dry and dusty into a challenging and engaging
task which really encourages understanding
as opposed to rote learning. I have recommended
your site to all our trainee teachers and
my fellow tutors. |
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Sue Pope, Senior Lecturer
in Mathematics Education, St Martin’s
College, Lancaster |
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My Gatsby year has helped to
clarify my career ambitions for me, which
are currently twofold: to be remembered as
an excellent classroom teacher, and as a helpful
and entertaining author in the field of mathematics
education. My writing has found new outlets
in my Gatsby year, which I do not see as a
coincidence. I have been invited to write
a regular light-hearted column in Mathematics
Teaching magazine, and I have had three
more articles accepted by three different
journals. Maybe at some point in the future
my risps might become a book, although there
still remains much to refine. I certainly
plan to keep the site going next year, hopefully
polishing the material all the while. |
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The main point of my project
remains that students of A Level mathematics
should find their lessons enlivened and their
experience of maths deepened by the risps
that I have written. My experience in my own
classroom has been that this is what happens
when these activities are used wisely. I have
asked my students for their thoughts, and
almost unanimously they have welcomed the
chance to explore before launching into theory.
Maybe through my risps this is happening in
other classrooms elsewhere too. There are
currently many people visiting my site who
are complete strangers with no axe to grind.
They would not be doing this if the material
they are finding there did not strike a chord.
To conclude, let me quote from one teacher
based in the UK: |
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I used this risp last week with Year
13 who had studied Binomial for C4 before
Xmas. The group had commented in passing that
they thought they had forgotten what 'Binomial'
was about. I was delighted with the consolidation
the risp offered, and their excited response
to the result. They were determined to prove
the result and very pleased with themselves
when some could. I had not used a risp before,
but will now scan the list and tuck them in
where I can... |
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Sue Cubbon, St Albans High
School for Girls |
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Jonny Griffiths, jonny.griffiths@ntlworld.com,
June 2006 |
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