How to use the rules of indices is very useful in maths .. ..as it is a convenient way of writing down large numbers that have many repeating terms. It's quicker to write 10^6 than 1,000,000 each time. The index (sometimes called the exponent) simply says how many times the number is used in the calculation. So 10³ is the same as 10 x 10 x 10 which equals 1000. This is usually … [Read more...]
How to do Long Division or How Many Lots?
'Chunking' or 'traditional' or something else? Let us know what you think.. … [Read more...]
How to do Short Division or How Many Lots?
Short division for Key stage 2 … [Read more...]
Rip up those textbooks for maths confidence!
There is a scene in the Robin Williams film "Dead Poets Society" when he encourages the students to rip out the introductory pages of a poetry book. The general point is that they should be thinking for themselves and not using a graph to rate the poems effectiveness. I'm definitely not of the opinion that we should all be ripping pages out of books but I do feel that … [Read more...]
How to get 100% in maths – next time
It seems to be that every parent and teacher wants their child to get 100%. I understand this - it's very important to aim to get every question correct. There are two concerns: it's demotivating when the child doesn't get full marks and there is little opportunity to try again. It's a little old fashioned to talk about practice making perfect but, at least in maths, there are … [Read more...]