Our most recent online short professional development session was delivered by Jean Smith and Raj Kumar. It concentrated on the topic of Quadratics showing progression from KS3 to AS level teaching, and featured ideas and resources to use in your teaching.
The session showed various methods for factorising Quadratics and completing the square. This included the use of manipulatives and also more formal written methods. It was interesting to note that some hadn’t considered using the grid method for expansion in reverse for factorising.
We looked at how each method contributed to graph sketching. The Quadratic Formula was also mentioned with the links to completing the square shown by a card sort activity and an aide memoire in the form of a story.
We shared visual links to engage your students and increase their understanding as well as links to dynamic geometry resources (GeoGebra and Desmos).
The Desmos classroom activity for Quadratics was a fun activity for both GCSE and AS students, whereas the Quadratic Features exercise was more demanding.
There was lots more included so, if you missed this opportunity, please check our regional events listings to find more of these short professonal development sessions next term. If you’re in an Opportunity Area or a Low Participation Area, you could also request a session for your maths department by contacting your local Area Coordinator.
