Name: Andrew Old
Twitter name: @oldandrewuk
Subject taught (if applicable): Maths
What is your advice about? Teaching Maths
1: Do not attempt to teach “conceptual understanding” of something unless you have first checked with somebody with a maths degree that *you* understand it.
2: Practice is the key to fluency. While questions should get harder, never shy away from setting dozens of questions on the same thing.
3: Sort out the basics first: time tables, number bonds and the standard algorithms.
4: There usually is one best way to solve a problem, so teach it and ask students to stick to it until they are good at it.
5: Teach algebra like it is a language, not a set of methods. Explain what is meant by “=”, “solve”, “expressions”, “term”, “find”, “substitute”, “rearrange”, simplify” etc.