How can we help periods of independent practice be as effective as possible? This course starts with some general tips to help all practice sessions run as smoothly as possible. Then we discuss different types of student practice, including what interleaving really is, Intelligent Practice and no-number questions. Finally, we take a look at what we can do whilst our students are practising above and beyond the casual meandering around the class I used to do.
See the bottom of this page for FAQs.
Course overview
Making the most of this course
Tip 1. Eight ideas to improve student practice time
Tip 2. How to harness the hidden power of interleaving
Tip 3. Consider using Intelligent Practice
Tip 4. Consider using "no-number" questions
Tip 5. Nine ideas to help you observe student work with a purpose
Tip 6. Occasionally let students do work in someone else's book
Going forward
Contents
How to make the most of this course
The issue with FOMO
Two questions to consider
Two types of tips to look for
The issue with good intentions
Two questions to consider
Implementation intentions
Tip 1. Eight ideas to improve student practice time
Where we are at
Introduction
Problem 1 - collaboration
Problem 2 - broken silence
Problem 3 - circulation
Problem 4 - students stuck
Problem 5 - biased sample
Problem 6 - practice makes permanent
Problem 7 - routines
Problem 8 - me!
Tip 1 - Always start practice with a period of silent, individual work
Tip 2 - Wait for Golden Silence
Tip 3 - Try to standardise the format of the practice
Tip 4 - Teach students what to do when they are stuck
Tip 5 - Use mini-whiteboards to support bookwork
Tip 6 - Consider giving access to answers
Tip 7 - Use small chunks of practice at the start
Tip 8 - Resist the urge to interrupt when students are silent
Reflection on all 8 ideas
Image of all 8 ideas
Implementation intention
Tip 2. How to harness the hidden power of interleaving
Where we are at
What is interleaving?
Two questions to consider
My history with interleaving
The diagram
The 2019 Rohrer study
The three explanatory mechanisms of interleaving
Mechanism 1 - retrieval
Mechanism 2 - attention attenuation
Mechanism 3 - discriminative contrast
Review of all 3 mechanisms
Classroom 1 - SSDD Problems
SSDD task
Classroom 2 - SDDS problems
SDDS task
SDDS discussion
Classrom 3 - best of both worlds?
Best of both worlds task
Discussion
Implementation intention
Tip 3. Consider using Intelligent Practice
Where we are at
Introduction
Image of the four questions
Two questions to consider
Reflection on the four questions
The activity
Image of the activity
Reflection on the actvity
What do students write down?
Type 1 - Method selection
Method selection activity
Method selection reflection
Type 2 - Fill in the gaps
Fill in the gaps activity - page 1
Fill in the gaps activity - page 2
Fill in the gaps reflection
The website
Implementation intention
Tip 4. Consider using no-number questions
Where we are at
What is the problem?
Image of the question
Two questions to consider
The no number version
Image of the no number version
The theory
No number questions in the classroom
Another one for you to try
Image of another question for you to try
No number questions in the exam
Implementation intention
Tip 5. Nine ideas to help you observe student work with a purpose
Where we are at
What I used to do
Two questions to consider
Tip 1 - Decide what you are looking for in advance
Tip 2 - Ask students to write their final answers on their mini-whiteboards as they go
Tip 3 - Standardise the format of the practice
Tip 4 - Carry your answers around with you
Tip 5 - Carry common errors with you
Tip 6 - Tally up common errors as you circulate
Tip 7 - Observe the work of your strongest students first
Tip 8 - Don’t be afraid to stop the practice
Tip 9 - When talking to a student, step back
Reflection on all 9 tips
Image of all 9 ideas
Implementation intention
Tip 6. Occasionally let students do work in someone else's book
Where we are at
What is the problem?
Two questions to consider
What is the solution?
Implementation intention
Going forward
Reflection on what we have learned
Image of what we have covered
Goodbye!
Links to my other work
My books
My podcasts
My websites
FAQs
Is this course suitable for primary school teachers?
I am a secondary school maths teacher by training, and I make no claim whatsoever to have any expertise in the domain of primary teaching. However, I have been lucky enough to run this course lots of times with primary colleagues, and it seems to go down well. The key ideas concerning practice should transfer to Key Stage 2.
Is this course suitable for non-maths teachers?
I don't think so. Whilst there are some generic ideas for improving practice time, there are also lots of maths-specific ones. I would say about 50% of this course will be useful to teachers of other subjects.
Is this course suitable for non-UK teachers?
Yes! I have been lucky enough to work with teachers all around the world, and I ensure wherever possible that my courses are not tied to any specific curriculum or specification. I am confident that aside form my weird accent, teachers from other countries will find most of the ideas relevant and transferable.
How long does it take to do the course
You could whizz through all the videos in an hour. But the idea is you watch the video where I present a problem, reflect where you are at, listen to my proposed solution, reflect upon that, and consider what you would need to change to make it work for you.
Therefore, a half-day is probably suitable to do the course.
Even better if you can do a section of the course, try some ideas in your classroom, reflect on what worked and what didn't, and then move on to the next section of the course.
How long can I access the course content for?
As long as this platform exists! That is one of the key advantages of an online course - you can go back over the content again and again.
If, for whatever reason, the platform shuts down or I need to remove content, I will give you as much notice as possible (I will aim for at least 6 months) so you can complete the courses.
Can I pay with an invoice instead of online?
The easiest way to pay is online. The service accepts all major cards as well as PayPal. Paying this way gives you immediate access to the course.
But if you need to pay via invoice, then no problem! Just send an email to mrbartonmaths@gmail.com with details of:
1. The email addresses of the delegates taking the course
2. Your school name and address
3. Who to email to invoice to
Then I will send you an invoice and register your colleagues on the course.
Can I get a VAT receipt?
Of course!
If you have paid online, just login, click on the drop-down menu next to your picture on the top-right of the screen, select Billing and you can print off your VAT receipt(s) there.
If you pay-offline (by emailing me as described above) then I will email you an invoice which will serve as your VAT receipt.
Can I buy one pass and then share it with my colleagues?
I am afraid not. The price of each course is per person.
Each person who pays for the course has their own log-in details, so the platform can keep track of their individual progress. This allows you to log back on using any device and pick up where you left off.
Are there discounts available?
If you want to purchase a bundle of passes for the courses - perhaps you have a large department or you are part of an Academy chain - send me an email telling me what you have in mind, and hopefully we can reach a deal!
