2. Atomisation
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Introduction to the course

1. Introduction to the course.mp4
2. The benefits of online courses.mp4
3. Getting the most out of the course.mp4
4. Where are you at?
The Introduction phase of a Learning Episode

1. Three questions...
2. What I used to do
3. Link to the big picture
Blog: You’ve never seen the GCSE Maths curriculum like this before…
4. Tell a story
Book: Why don't students like school?
Website: The story of mathematics
Website: Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics
5. Provide a hook
Website: Mathematical hooks
Website: 101 questions
Website: When math happens
Challenge: Part 1

Starting the list
What I used to do

1. What I used to do
2. My students cannot take it all in
3. I have to play detective
What I do now

1. What is Atomisation?
2. This is the worst thing I have ever heard
3. Three types of Atoms
4. Where does Atomisation fit in?
Address the Atoms

The Big Atomisation Diagram
Image: The Big Atomisation Diagram
Atom type 1: Prerequisite knowledge

Introduction
Examples of prerequisite knowledge

1. Index notation - assess understanding
Image: Diagnostic Question on index notation
2. Index notation - practice
Website: CIMT MEP resources
3. Estimate of mean - practice
Activity: Midpoint of two numbers (image)
Activity: Midpoint of two numbers (website)
4. Estimate of mean - assess understanding
Image: Diagnostic Question on midpoint
5. Any topic that requires a calculator
Image: Diagnostic Question on rounding
Activity: Rounding to one decimal place (image)
Activity: Rounding to one decimal place (website)
6. Prime factors - teach explicitly
Activity: Prime factors (image)
Activity: Prime factors (website)
7. Prime factors - assess understanding
8. Adding and subtracting fractions
Activity: Multiply fractions so they have a specific denominator (image)
Activity: Multiply fractions so they have a specific denominator (website)
Activity: Multiply fractions so they have the same denominator (image)
Activity: Multiply fractions so they have the same denominator (website)
9. Statistical diagrams
Image: Diagnostic Question on reading scales
Activity: Reading scales (image)
Activity: Reading scales (website)
Challenge: Part 2

Prerequisite knowledge
Image: The Big Atomisation Diagram
Atom type 2: technical language

1. Introduction
2. What I used to do
Etymology

1. Why etymology in maths is important
Podcast: Alex Quigley - closing the vocabulary gap
Book: Closing the vocabulary gap
2. Etymology sources
Website: Etymonline
Website: Earliest Known Uses of Some of the Words of Mathematics
Website: Boss Maths
3. Interesting etymology examples
4. Etymology alone is not enough
Examples of technical language

1. Factor
Activity: Factors (image)
Activity: Factors (website)
2. Prism
Activity: What is a prism? (image 1)
Activity: What is a prism? (image 2)
Activity: What is a prism? (website)
Twitter: Is a cylinder a prism???
3. Similar
Activity: Similar shapes (image 1)
Activity: Similar shapes (image 2)
Activity: Similar shapes (website)
4. Surd
Activity: Is this a surd? (image 1)
Activity: Is this a surd? (image 2)
Activity: Is this a surd? (image 3)
Activity: Is this a surd? (website)
5. Like terms
Activity: What are like terms? (image)
Activity: What are like terms? (website)
6. Deciding when to do this
7. Product
Image: Diagnostic Question on product
Blog post: Lesson Evaluation: Using a rule sequence for functions
Challenge: Part 3

Thinking about language
Image: The Big Atomisation Diagram
Atom type 3: Decisions

1. Introduction
2. What I used to do
Examples of decisions

1. Product of prime factors
Activity: Product of prime factors (image)
Activity: Product of prime factors (website)
2. Subject of a formula
Activity: Is a the subject of the formula? (image)
Activity: Is a the subject of the formula? (website)
3. Significant figures
Activity: How many significant figures? (image 1)
Activity: How many significant figures? (image 2)
Activity: How many significant figures? (image 3)
Activity: How many significant figures? (website)
Activity: Spot the significant figure (image)
Activity: Spot the significant figure (website)
4. Factorising in a single bracket
Activity: Is it fully factorised? (image)
Activity: Is it fully factorised? (website)
5. Order of operations
Activity: Order of operations (image)
Activity: Order of operations (website)
6. Quadratic formula
Activity: Quadratic formula (website)
Activity: Quadratic formula (image)
Challenge: Part 4

Dealing with decisions
Image: The Big Atomisation diagram
List the Atoms

1. Use resources
Increasingly Difficult Questions
2. Ask somebody else
3. Write a line, leave a line
4. How far do I need to break things down?
Atomisation concerns

1. Where am I supposed to find the time?
2. It doesn't take long if Atoms are secure
3. It doesn't take long if practice is needed
4. If it does take longer we save time
5. It saves time in future learning episodes
6. Differentiation may not be a big issue
7. Reflection
Useful links - from others

Podcast: Kris Boulton - Part 1
Podcast: Kris Boulton - Part 3
Blog series: Kris Bouton - My best planning ever
Blog: Naveen Rizvi - #mathsconf16/17: Atomising
Blog: Naveen Rizvi - #Mathsconf18: Atomisation Pt 1
Podcast: Naveen Rizvi – Part 1: Scripted lessons, examples and social media
Blog: Joe Berwick - The Decide, Break, Repair and Simplify process for linear equations (DBRS)
Conclusion

1. Where to next.mp4
2. My online courses.mp4
My online courses
Course certificate
Course feedback
Useful links - from me

My research paper collection
Book: How I wish I'd taught maths
Book: Reflect, Expect, Check, Explain
Mr Barton Maths website
Mr Barton Maths Podcast
Diagnostic Questions
Variation Theory
SSDD Problems
Maths Venns

List the Atoms

How can we get better at listing the Atoms?

5 Lessons