Mixed Attainment Mathematics Conference 7
Park View School,
Langham Road
London
N15 3RB
Saturday 2nd July 2022  ​
​10.00am – 4.00pm

Mixed Attainment Maths Conference 7

On the 2nd July 2022 we are holding the seventh mixed attainment maths conference. This is a conference for teachers of mathematics who are keen to develop ways of working with mixed-attainment groups. Park View School have kindly offered to host this conference. Workshops have been organised by people who are currently teaching, or who have taught mathematics in mixed-attainment classrooms. The intention of the conferences is to share practices through active participation regarding strategies, ideas and resources.
The aim of those organising the conference is: To help form a community of teachers who share a common belief in social justice and the value of not separating children into groups according to some notion of their (fixed) ‘ability.’

'With respect to making accessible the deep structure of any given discipline, I think the rule holds that any subject can be taught to any child at any age in some form that is both honest and powerful.  It is a premise that rests on the fact that more complex abstract ideas can in fact be rendered in an intuitive, operational form that comes within reach of any learner to aid him (sic) towards the more abstract idea yet to be mastered.'
Bruner, J. S. (1972), The relevance of education, Trowbridge: Redwood Press Ltd

Abdulkadir Mohamed and Tolga Demir
Teaching Mixed Attainment Maths classes at KS4

Abdulkadir and Tolga will share how they approach teaching classes ranging from grade 1-9 at GCSE. 
They will discuss how they plan 'Do Now' / 'Starter' activities that are open enough to be accessible to all students whilst providing challenge for the highest attainers. 
They will share strategies they use to ensure that all pupils make progress through task selection and teacher explanation.
Participants will have opportunities to engage with tasks, discuss with each other and ask questions.

Abdulkadir Mohamed and Tolga Demir are mathematics teachers at a school in Haringey, London.

​Colin Jackson and
Hilary Povey
Resources and activities for mixed attainment maths classes

Over a number of years the Mathematics Education Centre at Sheffield Hallam developed a variety of free mathematics resources through a number of projects:Materials from all of these projects are suitable for use with students of all attainment levels but in particular KS3.  This workshop will be a brief hands-on introduction to some of these materials.

​Dr Colin Jackson is a teacher educator and researcher. He worked as a teacher educator at Sheffield Hallam University for many years.
@colfmjac

​​​Helen Hindle and
​Nora Gaoua
Ensuring support and challenge for all ​

​​In this workshop we will share examples of strategies, tasks and resources which we frequently use in our mixed attainment classes to ensure that all pupils are supported and challenged.
We will discuss the impact of these on student engagement and attitudes towards mathematics.
We will also explain how we use Learning Journeys to support students to select tasks at an appropriate level of challenge. 
This will be a 'hands on' workshop with participants being given opportunities to engage with the resources and co-create further activities.

Helen Hindle is the leader of a mathematics department in Haringey, London. Nora Gaoua is her colleague and fellow mathematics teacher.
​@helenhindle1​

​Hollie Walton and Andrew Blair Building an inclusive community of mathematical inquiry​

The workshop is about building inclusive and equitable mixed attainment classrooms through mathematical inquiry. We will present research findings on the benefits of inquiry learning and how teachers can promote inquiry in their own classrooms.
Participants will also experience an Inquiry Maths lesson, which starts with students' questions and conjectures before potentially moving into different lines of inquiry. In the Inquiry Maths model, students can differentiate for themselves within collaborative inquiry.

​Hollie Walton is a teacher of mathematics in Cambridge and
Andrew Blair leads a mathematics department in Ealing, London.
@inquirymaths
@maths_walton

Laura Katan
Managing challenging behaviour in mixed attainment maths classes​

How does teaching mixed attainment maths classes work when there are students who display challenging behaviours in the room?
This workshop will explore ideas about how mixed attainment maths can be a viable and brilliant way to facilitate all learners in achieving success, particularly those who display challenging behaviours. From mixed attainment classrooms to alternative provision teaching, we will explore strategies that work well. I will also welcome ideas and suggestions from workshop participants who would like to share their thoughts and approaches.

Laura Katan is currently 2iC for a mathematics department in Haringey. From September 2022 Laura will be the Numeracy Lead for the Haringey Learning Partnership. 
​@laurakatan

​​Mark Simmons
The story of a Lesson Study Cycle​

​How can all pupils make progress in a mixed attainment lesson? In this workshop I will share a video from a lesson study cycle. Workshop participants will have opportunities to discuss 
  • aspects of the video materials they find helpful
  • ways in which they might use the video materials for their own/their dept's CPD
  • practicalities of using a Lesson Study approach in their own professional contexts
  • any suggested amendments to the Nottingham TMMAG 2-side guide.

Mark Simmons is an assistant professor at Nottingham University 
​@simmo1363

​Mike Ollerton
​Rectangles
​from Upper Ks2 to Ks4

​​Mike’s workshop will explore a range of tasks all based upon rectangles that would be suitable from KS2 to KS4 classrooms.

​Mike Ollerton is a Freelance mathematics education consultant.
​@MichaelOllerton

Naz Mohamed and
Iwona Sapa
​Using manipulatives with mixed attainment classes
​

When used effectively, manipulatives can bring abstract concepts to life.
In this workshop, we will explore how manipulatives can be used to aid understanding, promote problem solving and enhance reasoning for all students in a mixed attainment classroom.

Naz Mohamed and Iwona Sapa are mathematics teachers at a secondary school in Haringey, London

Pete Wright
Maths Teaching and Social Justice

​This is a practical workshop based on ideas from research projects that Pete has run collaboratively with teacher researchers. We will look at promoting mathematical inquiries that help learners develop their individual and collective agency, and a greater understanding of social justice issues. We will also expose and challenge some common myths surrounding school mathematics that can lead to marginalisation of groups of learners.

Dr Pete Wright is a lecturer at UCL Institute of Education.
@petewrightIOE

Zeb Friedman
Maths Anxiety

There is over 60 years of academic research that examines maths anxiety; what it is, where it comes from and what can be done about it.
I am a full time maths teacher and part time doctoral student. My research focuses on maths anxiety in secondary school students.
My workshop will give you some background on the subject and will focus on those three questions. It will examine what tools there are to measure maths anxiety, and will also offer practical ideas to help teachers alleviate maths anxiety in students.

​Zeb Friedman is a mathematics teacher at a secondary school in Brighton, East Sussex.
@zebfriedman