We're going to get some Cuisenaire rods out and explore all of the wonderful mathematical ideas that can be brought to life with this one amazing manipulative. From basic number all the way to functional algebra, if you haven't used Cuisenaire before (or even if you have), come along and see how Cuisenaire can help make sense of a host of maths concepts.

Completion tables are a wonderful tool to be able to get students to think flexibly about the mathematics that they have been studying.

This workshop delves into how they can be taken further, using structures that have been taught in lessons and thinking about equivalent representations, to elicit further deep mathematical thought.

Have you heard about this versatile, visual, concrete manipulative? Perhaps you are curious… or even skeptical? If you are interested in encouraging mathematical talk, reasoning, deeper understanding and daily practice in a hands-on visual method, then this session is for you. You truly have to see it to believe it. This is your chance to use a 20 bead rekenrek to teach adding and subtracting integers. You will leave with many ideas to use the very next day. You will be amazed at how this tool can be the mess-free answer for children developing deeper understanding of number sense while naturally engaging in rich mathematical talk.

It’s Monday morning. Your bleary-eyed students traipse into the classroom. What they need is a bit of fun and excitement - but with valuable maths in it, too. Join Rob Eastaway as he demonstrates five entertaining tricks, puzzles and games that are a surefire way to get everyone’s week off to a good start*.

*Psst, while also teaching useful geometry, arithmetic and algebra skills.

Suitable for KS2, KS3, KS4

In this session, Jo will explore what makes for 'forward-facing' primary maths. How can we ensure that the methods, models and examples we choose are preparing children for their mathematical future, not just reaching the minimum objective right now? The session will also be useful for secondary colleagues to see where many common misconceptions are born and how they might be remedied.

Having high expectations goes beyond a literal translation of the words and during this session Mel will look at concrete strategies across a range of areas within mathematics teaching that can be deployed as a teacher or leader. Its all about context and hopefully you can get a golden nugget or two from the session.

I love teaching matrices – it is a “brand new” topic that the students can really get into. In this session, we will focus on matrix transformations. We will look at some activities aimed at helping students to really understand how matrix transformations work. We will think about invariance and consider what it means for a matrix to be “self-inverse”. I will also share some ideas on linking matrices with other areas of the curriculum.

This session will give you an insight into the use of low floor/heigh ceiling activities as a way of include SEND learners in mathematics. The ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky that form the theoretical framework will be explored. A range of activities will be shared that are suitable for use across Key Stages 2 and 3.

Still in the habit of setting a mock exam using a full past paper and following it up with ‘green penning’ before filing them away until passing them to the bin in July? Join me to explore AQA’s All About Maths offerings to identify resources that can support feedback for mock exams, and explore how the QLAPD (AQA’s performance data) can help you set better mocks.

We shall be considering the cohort and exploring the main difficulties these learners have...with a plethora of resources to support accessible and inclusive teaching, meeting the needs of all learners.

There will be a lot in this session to support teaching yr11 borderline groups.

Ian has been teaching AQA’s Level 2 Further Maths qualification for over a decade. In this session he goes through the benefits, how it can boost students GCSE Maths grade and how to implement it in school. Ian will also share some of the great resources available to support your teaching of L2FM.

This practical, hands-on workshop will look at:
• What should exploratory talk look like in maths and how can it deepen understanding?
• How can manipulatives be used as a tool for talk?
• How and when to teach precise vocabulary?
• How can oracy help combat maths anxiety and help student’s confidence grow?

This session delves into the transformative role of manipulatives in enhancing the conceptual understanding of mathematics for all primary school children. We will examine the challenges teachers face when integrating concrete tools, exploring why shifts in attitudes towards maths teaching remain slow despite the evidence. What does research truly say about the effectiveness of manipulatives, and when do they make the most impact?

Drawing on extensive experience in primary education, including his roles as a teacher, headteacher, and Director of Education, Ian will share personal insights into the development of a new manipulative and programme called Number Builders, which places manipulatives at the core of number work for young learners. This talk will provide valuable lessons for anyone interested in creating or refining educational tools that can revolutionise classroom learning.

A story that doesn't move you emotionally isn't a very good story. The same can be said for a maths curriculum.

Mathematics has the power to evoke all sorts of emotions. It should inspire, empower, enliven and, enrich people's lives. But, as a consequence of trying to inhibit "maths anxiety" are we in danger of giving learners an emotionally dead curriculum?

This session will look at some tasks that might provide the cure. We will engage with them, explore how they makes us feel and discuss the role emotions can, and should, play in the classroom.

Bring paper, pen and maybe some tissues.

Over the past few years, I've tried to move away from formula triangles, inspired by a previous Mathsconf about teaching compound measures using ratio tables. I realised that I referred to them as trig ratios yet didn't actually explicitly teach them as ratios. By getting a student to recognise the two sides that are related and which ratio to use, leads to a student assigning meaning to the trig ratio. Teaching as a ratio table also reinforces FDP conversion, and allows students to use the properties of equivalent fractions to approximate values when a calculator is unavailable.

Let's do some maths together in this interactive 'Timeless Countdown' workshop. We'll explore the classic numbers game without time pressure, allowing for deeper thinking and discussion of various solving methods. We'll delve into metacognition by working collaboratively on solutions, then look at similarities and differences in approaches/methods. Suitable for all teachers, you'll be practising your skills and analysis so that you can take these puzzles and conversations back to your classroom. If nothing else, we'll have fun doing maths together purely for pleasure.
For those who attended my talk at MathsConf online, this is a great chance to develop your skills further by working with other teachers

Over the past two decades, many resources have been created to support classroom discussions in maths, but what does that actually mean? How can teachers lead these discussions to optimise learning? This workshop, inspired by recent insights into reading, writing, and oracy, will explore effective maths resources and task design based on research. We’ll also discuss how to use these tools to foster mathematical oracy and why it's essential for developing young mathematicians. You'll leave with practical tips and resources ready for immediate use. 

This session will introduce how fractals can be used to teach key mathematical concepts in geometry. You’ll learn how to make fractal geometry accessible and engaging for students, sparking their interest in mathematics through real-world applications. With hands-on activities and visual tools, this CPD will provide you with practical strategies to incorporate fractals into your KS3 curriculum, making complex ideas easier to grasp and more exciting for your students.

In this workshop we will participate together in a range of activities centred around the Platonic Solids. These five solids have been studied and written about for thousands of years. As we get to know these better, we will be motivated to engage in approaches from a range of mathematics, utilising at most GCSE mathematical skills.

Teachers can lose hours to resource-finding and subsequent lesson planning. What if we told you there was a one-word solution to move away from lesson planning in favour of lesson preparation? Booklets. Becky and Adam will take you on their journey of designing booklets to resource their common core curriculum. In this session you will get to find out how booklets work in practice, explore task design (which involves doing some maths!) and be involved in some myth busting. This session should offer something for everyone, whether you're a MAT lead, a Head of Department, or a teacher who would like to give booklet-led delivery a go!

Questioning is one of the most important tools that we have at our disposal to support the learning of students in our classrooms, whilst discussion is an underused, but powerful tool in advancing student understanding and learning.

This session will explore exactly what makes a question effective, before evaluating three different strategies to questioning in the classroom, with examples. The session will then go on to explore the importance of discussion, and again evaluate three different strategies, along with examples, that you can use in the classroom.

All will leave the session with new approaches ready to implement next time that they are in the classroom!

2, 3, 5, 8 - who do we appreciate? Fibonacci!
If you thought that the leap-frogging, backstitch-adding sequence of numbers that bears the name Fibonacci was limited to rabbits, golden spirals, fir cones and pineapples, then perhaps you are missing out. In this session we look at some of the less well-known mathematical properties of this endlessly-fascinating sequence and pose some questions that still remain unsolved today.
Expect to come away armed with enough enrichment material for dozens of lessons, Maths clubs, projects and lectures of your own. Suitable for teachers of KS3 up to KS5. Bring a calculator!

Anne explores how you can unlock potential in foundation GCSE maths by harnessing students’ prior knowledge, problem solving and other strategies to increase engagement, motivation and confidence.

Discover hands-on approaches and classroom-tested techniques to assess and activate students' pre-existing knowledge. Dive into the neuroscience of learning, with a focus on the critical role of prior knowledge in facilitating new information assimilation. Discern the benefits of fostering retrieval within your teaching practice to elevate student performance and motivation and highlighting the importance of prior learning experiences.

In this interactive session, we explore the development of problem-solving skills in maths by working on a wide variety of different problems and asking:
What makes a “good” mathematics problem?
How do mathematicians solve problems?
What pupil behaviours can we develop to help problem-solving?
What are the metacognitive principles?
You’ll have lots of practical activities and strategies to take away and apply in the classroom.

Now that we are well into the Autumn Term for the Class of 2024, the focus is on preparing our Class of 2025 students to do A Level Maths.

Reflecting on the "Crossover" questions from the 2024 GCSE Summer papers, the aim is to look in detail for areas where Year 11 Higher GCSE teachers can focus on and to see what we can all do to make the transition to A Level Maths happen more smoothly.

There will be plenty of time for discussion and there will also be some questions from topics that appear on both GCSE and A Level Maths to try out!

Didactic teaching is a style of teaching in which the teacher leads from the front. It usually receives a bad press and is simply and rather negatively described as being like a lecture.

If used correctly in our classrooms it can be an incredibly powerfully tool for helping our children learn and succeed in our subject regardless of ability.

I whole heartedly believe that didactic teaching when used successfully is one of the most powerful forces we can use in our classrooms.