This section is dedicated to pointing teachers in the direction of resources and links that support planning for learning, teaching and assessment in maths.
The blog post on this site 9. Professional Development Links and Maths Podcasts provides a number of valuable links to free professional development and podcasts dedicated to teaching mathematics. Listed here are a number of sites with resources that provide sources of inspiration.
NRICH website
The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice. In particular, the Early Years Activities, the CfE Curriculum Mapping Document and the Topics in Secondary Maths areas are particularly helpful.
Stem.org.uk have created collections of resources for primary and secondary teachers delivering numeracy and mathematics. These links Primary Resources and Secondary Resources take you directly to the curated resource areas.
Erikson Early Math Collaborative (Click on Home to access the website)
In 2007 Erikson Institute launched the Early Math Collaborative to increase the quality of early maths education. They do this in three key ways:
1. Professional development of teachers, facilitators/trainers, and administrators
2. Conducting research to generate new knowledge about approaches to teacher education, teacher development, and the most effective methods of mathematics instruction for young children
3. Being a source of information on foundational mathematics – what it is, how it develops in children, and how best to teach it.
The website is great for teachers of early level numeracy and mathematics and the section below, Big Ideas of Early Math provides high quality links to resources and ideas for numeracy and maths developments.
Mathforlove website (click on the front page link to access)
The mathforlove wesite is a site developed by Dan Finkel and Katherine Cook, a husband and wife team devoted to transforming how math is taught and learned.
They develop maths games and curriculum, including tons of free lesson plans that they give away here. They train teachers and produce professional learning materials. And they write puzzles, produce maths-art shows, and do whatever they can to show people how playful, beautiful, and life-changing mathematics can be.
Scott Morrow Maths Videos
Scott Morrow is a PT Maths (Primary) in South Ayrshire and has produced a range of videos of maths lessons that develop conceptual understanding and mathematical reasoning incorporating CPA and bar modelling. A great source of inspiration when developing key concepts through problem solving.
The Mathematics Shed Website
The Mathematics Shed provides a range of free resources shared by practitioners for practitioners.
Bebras Challenges
The Challenges are set to develop computational thinking. A great source of challenges for learners of all ages.
The CIMT Website
The Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching (CIMT)
The Mathematics Enhancement Programme (MEP) was developed by the CIMT to support practitioners in delivering high quality teaching and learning in mathematics. The website provides a variety of free to access materials and resources.
Open Middle Website (Click on the Home link below to access)
About Open Middle – The Open Middle site has been developed by co-founders Nanette Johnson and Robert Kaplinsky. Here is how they describe this site.
The name “Open Middle” might sound like a strange name for a website about maths problems. However, it references a very specific type of problem we try to encourage here. Most of the problems on this site have:
a “closed beginning” meaning that they all start with the same initial problem.
a “closed end” meaning that they all end with the same answer.
an “open middle” meaning that there are multiple ways to approach and ultimately solve the problem.
Open middle problems generally require a higher Depth of Knowledge than most problems that assess procedural and conceptual understanding. They support and provide students with opportunities for discussing their thinking.
Resourceaholic blog
This blog post is developed by secondary maths teacher and presenter Jo Morgan. The blog captures Jo’s favourite resources and sites. A great source of inspiration.
Median blog
This blog was developed by Don Stewart, an inspirational teacher of mathematics and teacher trainer. He used this blog to share his developments. A great source of materials with activities designed to develop mathematical thinking.
Exploding Dots
Investigate the wonderful world of exploding dots with James Tanton. A way to investigate number systems of any base leading to our base 10 system to working in base x. Explore how the exploding dots can assist addition, subtraction, multiplication, division through to polynomial division and infinite series. Amazing!!
Transum Maths
Transum is designed for teachers (Primary or Secondary) and upper Secondary/High school students. A great source of inspiration for mathematical activities and tasks.
Transum is conceived, designed and maintained by John Tranter and has been growing steadily since 1997. He has a background of over thirty years of teaching Mathematics in the UK and abroad and most recently worked for fifteen years as an Assistant Principal at one of the largest British International schools in South-East Asia. Roles have also included Head of Mathematics at three different schools and Senior Teacher Consultant (Mathematics) for Birmingham Local Education Authority.
