Over the next few weeks I will be at a couple of things where there will be more maths teachers than you can shake a stick at, so …. what do you call a collection of maths teachers? … ooh get me! I’m sure there is a little bit of literacy in there somewhere?!?
Well I would call them barmy! especially given that a week on Saturday 100’s of them will be at La Salle Education’s Maths Conference in Kettering CHECK IT OUT HERE. Yes! I know giving up a Saturday for CPD…. whatever next??
To those of you that have signed up to come to the workshop Seager and I are doing (I do hope you wont be disappointed!) seriously I’m flattered but I have to tell you up front … we won’t have cake! … does that affect your choice of workshop? If you haven’t made your choices yet, can you please do so? … putting such an event on (and it being free to attend) is a feat in itself, and I am sure Mark McCourt’s team would appreciate some of us pulling our finger out (**hangs head in shame as I also hadn’t chosen mine until this evening!**)
Shortly after this, on Friday 3rd October “we” (I mean in our day jobs at Alcester Academy and not JustMaths!) will be hosting our first Collaborative Maths Network Meeting of the year – if you usually attend and haven’t heard anything … email Nikola (or me and I’ll forward the email on) … there will be cake! Actually that reminds me … when I was “underwhelmed” (Here is my vaguely ranting post) about the Governments new maths hubs – at the time, I had several “conversations” on Twitter and was told to expect to hear news and I’m sure that there was a promise of an invite from our local hub (not that local!) to a meeting in September … yep! you’ve guessed it … heard nothing!
Would be interested to know what interaction any of you have had from your local hub, and how it has impacted on your school or your practice – but realistically, given that it’s early days I would love to hear how you envisage what the hubs will do for maths teachers/teaching in the future. I am genuinely interested and am VERY VERY open minded … I’ve said that before and now just looking for the “pudding to provide the proof” that was promised.
This conference sounds good – if I had seen an advert sooner I would have been tempted to attend. How can I find out about other forthcoming conferences? I am a self employed Maths tutor so I don’t get anything via the schools grapevine.
Get on twitter – takes a while to get used to but it’s fab for keeping ahead of the game
Hi Mel,
With regard to Maths Hubs – the GLOW hub at Balcarras School in Cheltenham had a meeting on 12th September. Best to follow them on Twitter @Glowmaths to find out more and get in contact. However the hub that might be closest to you is based at Bishop Challoner – details of their meeting are as follows:
Date: Tuesday September 23rd
Venue: Bishop Challoner Catholic College, B14 7EG
Time: 2:00pm-4:30pm (registration from 2:00-2:30)
If you are interested in coming to this meeting please email
mathshub@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk
with names and email addresses of those attending. For those working in schools the event is probably most suitable for your maths lead(s) and a nominated senior lead. We look forward to hearing from you.
Once you are on the circulation list I am sure you’ll be kept up to date.
Best wishes,
Jane
As in “today”?? oops missed that … even if I had seen the comment last night.
Thanks for the info, but surely that just adds credence to my cynicism … in my day job our maths department have heard NOTHING from any hub and I shouldn’t be getting the info just because I blog about it … this info should be “pushed” out to schools and not pulled out by social media.
I think the hubs are still planning. They’ll be able to inform interested parties when they have formed their plans in conjunction with the NCETM
and as I understand it that planning has involved them working on their original ideas when each hub bid to become a hub. … hmmm … I wonder if those plans have changed? Or whether hubs are being given things to focus on from “on high” …
Key people on the ground are now being recruited, give the hubs a chance. They are being led by schools with a proven track record in maths development and community links. The development has to bery strategic involving a huge amount of partners. It’s not like posting a blog, much more planning has to go into it.
“not like posting a blog” … ouch!!
By the way I am aware of the need to be strategic … I even know what it means!
I have said I am open minded, and remain so. But, you, yourself have mentioned one of things that I suggested would have an impact of surrounding schools: recruitment. By having schools that are allegedly the “elite” recruiting, they suck in all the talent to those schools leaving vacuums around them where the talent is really needed.
yep! still open minded.