This weeks post is a two for one. I question when scaffolding isn’t actually having the desired impact. I give an example of a commonly used scaffold for unit conversions which I now think doesn’t actually support our students in the long run.

substack.com/@fantasticma...

Yesterday I posted about the trouble with the language around addition and subtraction. Offering my thoughts around the impact of the grammatical structure.

In case you haven’t seen it my last post was on how I’ve incorporate fractions when there was no fraction unit of work.

open.substack.com/pub/fantasti...

I’ve recently written an article discussing why and the impact behind introducing booklets to our scheme of work. Likely to be a bit of a series.

open.substack.com/pub/fantasti...

I’m not sure about using for substitution, but been playing with the idea of squaring. Thinking about foreshadowing completing the square.

It’s a straight sub so 5^2

Earlier in the year in then progressed from replacing the individual algebra tiles (pictorially) with the values to then drawing the corresponding areas.
On this one I then decomposed the negative 12 to show the zero pair in the abstract. By this point they had done lots of zero pairs with counters

With the substitution have you considered swapping the x for the 5 so that they can “see” the substitution? Again joys of the @studymaths.bsky.social digital manipulatives.

For me I like to have example problem pairs broken down a little more so might take inspiration but then build in exam problem pairs.
See video.
Thumbs are used to navigate the slides, the animation icon to give support with annotated examples.
Using the blank modelling is best idea but with support

Different ways. The first thing that’s really useful is that effectively you’ve complied a brilliant range of resources according to topic. So I can find things from Don Steward MEP etc in one place.
Also tend to use the completion tables as extension tasks as shown below.

I didn’t see the whole lesson part!

I quite liked these ground rules and think they could be adapted for an age appropriate guidance.

Not sure how much it constitutes as research, but this looks like the best bet. Ive clipped an image. guides.lib.campbell.edu/c.php?g=3259...

There’s also this one mathsnoproblem.com/blog/teachin... but that feels more anecdotal.

The first one also talks about it not being play, but we can explore

This is gold. This explains so much of the ratio table cross products as well and you should be able to step a class through that proof. If they are ready for factorising quadratics.

This is the view from our entrance the school goes down the hillside. Walk into school seeing the sea, almost every morning.