MEI has kindly shared the following resources to support the use of ICT in A/AS Level maths. These are practical activities that look at how we can use Geogebra to enhance the study of differentiation and integration (calculus) at AS level. These are ideal for use in a computer room or for students to investigate at home. The pdf file contains full instructions and challenges, and the attached Geogebra files can be used to demonstrate and consolidate understanding back in the classroom. Please click on the web-link to find out more about the work of MEI.

Earliest recommended Year group: Year 10. Pupils need to work out the area of a couple of rings with different dimensions - but the same area. This is from the “Something in Common” collection of resources by John Burke. They allow consolidation of key skills, prevent students from copying each other (as all the questions are different), make marking and assessing easy for the teacher (as all the answers are the same!), and provide a lovely extra challenge for students as they try to figure out exactly what is going on! To access the full collection, and read John’s background notes, please visit: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/common.htm

Bingo cards for the above game.

A match up activity for all the important area and volume formulae.

Another jigsaw practicing nth terms.

Manipulate constants to observe the effect on all types of functions. Use the tabs at the bottom of the worksheet to move between functions.

Practise the rules of indices and standard form.

Lots of equations involving brackets to match up to their answers.

Earliest recommended Year group: Year 11. This tests the pupils knowledge of straight line graphs and y=mx+c and the significance of gradients of perpendicular lines. This is from the “Something in Common” collection of resources by John Burke. They allow consolidation of key skills, prevent students from copying each other (as all the questions are different), make marking and assessing easy for the teacher (as all the answers are the same!), and provide a lovely extra challenge for students as they try to figure out exactly what is going on! To access the full collection, and read John’s background notes, please visit: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/common.htm

Earliest recommended Year group: Year 11. Measure the sides and angles and calculate the ratios. All ratios in the class are the same, yet all of the triangles are different This is from the “Something in Common” collection of resources by John Burke. They allow consolidation of key skills, prevent students from copying each other (as all the questions are different), make marking and assessing easy for the teacher (as all the answers are the same!), and provide a lovely extra challenge for students as they try to figure out exactly what is going on! To access the full collection, and read John’s background notes, please visit: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/common.htm

Some questions and answers which pupils must decide whether they are right or wrong. Highlights some key misconceptions.

Three interesting examples to introduce the concepts of scatter diagrams and correlation.

Quick test to make sure pupils know all the important squares, cubes and roots.

A Tarsia activity on Estimating Calculations. These type of activities can be used to consolidate understanding of a given topic, and foster positive group work and co-operative learning. For more ideas on how to use these types of activities (including twists!) and to download the latest version of the wonderful free software to open this resource (and create your own), just click on the web-link. If you have any comments, or spot any (non deliberate!) mistakes, please share them below. Many thanks to all the teachers who have helped me assemble these Tarsias over the years.

An introduction to writing expressions and collecting like terms via little stories.

A brilliant Tarsia activity by Gill Hillitt on trigonometric identities for Core 3. These type of activities can be used to consolidate understanding of a given topic, and foster positive group work and co-operative learning. For more ideas on how to use these types of activities (including twists!) and to download the latest version of the wonderful free software to open this resource (and create your own), just click on the web-link. If you have any comments or feedback for Gill, please share them below.

This is a rich Venn Diagram activity on Probability, including work with fractions. To access all the Venn Diagram activities in this collection, as well as teaching notes, please visit: http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/venn.htm Here is why I love Venn Diagram activities so much: 1) Students can always make a start. If they can think of a number/expression/object or whatever it might be, it has to go in one of the regions on the diagram, so they are up and running 2) The more regions student find, the more challenging the task gets, which adds a nice element of differentiation 3) They are incredibly versatile, and can be used for almost all maths topics for all ages and abilities 4) They are easy to tweak by simply changing one of the circle labels if you find they are too difficult/easy 5) Students can create their own as an extension task I hope you and your students enjoy them.

Powerpoint presentation. A quick starter activity where students must estimate the sizes of several angles

A Tarsia activity on sharing in a given ratio. These type of activities can be used to consolidate understanding of a given topic, and foster positive group work and co-operative learning. For more ideas on how to use these types of activities (including twists!) and to download the latest version of the wonderful free software to open this resource (and create your own), just click on the web-link. If you have any comments, or spot any (non deliberate!) mistakes, please share them below. Many thanks to all the teachers who have helped me assemble these Tarsias over the years.

A nice conversion domino activity.