Sammy
Hello Mars.
Mars
How are you?
Sammy
Yeah, I'm good. Thank you. Welcome to Ian Ambos and we should just say that we have done this before and we were somehow lost.
Sammy
The recording in the Internet cloud. So you very kindly agreed to come back today, so I'm excited to see if we could even better what we recorded before.
Mars
Yes, I am excited too.
Speaker 3
So I'll start.
Sammy
Off by saying an my introduction paste so welcome to Mars. Mars is a wonderful human being who I'm proud there has become a friend and but for years and years and years I have followed models work for YouTube videos and resources online.
Speaker 3
Thanks.
Sammy
She's just a given giving soul and an absolute shaver. In the further education backs world. So welcome along Miles.
Mars
No, thank you lovely to be here with you.
Sammy
The math we gotta start with the same question it tell us about your most memorable way.
Sammy
Send
Mars
Some of the most memorable lessons that I've had are perhaps the practical ones, so I do recall doing some projects with learners.
Mars
One of them was a fundraising one where people raise money for a charity. They picked the charity they wanted to donate to, and so they baked cupcakes, maybe mostly and solve them in the centres. And then we wrote a letter to the charity explaining why would chosen them. So that is.
Mars
One of them, the other one, is when they got to make a real talk themselves using a real talk mechanism.
Mars
Don't you know that I bought all of the materials? They cut the mob, they decorated the clock and then we went into the class to do presentation.
Sammy
Oh wow.
Mars
Yes, that's the sort of thing that I think stuck in my memory. We did, you know, every single session had some practical elements in there, but you know just a session where you do just the practical things and real life skills. You practise that sort of thing that stuck in my memory. And I think for learners as well.
Sammy
Yeah, absolutely those lessons LOL. Stick in their memories so I wanna start with your wonderful website whichismilesmaths.com an and it's just full of really useful functional skills in GCSE but mainly functional skills resources. How did you come out making such a Bank of amazingness?
Mars
I will think so much so.
Mars
Me and it all started because I couldn't find the right resources for my learners, especially for functional skills. So I wanted to utilise fit learning where people need learners should have a look at the materials before hand and then when they come into the session will focus more on the application and reasoning and problem solving.
Mars
So I notice that there wasn't as much out there, and I thought you know what I need to create something and make it available for others, or that it was born out of nidri.
Sammy
But it is an I've not met anyone, but I've not shown it to over the years of being an advanced practitioner or being a matching touring colleges that's not gone.
Sammy
Well, this is a game changer. This is amazing. So thank you to you for, on behalf of everyone I've ever worked with who's nicked and borrow just stuff.
Mars
Thank you, I mean all the feedback has been really really good and I didn't expect it to be that way.
Mars
I mean, I put in lots of work and hours and effort has gone into it. But you know, just didn't expect it to be that popular and I'm glad that you know, even if one learner or one teacher is help.
Mars
I'm at my objective, really.
Sammy
I think that's just so. Giving an and says a lot about you as a person, but I wanna just touch on your amazing tick. Tock if we're talking popular, but that's probably the most popular thing you've done.
Mars
I'm totally unexpected. I must say because I just thought you know what. Why don't they give this a go and see how we gonna work and other people were like.
Mars
And you know, I just put down a couple of riddles in there, and I think I want to develop it further because it's kind of a different kind of audience.
Mars
Isn't it an model? We talking about a younger audience that they want quick things and they want to get talked and give the puzzle a girl and see how it goes.
Mars
So that's the kind of thing I want to do from now on.
Speaker 3
So.
Sammy
You tick tock, then let's just let the listeners know how many fingers did you get on your tick tock.
Mars
I'm one of them has about 100,000 you.
Speaker 3
Simply just another.
Sammy
Amazing and visit and all that maths just slowly.
Speaker 3
Slipping into people's brains, I think there's such a clever way to do.
Sammy
Hey.
Mars
Yes, I suppose so.
Sammy
So I wanna just touch on Mars an imagine I'm in you learn are coming to your class an what's one of the first things I'm going to do in your class.
Mars
Yes, on that very first day I tend to get learners to write about their feelings towards mass because I know that you know, as maths teachers with seeing so many of our learners, even adults who struggled without fear of mass and will.
Mars
Wanting to put that down in writing, he might be very difficult to articulate, and perhaps the thinking. Oh, I've just join Damascus. I'm not gonna tell my teacher that I really dislike Matthew. I hate math. Then I've done that might do that. So yeah, I just tell them to write a letter to maths and a couple of sentences really, or short paragraph where they say DMSI don't really like you or I just like you, I hate you or are you OK with?
Sammy
Yeah.
Mars
You you know even that is acceptable.
Mars
You bend, they go back to that same letter halfway through the course, and then at the end of the course as well.
Mars
Ben
Mars
Mars
And you can see that.
Mars
Beautiful journey they've gone through, so we see all the envelopes and we just, you know, I don't have a look at them to the end of the course.
Sammy
I think that's so powerful so that they write down their anxieties. They seal the envelope, and then it's done, and then they hopefully reflect and see the journey. I think there's so much in there that people can take away from that. That's a brilliant idea.
Sammy
Here.
Mars
The one of the other things that I think to do is bring so you know a number of puzzles on that Thursday cause I don't want it to be just maths, maths, maths and English here.
Mars
Maybe you know.
Mars
Old ways of doing it. I want to incorporate as much practical and puzzles and fun things to do with maths on that first day so they get a flavour of what maths is really like and I must say I continued.
Mars
Do puzzles throughout the year and I work a lot on that math anxiety that I just spoke about.
Sammy
Left
Mars
Over.
Mars
Mars
I make mistakes.
Mars
All the time and they know my limits know about it.
Mars
So they will have fun with what some of the mistakes I make and I had fun today. Yeah, we just laugh about it and an I tell them it's perfectly fine to make mistakes, everybody does and we learn from mistakes because of her. Just perfect will then be in a maths lesson anyway would we answer?
Mars
Cheque, I hate them.
Mars
Sammy
Yeah, I think so.
Mars
Yeah, yeah on the other.
Speaker 3
I think so.
Sammy
Yep.
Sammy
I think when we make a mistake, we model that behaviour that it let you say that it's okay to make a mistake and to recognise a mistake actually developed their understanding of the topic a little bit more as well.
Mars
Yeah, and I don't need to put any effort when it comes to making mistakes. I'm an actress.
Speaker 3
Me too.
Mars
Yes, and then sometimes I pretend that you know I did something intentionally. They'll just go no miss. I think this was the real mistake.
Speaker 3
Mars
Yeah, and the other thing we speak about, I do speaker back from day one is having a learning difficulty.
Mars
I have dyslexia myself, so I'm quite open and honest about it and you know, I just tell my learners it's perfectly fine. It's actually, you know, it looks like.
Mars
That's a weakness, but it really isn't, because in my eyes that is a strength and will you know, we do have other strengths as well.
Mars
And this is how it is for everybody.
Mars
Having dyslexia, I think it's a superpower.
Sammy
Wow, I think that's great.
Mars
Or any woman difficult yeah?
Sammy
I think that's really powerful, isn't it? I think I think once we know and everybody is different and we can see representation matters.
Sammy
I think that's important to say as well. I have a. I have a hearing impairment I ever dispose it and I have to be very open and honest.
Sammy
Cause I can't hide that.
Speaker 3
It becomes quite obvious quite quickly with the fire alarms going off, and I'm.
Speaker 3
Still wondering around.
Sammy
But you know, I think modelling and representing.
Sammy
But you are different in that it doesn't change your outlook or you're wearing your ability to do maths or any subject. It just means that we just have to make some adjustments.
Mars
Absolutely. It makes me think and see other things from a different perspective as well, which is always needed, isn't it? You know if we all the same.
Mars
He's going to come up with a different idea, not entirely different in that sense, but different from what we come up with, yeah?
Mars
So it's it's all welcome, darling and learners recognised that and they tend to speak to me at the end of the session or in the next few days or weeks and so on, because this is the other thing about dyslexia is in dyslexic teacher.
Mars
I just seen many of the things as normal, so you believe you're dyslexic trade there. I just think it's it's fine.
Speaker 3
Okay.
Mars
You know my thing, I'm fine with it and they can come in, but at the same time this gives.
Mars
The plan is the courage to continue to do things and try harder.
Mars
Because they recognise it as something that is perfectly fine.
Sammy
Yeah, I had to learn a last night who's just had her exam access arrangements assessment and she was telling me that it had come out and surprised her with some of the extra things that it had picked up.
Sammy
She went, she went knowing she experienced a certain difficult and it highlighted to her that she had other difficulties that she was experiencing and I said to her last night said. And how did that make you feel and stressful? Alright, really, kinda makes sense.
Sammy
Now.
Mars
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And we need to talk about these things.
Sammy
Yeah, an interesting that she said to me as well, but when she finished her assessment at college, so done.
Sammy
Did not asked how she felt about it, they just given her the information and then she done there but you just said this speaking at the end of the lessons or pass the information so she can't do that last night Leicester but she had set that whole lesson holding that information into share.
Sammy
Goodnight and I bet there are boats in its service possibility, but you know, I wouldn't want to have been hurt in her position.
Sammy
Sitting there with the anxiety of having to tell my teacher that I've had this assessment, analyst Anne, and then when I asked her how she felt about it, she, like you know, I've not really thought until you said, how do you think about it? And I think that's quite.
Sammy
I think that's my sample early that we've not gone in with that human approaches, but this is where we're at. And how do you feel about it?
Mars
Yes, yeah yeah, I think that's a starting point really. And then you work on it throughout the year and you've just reminded me of something else that I do on day one. And that's about you asking learners.
Mars
Who was that preferred teacher and what did they use to do so? I tend to pick these pieces and try and mimic them as much as I can.
Sammy
Well.
Mars
So whatever that that's kind of a collection of the things that they wanted to see in a teacher, and I try and do as much of that as possible.
Sammy
They build up their dream teacher like a like, a cut out picture when they click on different hair and different a different face and things like that and you you dress up like that throughout the year for them.
Mars
No, that's not.
Mars
Sorry for what they do is they cut up a picture of themselves dressed up in a uniform that represents what they want to do so you feel well.
Speaker 3
Go.
Mars
Album for years.
Mars
Mars
They were trying to something like that, an animated picture I need. There is a quite a visual journey which shows.
Mars
Where they get into and what they doing throughout the journey, like bits and pieces in there. So I want to achieve my level 2 maths.
Mars
For example, I want to receive careers advice and I want to do this and that that's dotted throughout the journey and some quotes. I put three quotes in there to inspire them to give them going.
Sammy
So I'm learning in your class and I've come for first lesson. I've put my maths and write it down on paper.
Sammy
I put them in an envelope, sealed them away, and now visualising and imagining my future career. Why I'm here Waitin aiming for.
Sammy
And then you also adding it on top that you're going to try and build in. Some of my favourite teacher qualities, as well as giving me inspirational quotes. I think it just sounds like a dream. Start my math class.
Mars
That's very kind of you.
Sammy
But I think there's so much in that for people to take away who are listening because I think very often we talk about future careers and we know what future careers our students are intending. But I think there's something quite powerful in that visual element that you fill in.
Mars
Yes, I quite like vision boards and storyboards and Jim things like that which are quite visual an hit. You then love story really and I won't be honest to tell their story at the end. But I continue with that. You see that visual element that you just mentioned.
What's the?
Sammy
Direct.
Mars
I've continued without throughout the year, so when we do things like estimation for example, I'd get even this cheat, link it to their, you know potential career, and you know they're going on websites such as National Careers, Service, website or career Coach, and they kind of estimate what the cost will be to qualify as a nurse, for instance.
Sammy
Or both.
Sammy
Wow.
Mars
And then they went out. How much they will earn, and they compare that.
Mars
And then when it comes to percentages, they work hard. How much in contacts they will pay and all kind of links to what they do? Every single session is interlinked really.
Sammy
I think there's a lot in that bed then, so the theme of their future career is embedded in your lesson.
Sammy
But in doing that, we're embedding British values and employablity. We've got the British values of the income tax and society as a whole, and then we've got the employability skills of aiming towards your career. And I think I think that's wonderful. I'm quite taken aback with.
Mars
I try and do as much of that as possible. You know my aim is to do it in almost every lesson really, so I take a lot of time to plan those beforehand.
Mars
And you know as well as in bed, in lots of fluency, activities with cards and dominoes very interactive based on their assessment of their starting points. Because he always starts with me. Either they complete.
Mars
When I called the destinations catalogue that was specifically made for GCSE learners, it was initially called destinations catalogue as in with what's your destination for today?
Sammy
Hello.
Mars
Have you browse it into place so you have kind of one or two questions on each specific criteria that they needed to meet for the session and have been to place already? What's the point of going to that same place again and massive block people learning?
Sammy
Oh
Mars
Yeah, and then we focus only on the things that they need to work on an we make pairs. We make small groups based on those results and then of course we cheque understanding for functional skills.
Mars
It was the case of mostly using code crisis to begin with, rather than having them complete the work up front because he was just a bit easier that way.
Mars
The same kind of procedure really, and then you know we continue with doing an application task within the lesson. Things like measuring the perimeter of the room to work out, how much skirting board that need that.
Mars
Office on the board and pick the right one.
Mars
I'm old, you know. Carpet tiles. Look at capital's how much of that need. Looking at the office as well.
Mars
So very practical. And then we'll look at reasoning and problem solving activities because I notice, you know with our learners they can work out the mean.
Mars
But it's so difficult if you give them the answer and ask them to find a missing value in there.
Sammy
I know, yeah.
Mars
Prices yes.
Sammy
Yes, I I don't even know what to call that question either. Do I call it the inverse of the meme, which doesn't really sit right with me?
Mars
So I.
Mars
So.
Mars
Well, to me that the reasoning question, yet it is you universe in the process aren't you? Yeah.
Sammy
Yeah.
Sammy
But yeah, it's one of those questions. Is it that scuppers the marble along? And? I think that's something that hopefully listeners can take away.
Speaker 3
Is that not alone? If they, if they can do the mean really well, but not find the missing value when you are doing it, you're not alone. It is certainly something happens all the time.
Speaker 3
Something.
Speaker 3
Mars
Yes, absolutely. And I remember as a child myself, I was never taught any of that, but I tend to do it in every single lesson, like when it comes to even addition, you'd have any through the fluency tasks at the beginning, the matching an interactive things.
Mars
They would learn how to add, but then when it comes to reasoning question within that same topic, I'd give them the answer.
Mars
Have one of the values that they will be had in and have a gap in there to see how did make the link.
Mars
With subtraction.
Sammy
So nice, yeah.
Sammy
Yeah, good idea. This is top tip there for everyone. An well believe it or not Mars we have come to the end of our time already today on this episode we could talk for hours and will will probably have you back on to be honest.
Sammy
But if you wanna just give me a shout out to your website and your Twitter handle just so that people who want to follow you and then not already aware, you can do that.
Mars
Yeah its marsmaths.com and the Twitter handle is at mass maths.
Sammy
And we'll just, we'll just call her that again. Name is actually Mars and concerns I think you just stumbled on this genius alliteration. But your name is actually that.
Yep.
Mars
Yes.
Sammy
Up
Sammy
Wonderful thank you for joining us on daanan, both males. It's been a pleasure to talk to you.
Mars
Thank you, thanks a lot, Sammy, thanks.
Sammy
Bye you bye bye.