With a much greater emphasis on problem solving at GCSE level, there is increased responsibility for Key Stage 3 mathematics to develop the skills and understanding necessary in this area, building on the foundations already being laid in Key Stage 2.

There are many problem-solving methods and approaches, and it can be challenging to focus on specific aspects of these to ensure students experience the process of problem solving beyond simply ‘finding the answer’. This course will give delegates the opportunity to:

• Learn about problem solving approaches
• Develop effective strategies for the classroom and for Key Stage 3 implementation
• Look at how problem solving and reasoning are developed
• Solve problems to experience the different aspects of the process
• Take away practical examples to use in school.

This course is suitable for secondary maths teachers and secondary mathematics subject leaders.

Presenter Profile

Dr Ray Huntley trained to teach mathematics at Brunel University from 1979-1981 and completed a degree in Education and Mathematics at Chelmer Institute in 1984. After 15 years in 6 schools (including one in Melbourne, Australia), Ray became a primary headteacher near Chelmsford, taking the school out of Ofsted’s ‘serious weakness’ category within 2 terms. Ray moved to lecturing in Initial Teacher Education, firstly at Anglia Ruskin University, then the University of Gloucestershire, Brunel University and Plymouth University.

Ray is a member of the Mathematical Association (MA) and serves on the MA Council. He is also a member of the Association for Teachers of Mathematics (ATM), the Association of Mathematics Education Tutors (AMET) and the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSRLM). He regularly attends conferences for these groups and has written and presented conference papers.

Ray has authored journal and teachers’ periodical articles and has reviewed many teacher education titles. In 2011 he completed his PhD in mathematics education, researching mathematics subject knowledge and teachers’ choice of examples. He is currently working on an international research project exploring children’s understanding of multiplicative thinking.

Feedback from teachers on Ray’s course

Excellent day. Some really nice problem-solving resources and ideas to share.
Fantastic ideas for KS3 problem-solving day. I enjoyed this – thank you!
Excellent ideas on reasoning problems to take back and use in school.
Great presentation/ambience: opportunities to pick up new ideas, share ideas and ask questions. Thank you very much.
I’ve taken an excellent set of resources to try out with my classes.
Excellent! Love the practical ideas and examples: more of these!
Enjoyable day – excellent investigation activities.
Fantastic info and content. Thank you.

Cost: £165 per delegate which includes lunch and resources; £199 for 2 teachers from the same school booking on this course