When I've had discussions with colleagues before about Further Maths students, it has tended to solely be whether they should be taught in parallel or series. If taught in parallel, as has been the way in both sixth form colleges I have worked at, then the Further Maths (FM) students mix with those just studying Maths (M).
The idea is that M students benefit from having the extra expertise in the room and, as FM students are generally more focused, they have the FM students as role models. The FM students benefit as they have the opportunity to help teach the M students, and this builds their strength on the core principles. I have always believed in this concept, but is it really working, and will the situation just get worse in the future?
In my classes I feel a significant gap has grown between the strongest and weakest students in the groups, and I'm not quite sure how to tackle it. I recognise that there's always that grasping-at-straws feeling after marking mock papers to try and understand precisely what the results mean, but I'm wondering if we're shooting ourselves in the foot as this polarising has got me concerned.
There's a lot of material to cover in AS Maths and not a lot of time to cover it in. It's got to be taught at a fair pace and more often than not you've got to deliver it to the top end (they all sit the same exam paper after all, and you can't just miss out reduction to linear form, for example, because the weakest students will never really get it). This would still be true if the FM students weren't in the class.
However, would the M students feel more open about asking questions and asking for help? Or would they be losing a significant resource? When you're teaching a group that can range from the top A* student to those that may not pass, the differentiation involved stretches the teacher to the limit. There's likely to be an even wider stretch next year, where students who would have studied and been very successful with Use of Maths will have to study the traditional Maths course. The bottom end are likely to be even weaker, unless the new GCSE manages to make a host of stronger students, which is probably unlikely.
Some institutions logistically have no way of teaching FM students except by mixing them in classes with M students, and the concept of having a two-tier system still doesn't feel quite right. But we're going to have exactly the same problem if we offer AS Maths alongside A-Level Maths - it is very likely these will have to be taught separately as well. So if it could be scheduled, we could potentially have three different first year classes running, and that just sounds like a logistical nightmare.
For those who teach FM in series, what benefits do you see, and do you feel there is any detriment to your M students because of it?
Someone is reading Jack!
ReplyDeleteWe do split our FM and M students in the first year. The reason being so many of the FM students have already done Ad Maths and so Core 1 is a bit dull for them. Although they go through at the same pace as the M students the FM classes are supplemented with some really challenging problems - things taken from RISPS and the new Underground Maths tasks. FM classes also have class sets of books to read too; Rob Eastaway, David Acheson. Students get a chapter each to present to the class.
In the second year some FM students do get mixed in with the M students. The ones doing all the FP modules remain on their own, but the ones doing 'all the 2s' M2, D2, S2 - they join in with the S2 students. These FM students are often the ones dragged along by the hardworking S2 students - it can be the S2 students who are the more focussed role models!
Good luck with the Blog
Andy
That's a strong set-up. Will certainly have to look at different possible options next year. Thanks for your post and thanks for reading!
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