Meeting New Classes. How do we create the right learning environment in the Secondary maths classroom?
In this podcast, a teacher with a growing national profile discusses engagement, curriculum, classroom culture, and preparing students for maths beyond school.
Susan Okereke is a secondary maths teacher in London, recently moving to St. Mark’s Academy in south London as Lead Practitioner in maths. She also leads Work Groups for the London South East Plus Maths Hub. Beyond that, she has developed a role as an independent ‘maths communicator’, aiming to make maths less frightening and more available to all, throughout their lives and not only during school. She does this through her podcast, blog, social media and public speaking.
In this conversation, Susan tells us about what she considers when faced with new classes, including creating the right environment, setting expectations, dealing with disruption and prioritising the classes and students she finds most challenging. She also gives her views on the difficulties with the current GCSE maths curriculum, particularly at Foundation level, what might better replace it and how powerful maths can be as a tool for social mobility.
Episode chapters:
00:00 - Intro and background
03:46 - How teaching adult numeracy informs the way Susan now teaches secondary students
10:16 - GCSE Foundation maths curriculum ‘not fit for purpose’
15:41 - Susan talks about her role as a ‘maths communicator’
16:36 - Maths as a tool for social mobility: encouraging diversity and inclusion
21:28 - What Susan will be thinking about with new classes in September?
24:56 - Learner engagement: 'activating reward centres in the brain'
26:41 - Managing students who are not in the right state to learn
Useful links:
Susan tweets as @DoTheMathsThing