Helping students less.

I don't like helping students with their maths.

That's probably controversial (and probably not true either), so I'd better qualify it.

I don't like helping student's with their maths, until they have made an effort to help themselves.

That's better. The question is how to best help them do that! It's all about independent learning and learning to learn. Here is one way I've developed in my classroom, that is now all around my department, and starting to spread, as I've spoken with at least one other Maths Subject leader about it...

Maths Posters. Seems simple enough. I've downloaded and printed the "Maths Facts" posters from here. I printed them onto different colour card - green for shape, yellow for data, blue for algebra and pink for number, and had them laminated.

I did have them around the back of my room, but my LA advisor suggested moving them to the front.

Now, whenever a student first asks for help, all I need to say (much of the time) is "there's a poster about that", and they go to find it. If they're still stuck then of course I'll help.

It's getting to the stage where the question is not "Which one is the mean again?" but becoming "Where is the poster about the mean again?"

Yes, I let them get up during a test to look - after all tests are formative as well as summative. I also get them to write down on their test paper which posters they needed to look at. This gives them a starting point for their revision for their exams.

Rocket Science - no.
Simple and effective - yes.BTW -apologies for the fuzzy photo; I want a better phone...