A Must-do Mini Course

$40 pp  (+GST in Australia)   1-2hr Duration

This mini-course walks you the Understanding-first approach that gives students immediate success, creates a need to learn in students, uses interleaving, and focuses on understanding equally with procedures. 

You should find this approach 15 - 30% more time efficient than a typical algorithmic approach. 

Flier: Trig-U-1-PD-20.4.23.pdf

Enrol: (request a Tax Invoice)

Compelling aspects to this mini course

Upon completing the course the following changes are anticipated:

  • The approach is easy to implement. During the early lessons, students are holistically immersed in trigonometry rather than replicating one trig routine at a time.

  • The initial, interleaved questions require conceptual understanding and create a need to learn in students. This fosters improved understanding and agency in students.

  • The approach should have your students feeling empowered and save you 2-4 lessons within a 10-12 lesson unit. The principles can be applied to any mathematics topic.

Course curriculum

    1. 110 Welcome to A Conceptual Approach to Right-angled Trigonometry (Video)

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    2. 115 To the previewers …

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    3. 120 I've Taught Trig Soooo Many Times ... So Do I Really Need This Approach?

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    4. 130 Course Aims and Requirements

    5. 140 Some logistics ...

    6. 150 Introduce Yourself*

    1. 210 Two Common Problems When Teaching Trig

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    2. 220 Blocked Practice, Interleaving, and Hang Onto That Baby

    3. 230 Let's Unpack The Tutorial Before Watching The Video

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    4. 240 Step 1: A Conceptual Approach To Right-Angled Trigonometry (Video)

    5. 250 Step 2: The Trigonometric Sentence

    6. 260 Step 2b: The Trigonometric Sentence PDF Support

    7. 270 Step 3: The Interleaved Worksheets (Video)

    8. 280 Step 3 (cont.): The Interleaved Worksheet Series

    9. 290 Step 4: Completing the trigonometry unit

    10. 295 *Your Understanding-first Trig Reflections - What Do You Think?*

    1. 310 *Your Implementation Report*

    2. 320 *We'd Love Your Feedback*

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    3. 325 To The Previewers: Do you have any comments or questions? (Skip if you are a participant)

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    4. 330 A Final Word (Video)

About this course

  • $40.00
  • 20 lessons

Testimonial

  • This is a really fantastic course that shows how principles of interleaving can be implemented in the trigonometry topic. With blocked practice, trigonometry questions quickly become about solving equations. The power of the interleaving approach comes from students really needing to think of the strategy they need to use, hence keeping trigonometry at the forefront of their attention. Thanks! James Ding.

You might be wondering

  • How long will this micro course take me to complete?

    About 40-60 minutes if worked through thoroughly. The micro-course comprises two excellent videos and some practical, feet-on-the-ground reading.

  • I’ve taught trigonometry ‘a hundred times’. And I teach it well. How likely am I to want to change my approach?

    If you are not open to changing your approach, then I suggest you don't waste your time looking at any alternative approach. However, there's a limiting factor in teaching: WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW. Hundreds of teachers - many of them experienced - have been exposed to this approach, and the vast majority have been super-impressed. However, there is only one way to find out if you'll find this approach impressive ... dive on in! But don't skim the details!

Instructor

Richard Andrew

Hi! I’m Richard. I’ve been delivering PD to teachers since 2007 - after twenty-plus years in the classroom, six as a Department Head. My main PD thrust is to support teachers to improve their ability to foster agency and understanding in students. This is because we only shine as mathematics teachers when our students demonstrate agency ... when students assume ownership through experiencing a sense of control over their learning. I've always been fascinated by the craft of teaching maths. I have a knack for presenting complex pedagogical ideas in easy-to-follow ways, and in the absence of edu-babble.