The image above has been posted with permission.  It shows a screenshot taken at the end of an online lesson.  This Y6 student normally attends a weekly face-to-face lesson, but due to other family commitments was unable to attend in person, so an online lesson was arranged.  My student thoroughly enjoyed the lesson and was able to write on the online whiteboard, as was I.  Her final message to me was that she was happy!  Don't you just love that drawing!

If you have ever read GCSE paper and come across the probability questions, you may have seen wording such as, "an unbiased coin" or a "fair die".  Students understand that coins aren't usually biased and dice are usually 'fair'.  Sometimes a question such as 'Well, how can a coin be biased or a die, unfair?'  is asked.

That is when the conversations about loaded dice come in to play.  Having researched 'biased coins', it appears that these are the unicorn of the mathematical world; unless you have a double-sided coin, of course.

After thinking about the question above, I set myself the challenge of sourcing the above items.  I am now the proud owner of a double-headed coin and a loaded die.  Armed with these pieces of equipment I am just itching to tutor my next lesson on probability!  

Before I go though - "Heads I win, tails you lose!"

Some people find algebra really difficult - An influx of letters, where there once were numbers, can be tricky to negotiate.  Algebra tiles help to make it seem far less abstract, so I have invested in a set of them to assist my KS3 and above students.  I am really looking forward to using these to enhance their understanding of algebra.

Many of the students I see suffer from a lack of confidence in maths.  For others this lack of confidence is more extreme and manifests itself in the form of anxiety.  There are many ways of helping to overcome this.  The image below has some good advice for parents.

It is always a good idea to do a little maths every day.  It helps keeps those skills nicely honed and reminds you of the areas you still need to work on.  I encourage all of my Key Stage 3 and above students to use Corbett Maths' 5-a-day for homework.  There are tasks for every day of the year and there are worked answers, too.  Once you feel very comfortable with a particular level, then please start to attempt the next one.  Of course, we can go over 'tricky' topics in our 1-2-1 sessions.  You can find 5-a-day at corbettmaths.com/5-a-day/gcse/

I have been really pleased to establish myself as an online tutor, as well as offering face-to-face tuition.  The beauty of online tuition is that the tutor and the student can be anywhere in the country, or even the world, yet tuition can still take place.  This term I have started working with a very special young man from Wiltshire, who has responded amazingly well to the online format, fully interacting with all aspects of his lesson.

I hope that everyone I know who is waiting for their 'A' level results, gets the grades they are hoping for (and maybe better)!

Whatever your results are, you may be wondering what you should do next.  This article is very helpful, so might be worth a read...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/results-day-step-by-step-guide/

With the announcement of GCSE results due on 24th August, all students will be hoping that the results will bring them good news!  For those who miss their required grade there will be an opportunity to retake these exams in November.  The dates for maths GCSE retakes are as follows (for all exam boards).

• Thursday 02 November 2017 - Paper 1 (non-calculator)
• Monday 06 November 2017 - Paper 2 (calculator allowed)
• Wednesday 08 November 2017 - Paper 3 (calculator allowed)