Connect 2 Education

Hybrid Teaching

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Teaching Maths – a recipe for success!

“Maths…well, it’s just life isn’t it?”  – Nargis Aziz Maths teacher Connect2Education

Nargis Aziz Maths teacher
Nargis Aziz

In this blog we catch up with Nargis Aziz, Maths teacher & Safer Recruitment Manager at Connect2Education in Stokesley.

“I often meet children and young people who tell me they are worried about Maths and may feel anxious about re engaging with their learning after a period of absence from the classroom.” Nargis has over 10 years’ of teaching with the last six years experience in working with children and young people who have additional needs & often low confidence around maths.  At Connect2Education, Nargis creates a different program suitable for each child she works with either in centre, in the family home or in school.

“ Improving confidence is key; I have children myself and I know that just getting them involved with new or creative thinking can be enough to  create a bridge to new learning opportunities.”

Nargis often talks about building analytical thinking skills and every day problem-solving efficiency.

“Every day can bring new challenges, so it is logical to teach everyday concepts such as measuring ingredients or working how to increase quantities. Applying maths to everyday tasks help children and young people feel more confident in their mathematical skills – what better place to start than the kitchen?’

Cooking is a perfect amalgamation of art, science, and mathematics. Students at Connect2Education can learn about a variety of mathematical topics in our kitchen, from ordering recipes to pantry organization by keeping products in containers of varying sizes and measuring quantities for different  meals.

Recipe for success with Maths
Maths in the kitchen

“Children understand the value of maths when they see how it is used in everyday situations to perform the most basic calculations.” Nargis Aziz

Here are some Top Tips from Nargis using maths in the kitchen:

  • You can teach how to read and understand a scale to measure and weigh out ingredients.
  • You can use ratios to halve/ double/triple your recipe depending on how much you need.
  • We can show how to set an alarm or use the clock to monitor the cooking/baking times.
  • We can teach the concept of money and budgeting in day-to-day life e.g. when we go shopping for ingredients.
  • Also using percentages to work out prices of items when they are in a sale or on offer. Is it an actual saving or just an illusion?
  • Teaching how to convert between the different units e.g., grams and kilograms, millilitres & litres.

At Connect2Education we create timetables to suit our students many of whom are neurodivergent and prefer an alternative way of working with the curriculum. Some of our Year 11 students are more suited to Entry Level Maths which helps them gain certification as a stepping stone to college.

At GCSE we mix the delivery to include practical maths and different multi-sensory strategies to help our students embed the knowledge and the strategies they need to achieve their expected levels. Our success is evidence based and we work integrally with our schools and local authorities to help students with their post 16 pathways.

For more information or to arrange a visit to our centre please call Julie on 01642 961230

 

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What sort of work do we do at Connect2Education?

Is there such a thing as a typical day of teaching and learning at  Connect2Education?

One of the question we are asked quite a lot as an alternative provider of education, is what sort of work do you do and where do you do this?  As you will discover if you visit our centre, our days can be varied with a mixture of in centre one to one teaching up to GCSE and A Level, cooking skills  and zoom sessions.

Typical Days?

One thing our team will tell you is that there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’. Our weekly timetables can vary considerably. Mornings may be spent visiting a residential home for a student who is unable to access school, afternoons can be a mixture of Zoom online lessons and teaching sessions in our bespoke education centre in Stokesley.

Hybrid teaching and learning

It is certainly the case that (since Covid)  we have discovered that some of our children and young people are open to a ‘hybrid’ timetable where they can fit in their learning with medical schedules and learning needs where necessary.  With the flexibility that we offer at Connect2Education,  we can find solutions to work with anxious students who feel they are unable to leave their homes or place of residence but who need the consistency of a teacher who understands their learning needs.

Small is beautiful.

Whilst some children and young people positively thrive in a busy learning environment with lots of stimulation and lesson changes, it is also true that some children (especially those with neurodiverse needs ) prefer small, quiet learning spaces with frequent breaks and opportunities to work at a pace to suit them. Often building confidence is a key section of the pathway to the next stage of learning, a smaller setting can be just what is needed to encourage children to make changes and develop their resilience for future learning.

Steppingstones

It is true that for some of our students, Connect2Education is a small part of their learning journey, whether online, in a residential setting or in our Centre, we are happy to provide a flexible approach  to teaching which means that children and young people referred to our service can continue in education in a way that feels empowering for them.

How do we contact Connect2Education?

If you would like to contact Connect2Education, please click the link below

https://www.connect2education.co.uk/contact/