Maths
Find the error: algebra and equations
Identify a distribution error, correct the equation and explain why the revised solution satisfies both sides.
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Secondary mathematics teacher
Lukas Brandt
I plan Mathematics for pupils bringing different curricular methods, using small steps and whiteboard time to make notation and working explicit before speed becomes a priority.
Explore the collectionA little about me
The same operation can arrive in my mathematics classroom in several forms. Pupils have learned different methods in different curricula, and that variety shapes my planning. I need resources that make the working clear without assuming that everyone starts with the same procedure.
I teach across secondary, with certificate-course and sixth-form mathematics in my professional remit. My emphasis is on building notation and confidence before speed. Small steps and substantial whiteboard time are part of that approach: the symbols need attention alongside the calculation, rather than becoming a shorthand pupils are expected to understand immediately.
A shared department routine also matters to me. I want a dependable way of presenting mathematical work that can accommodate the intake’s different starting points. The planning question is how to make those steps explicit and keep the notation understandable. Faster working can follow, but it should not dictate the first encounter with a method.
How I approach a lesson
Make room in a task for pupils’ existing calculation methods.
Break written procedures into stages that can be shown on a whiteboard.
Keep notation consistent when planning within the department.
Templates I'd use with my class
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
Maths
Investigate a quadratic: graph and features
Calculate and graph a quadratic function and connect its algebraic forms to key graph features.