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Secondary mathematics teacher

Nicole Fontaine

I build secondary mathematics from notation through small steps and whiteboard working, making pupils’ methods legible and allowing time to explain the meaning behind a calculation.

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A little about me

My starting point in secondary mathematics is notation. I want pupils to know what the symbols are doing before quick answers become the priority. I build the work in small steps, with plenty of whiteboard time, so a calculation can be examined rather than simply completed.

A mixed-curriculum intake brings more than one method for the same operation. That is a central planning concern for me. Resources need to leave space for the method a pupil brings, while making each stage of the working legible. Familiarity with one procedure should not be mistaken for understanding every way of expressing it.

I also contribute to a shared department approach. I value a steady routine that connects the notation, the working and the explanation without making speed the organising principle. Confidence and fluency matter, but I want the sequence to begin with mathematical meaning and give pupils time to work with it.

How I approach a lesson

  1. Keep symbols and written working together on the whiteboard.

  2. Allow space to show more than one method for an operation.

  3. Use a consistent department routine across a varied intake.

Templates I'd use with my class

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