How do you feel about the Maths forum?

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(It's also worth noting that most lecturers have no training in teaching, and the universities seem to think it works OK. (The students may disagree!).

Is that actually true now? I know many unis do ask for lecturers to hold some qualifications to teach.

Lecturing is not teaching ...

I have some horrific memories of appalling lecturers that had no place to be in front of anyone.

Yes @S2M

Original post by notnek

I really thing you've got the wrong end of the stick here.

DFranklin has been helping students for years pass the STEP exam. He's not just helped more STEP students than you and I, he's probably helped more students than any teacher in the country (not just Comprehensive teachers).

How can you be sure of that? As I said you don't actually know who I am ..

No-one should be trying to 'out score' someone else ... this is exactly what drives weaker students away.

Reply 143

S2M

Original post by Muttley79

How can you be sure of that? As I said you don't actually know who I am ..

No-one should be trying to 'out score' someone else ... this is exactly what drives weaker students away.

Calm down. :smile:

Reply 144

S2M

Original post by Callummmm-13768

Yes @S2M

Ohh ok. Good luck! :smile:

what grade are you hoping for?

Reply 145

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Muttley79

If only http://www.hefce.ac.uk/data/Year/2016/tqual/

@S2M thanks and a C

Original post by Muttley79

How can you be sure of that? As I said you don't actually know who I am ..

No-one should be trying to 'out score' someone else ... this is exactly what drives weaker students away.

I'm not sure but I think it's likely. Teachers are limited to their school unless they do extra work and it's unusual for a teacher to be a STEP specialist. As DFranklin said, he has had access to more STEP students than any teacher probably has.

I could be wrong and maybe you're the number 1. The point is that this is definitely not an attack on your teaching abilities - I have seen from your posts that you are an excellent helper. I would say the same thing about DFranklin if I was in a room of 100 excellent teachers.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 148

S2M

Original post by Callummmm-13768

@S2M thanks and a C

Oh ok you need 64 marks for a C for November 2016.

Reply 149

pleasedtobeatyou

In my opinion, I think the popularity of the Maths forum a couple of years ago was down to the fact that there was either: a lack of a better alternative to learn Maths online or students were simply unaware of the alternatives.

But nowadays, YouTube channels running through the entire syllabus are ubiquitous and many even post worked solutions to exam questions. In addition to this, there are more dedicated websites targeted at GCSE/A-Level students.

Reply 150

Heptagon

Original post by RDKGames

Actually, there already is one! :smile:

It's actually the same as the Year 13 one which is stickied on this forum, however no Y12's have posted anything much on it at the start of the academic year so it got buried a bit, but it exists nonetheless :smile:

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3470381

Thanks! I'll post there then.

Reply 151

DFranklin

Original post by Muttley79

No-one should be trying to 'out score' someone else ...

Ironically, my response to you that has upset you so much started after you posted:

Original post by Muttley79

Sometimes it's better if a teacher responds as they are more familiar with these students' needs.

and when some one (who happens to be a teacher) commented that

notnek

There are plenty of excellent non-teacher helpers in this forum.

you responded:

Muttley79

]With due respect, however good an 'amateur' is they have not been trained in maths pedagogy - they don't have the background of many years in a classroom teaching thousands of children of all abilities.

You don't consider that trying to 'out-score' people? If you start telling people they don't have the background to help people on here, you shouldn't be surprised when they argue otherwise. Not that I was actually trying to out score you - as notnek says, you might be #1 and all credit to you. All I was trying to point out is that I'm not exactly chopped liver myself.

As for the 'comprehensive school' qualifier, as others said , it was not directed at you at all. You've seen notnek's comments about how I've possibly helped more people through STEP than any teacher in the country. I wanted to be conservative, and so I certainly didn't want to go that far. In particular, my understanding is there are a private / grammar schools that have entire classes sitting STEP., and teachers for those classes probably beat me on numbers. So I was wanting to exclude them and I regret the resultant clumsy wording has caused offence.

(Conversely, it's going to be really hard for a comprehensive school teacher to beat me - they just don't get enough pupils even wanting to attempt STEP, though that may change as it seems to be being asked for my more universities).

For what it's worth, I went to a comprehensive school, every teacher I know (and I am still on good terms with teachers from my school - some came to my wedding) is a comprehensive school teacher. So to be honest, it never even occurred to me it could be interpreted in the way you seem to have taken it.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 152

Andy98

Original post by Fox Corner

Hi guys

We've noticed that posting in the Maths forum has been really low for the past couple of months.

We just wanted to know if you've noticed anything wrong in the forum, and whether we could do anything to help? Either in terms of helping to promote threads, create content, or even help keep the forum tidy.

Or you might like it how it is and think nothing is wrong? Let us know!

FC :h:

a few people in the maths forum

I think with maths (maybe not quite degree level) there's only so much you can do. So most people will Google the topic when struggling on homework - I remember I specifically joined this site to ask a question, purely because a tsr thread was the top result but didn't clear up my issue. But now there's so many more resources that people can find something that explains their issue most of the time.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 153

Muttley79

Original post by DFranklin

No, in my view it wasn't outscoring ... I wasn't talking about myself it was about 'teachers' in general as it is my view - everyone should be allowed to say what they think. I accept you don't agree and most posters won't but I spend a lot of time unpicking misconceptions ....

Often the hints offered by students aren't the best for where the poster is - there is much showing off, throwing in stuff way above what is needed.

I accept your apology and, agree that internet posts are easy to misinterpret anyway. Consecutive posts may appear to be linked when they are not.

The claims by anyone to be the top this or that are irrelevant - surely we are here to improve life chances and help students - that's my motivation.

Perhaps I should say I originally came on here because a student handed in homework that was poor and admitted he'd got help on here, another did unusually well in a mock [had got the paper from here] - hence my curiosity.

Reply 154

ghostwalker

Original post by Fox Corner

...

Given the previous posts regarding stickies and their proliferation, I am somewhat surprised (I am putting that very mildly, as my actual thoughts wouldn't make it past the filters) to find we now have "Top Content" cluttering the forum. Is someone on the team secretly working for a rival forum?

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 155

Fox Corner

Original post by ghostwalker

Hiya! This is just a test at the moment to see if content blocks in actual threads would be workable. Interact with them or ignore them as you wish, and that'll be taken into account once the test is over! These tests are only on in the forums with the most traffic, hence why maths was one of them :smile:

This is useful feedback though!

Reply 156

Notnek

Original post by Muttley79

Perhaps I should say I originally came on here because a student handed in homework that was poor and admitted he'd got help on here, another did unusually well in a mock [had got the paper from here] - hence my curiosity.

Going back to the thread topic, this is a big problem with the maths forums that hasn't been mentioned yet. Students will often make accounts just to try to cheat in their mocks by getting e.g. last years paper or a locked mock paper.

I can't count the number of users who have tried to get the locked Edexcel GCSE mock papers over the last few months. I had one student who PMd be nearly every day once they found out I was a teacher. And here's a quote from someone else I got yesterday:

"Don't worry, my friend just found a copy. Now I can cheat and my teacher will have no idea."

Apart from Mr M who does a great job, I don't see anyone else closing threads or deleting links. I don't know if all the maths moderators are aware of the exam papers that are unavailable to students but they really should be. If it keeps going on then I can see TSR gaining a reputation in schools (if it hasn't already) as the place to come to cheat.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 157

Notnek

Original post by ghostwalker

At first glance I thought my Ad Blocker had started malfunctioning :smile:

Reply 158

Muttley79

Original post by notnek

I always report them but sometimes they don't get deleted. I found one the other day with a list of topics from the secure mock and it had been on here undetected for three weeks.

Personally I don't think we should have official or unofficial mark schemes either. However, TSR is not the ony website flouting the 'locked paper' rules. I can usually pick it up in school from the methods the student uses ... then they have to resit after school which the parents love [not].