April 2nd to April 5th 2008 was my very first ATM conference. This year it was a joint conference with the MA and so the theme - very fittingly - was Joined Up Mathematics.In this post I will give some more detail on the conference itself and explain why every teacher of mathematics should be a member of the ATM.
The conference consisted of a number of sessions focused on some element of mathematics or pedagogy (or both). People at each session then worked together, discussed or presented ideas that at the very least forced you to rethink some aspect of your notions of mathematics and teaching. At the very best they had you jumping up and down in your chair and then realising you were counting in binary, but I guess you had to be there. The great thing about these sessions was that everybody sat down with each other without having met and so you got to work with people from all areas of maths education.
The conference is very sociable, each day you speak to new people with new ideas and and new experiences: this is what really makes the conference so worthwhile. I came away feeling completely re-energised, feeling very very positive and feeling that the best thing about this job is the massive wealth of opportunity that we have to make our classes and above all ourselves think. This was seen especially in the workshop, a room that was open all day every day and was there to play, to think and to explore (the resources available were immense!).
The ATM is the driving force behind these conferences but along with these they also produce a wealth of resources, books and software to support your teaching. These resources are very, very thoughtful and not only that, compared to the price of some of the junk that is available to buy it is incredibly cheap...on top of this if you join you get 25% off! On the subject of joining we haven't yet mentioned one of the biggest benefits of all and that is the journal: MT.
Throughout my PGCE year I found that having these brightly coloured and exciting journals turn up every 2 months really motivated me at times where I felt stressed or pressured. They gave me new ideas, amusing stories and above all lots to think about. I still rely on them this year (I'm an NQT) to do exactly the same thing and they still work as well as ever.
So there you go a whole-hearted and unashamed plug for the ATM and its journal.
Join NOW!
2 comments:
I agree the ATM conferences are BRILLIANT. I have been enjoying the conferences for many years - and I keep going back for more!
Hey there! Who is this? I loved the conference and am looking forward to the next one. This year was my first one! So much to learn.
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