In today's revision countdown, we are taking a look at Factorising Quadratics. Remember, factorising is putting into brackets! It is important to remember the general structure of a quadratic as you may need to rearrange your expression/equation to create the general structure.

We start off by looking at simple quadratic expressions where the a value is equal to one. The key point to remember here is the 'Sum and Product rule' We finish off by looking to factorise quadratics where the a value is not equal to 1.

On day 14, we are still looking at the Algebra section paying attention to Linear Equations. Here we start with creating linear equations that will enable you to calculate the value of the unknown. Here you will need to utilise all you algebraic skills as you may be required to expand, factorise, collect like terms before attempting to solve the equation. Pay attention to the general order that you solve equations.

The difference between an expression and and equation is that an equation has an equal sign!

Surprise Surprise! Today we are focusing on the inverse of expanding, Factorising. Whenever you see this in a question, it means that you have to write the expression with brackets.

Here we take a look at how to factorise expressions by factoring out common factors (by dividing). We take you through two possible methods to do this.

On day 12 we take a look at Expanding brackets. It is important to state that this is the inverse of factorising and we take you through the process of expanding brackets by multiplication! Once the brackets have been expanded, it is essential to collect like terms and simplify your answer otherwise you will lose marks in a test.

Here we cover expanding single brackets and move onto double brackets. Note there is more than one method so make sure you get really comfortably with a method and get those marks!

Today we are looking at the topic of Laws of Indices. It is important to understand that an index might be referred to as a power (the little number in the upper right corner) and that the base is your key component. We take a look at the three basic laws of indices involving the multiplying, dividing and raising of the powers.

We then start to explore the advanced laws of indices which share close similarities with negative and fractional powers that were covered earlier.

Today we take a look at Formulae. There are many strands to Formulae that you need to be comfortable with. We take a look at creating a formula from some information given, paying particular attention to the operations that are involved.

You will be required to memorise formulae to help you solve problems and being able to substitute into a formula accurately is important in order to secure the right answer and marks.

There will be times that you will have to manipulate and rearrange the formula in order to work something else out. This is called changing the subject and is also the last thing we cover in this topic.

The focus for Day 9 is Algebraic notation and collecting like terms. Here we take an introductory look into Algebra and this will form the basis of all future algebraic manipulation. It will be important to know and understand the 'shortcuts' in algebraic notation. Using this knowledge, we are able to simplify expressions by collecting like terms together.

It is really important in this topic to pay attention to signs. Are you dealing with positives or negatives? If you gain a solid understanding of this topic it will help to enhance your Algebra skills and tackle more complex problems.

Today we are looking at the topic of Powers and Roots. There are three areas to be aware of when dealing with powers. Here, we take you through positive powers, negative powers and fractional powers. If you ever end up dealing with negative fractional powers then look to deal with the negative element first then move onto the fractional part.

We also a take a look at roots today because they are closely linked to fractional powers. When dealing with questions involving this topic, you should be confident in knowing your square and cube numbers.

Today we are looking at the topics of Prime factor decomposition, HCF and LCM. We take a look at how to break down numbers into products of their primes and then use the information to calculate the HCF and LCM of two or more numbers. 

It is important to be confident in breaking down numbers into a product of their primes as this provides the foundation for solving HCF and LCM problems. You may come across questions involving HCF and LCM that will not require you to carry out prime factor decomposition. These are normally involved in best buy problems.

Today we are looking at the topics of Prime numbers, factors and multiples. We take a look at the definitions and properties of prime numbers, factors and multiples.

An important topic when looking to solve problems involving Highest common factor and Lowest common multiple. It can also prove useful when you need to divide by a double digit number.

Today we are looking at the topic of BIDMAS. The set of rules required to solve calculations was developed to ensure there was some regularity when confronted with calculations containing a number of different operations.

An important topic when carrying out simple numerical problems but becomes crucial when starting to develop the skills required to solve algebraic problems. Don't forget to re-write your calculation at each stage so you can easily track what needs to be done next as you progress through the problem!

Today we are focusing on the topic of Multiplication and Division. It is important that you have a 'go-to' method whenever you are confronted with multiplication and division problems and here we look at some of the methods that are commonly used. We also take a look at the laws surrounding the multiplication and division of positive and negative numbers, a crucial area that many people make mistakes on when applying to algebra style questions.

The focus for Day 3 is Addition and Subtraction. As well as being able to use the appropriate method to add and subtract complex numbers, we explore the rules regarding the addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers which is often an area where simple marks are lost in an exam.

Our focus today is on Rounding. Important to get right for questions which focus specifically on rounding, especially place value rounding. It is also important to avoid dropping careless marks by incorrectly rounding your final answers.

Today is the first day in our countdown to exams and we are focusing on Place Value and Numberlines. These are 2 topic areas of particular importance for foundation level students as they offer the opportunity to secure some key marks, potentially early on in the paper.

Fancy a festive challenge with your class?

How about trying our Christmas maths challenge? - there are 3 sets of problems according to the target grades of your students. You can download the PDFs below

Target Grade 3-5 - Download here

Target Grade 5-7 - Download here

Target Grade 7-9 - Download here

See if you can spot the deliberate Christmas themed mistake in the 5-7 puzzle PDF. Tweet us @EzyMaths and let us know when you spot it!

Merry Christmas!

As the pressure rises on GCSE maths performance, the chances are you might have thought you need help to do this but there isn’t the room in your budget to fund it.

However, integrate EzyMaths into your day to day teaching and you will soon start to think that each of your teaching team now has a classroom assistant that will help them to perform more effectively in class.

As high-quality automation like EzyMaths shreds the human cost of providing such support, access can be achieved for less than the cost of a daily visit to the school canteen.

What can you expect from your new classroom assistant?

1. Extensive automated assessments - all the assessments are created to follow content videos to assess and reinforce learning.

2. Highly engaging videos - content videos are produced using green screen technology – no low spec and uninspiring screen recordings!

3. Supports learners with dynamic question formats - all assessment questions are truly dynamic - scaffolded, highly visual and extensive use of unique input techniques to effectively support and assess learning.

4. Provides automated feedback on every question - each question is followed by a feedback video so that students can develop the understanding that helps learning to transfer.

5. Monitors student activity - syllabus specific activities organised in a closed digital environment means you have more control over preparation for flipped classes.

All of this is achieved without lifting a finger – It will be just like working with a highly competent and efficient classroom assistant.

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*Assumes more than 150 teaching days in a year

The use of technology within schools has been increasing year on year and this is down to the technological advances of software and hardware packages. There has been a necessary shift in the implementation of technology to support our teaching and assessments and is now considered a core component in our schemes of work.  

There is, however, a desire to teach to the 'traditional method' and now more than ever where time is a precious commodity, we need to look at new ways to deliver and assess the content.

We have released a White Paper titled 'A new digital model for teachers and schools'. This aims to address the common issues faced by teachers and presents solutions that utilise the technology we have available. 

Click the link to read the White Paper: EE_WhitePaper_May-2017.pdf

We move onto Trigonometry for day 44. We will focus on the trig functions of Sine, Cosine and Tangent. For your exam, you will be required to know specific angle values of Sin, Cos and Tan and these can be seen in the tables. You will also have to know how to use the functions in order to calculate missing angles and side lengths in right angled triangles. Before you start any trigonometry problem, it will be crucial to label your right angled triangle with Opposite, Adjacent and Hypotenuse accuratley. This will then help to decide which of the three trigonometry functions to use.

Before you start any trigonometry problem, it will be crucial to label your right angled triangle with Opposite, Adjacent and Hypotenuse accurately. This will then help to decide which of the three trigonometry functions to use.

Today marks the start of our countdown to exams! Over the next 12 weeks, we will be focusing on a different key topic each and every day!

At the heart of our countdown will be an awesome interactive revision mindmap which will be released within the next few days! Perfect for students trying to get their head around the entire course in the run-up to their exams.

We hope you find our countdown to exams useful! Check-in to the blog each day or follow us on twitter @ezymaths to receive the updates.