Overview

Teaching A level Mathematics (TAM) is a extended professional development course, designed to support the development of teaching skills and subject knowledge of teachers new to teaching AS/A level Mathematics.

Features of the TAM course include:

• Six course days, spread across an academic year, devoted to deepening subject knowledge, developing teaching approaches and reflecting on classroom practice.
• A formative lesson observation conducted by a subject specialist.
• Access to course-specific teaching and learning resources on Integral (MEI’s learning platform).

Aims

• Gain a deeper understanding of the pure mathematics concepts in A level Mathematics.
• Develop and embed strategies for teaching more engaging and coherent A level Mathematics lessons.

Who will benefit from attending?

The Teaching A level Mathematics (TAM) course has been designed to support teachers of GCSE Mathematics who wish to teach A level Mathematics for the first time. However, many teachers with experience of teaching A level Mathematics have enrolled on the course, often on the recommendation of colleagues who have completed TAM, in order to deepen their subject knowledge and gain new ideas for teaching.

Course days

In 2024-25 we are running six TAM courses around England with groups hosted at venues in Birmingham, Bristol, London, Manchester and York.

All venues follow the same pattern of study days as shown in the table below. All days run from 1000-1600.

Eligibility

In order to participate in the TAM course, you must be teaching in a state-funded school or college in England.

In addition, applicants must have a minimum of two hours or two lessons per week of AS/A level or IB Mathematics on their timetable for the whole academic year. This teaching should include the teaching of some pure maths content within AS/A level/IB Mathematics (i.e. not only statistics and/or mechanics content). The teaching must be timetabled lessons to an entire class and the applicant must be the member of staff who has sole responsibility for planning and teaching this content and these lessons every week. Please note that small group tutorials, revision groups or team teaching are not acceptable.

Please see our criteria for offering places document for more information.

Cost

The course is free of charge. This includes the Study Days, course materials, a developmental school visit from a subject specialist, and two years of access to course specific teaching and learning resources via Integral (MEI’s online learning platform).

This course is only available to teachers working in state-funded schools and colleges in England. The AMSP prioritises its support for state-funded schools and colleges in Priority Areas, with a number of Priority Areas designated as AMSP Targeted Support for Level 3 Maths Areas (TSMAs). Schools and colleges located within TSMAs are eligible to receive a subsidy to help with staff cover and travel costs at a rate of £100 per Study Day attended across the six Study Days. The full list of Priority Areas and TSMAs is available via Priority Areas.

FAQs

I really want to develop my subject knowledge. Does this course cover AS/A level Mathematics subject knowledge?

The primary focus of the TAM course is to help teachers new to teaching A level Mathematics develop their teaching skills alongside thinking about the subject. The course therefore does not teach or cover the content of A level Mathematics comprehensively.

The course supports the development of subject knowledge by exploring a small number of key themes such as calculus and trigonometry on Study Days, and giving course participants access to an extensive set of online resources.

However, for fuller coverage of AS/A level subject knowledge please see our range of Subject Knowledge Live (SKL) courses. We also offer other extended professional development courses to support teachers new to teaching statistics or mechanics content of A level Mathematics.

Please note that dates at different venues/groups are not interchangeable and switching between groups is not permitted.

The table below shows the provisional dates for each of the six TAM groups.

Please note that these dates are subject to change.

I am already teaching A level Mathematics but would like further ideas and a deeper understanding of the pedagogy. Is this the course for me?

The course is primarily designed for teachers who require support in order to teach A level Mathematics for the first time and would otherwise not teach at this level. However, many course participants in the position described in the question say that they have benefited from the course, having gained deeper insights and that their A level teaching has become far more effective.

What happens on Study Days?

At the start of the course, you will know which topics will be covered on each Study Day. In advance of each Study Day there will be suggested work to help you prepare for the day in the form of working through some related maths, looking at online resources or reading an article to stimulate your thinking. On a typical Study Day there will be four sessions. Across the course there will be sessions focussed on a topic within pure maths, and others with a specific pedagogical focus such as use of questioning, use of technology, insights through multiple representations, differentiation, group work, etc. Often a Study Day will have a session when the group reflects on the experience of a maths session and how it can be adapted for use in your own classrooms. On occasion, participants may be required to prepare short presentations to describe to a small group of peers the impact of a resource or teaching approach on their students.

How much of my time will it take up?

Over the 12 months of the course you will be expected to attend 6 Study Days, engage with the subject content of A level maths, prepare for Study Days with course readings and other tasks, prepare for a school-based visit (involving an observation of an A level maths lesson followed by feedback) and complete a Course Portfolio of reflections. The amount of time this takes will depend largely on how challenging you find the content of A level maths.

It is not our usual policy to allow teachers to enrol on more than one extended course (e.g. TAM, TFM, TM, TS, TD) at the same time due to the time demands. Please contact us at [email protected] before making multiple course applications.

What happens if my timetable changes during the year?

If you no longer meet the teaching requirements as outlined in the Eligibility section above or the 'Criteria for offering places' document then you will need to withdraw from the course immediately.

What qualification will I earn?

Participants who actively participate in all Study Days, complete the school-based lesson observation and submit a Course Portfolio will receive a TAM Certificate. The Course Portfolio consists of a series of reflections by participants on aspects of the course, and on their development as an A level teacher.

I have completed the Preparing to teach A level Mathematics or Pedagogy for A level Mathematics (PALM) course. Should I do this course?

The Preparing to teach A level Mathematics course ran in the 2020-21 academic year and was been replaced with the Pedagogy for A level Mathematics course in 2021-22. Both these online courses were designed by our team of TAM Course Leads in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and draw on elements of the TAM course. All three courses are designed to support teachers who are new to teaching A level Mathematics but the emphasis of the Preparing to teach A level Mathematics and Pedagogy for A level Mathematics (PALM) courses was the discussion of effective pedagogy for teachers with secure A level maths subject knowledge. TAM supports some subject knowledge development as well as considering effective pedagogy. Given these differences we think that teachers who have completed the Preparing to teach A level Mathematics/Pedagogy for A level Mathematics courses should not do TAM as well.

I have a colleague who has done TAM previously and I thought that the TAM course had eight Study Days and two school visits. Is this the same course?

Yes, your colleague could well have completed a TAM course with a different number of Study Days and school visits. Over the years we have offered TAM in various formats and following the success of TAM in recent years we have decided to retain the six Study Days and one school visit format. The essence and aims of the course are the same as they have always been.

Key facts

• Reference:#12713
• Audience:Teachers
• Curriculum focus:A level Mathematics
• Event format:Face-to-face
• Duration:12 Months
• Study days:6
• Region:National
• Venue:AMSP
• Start date:01 Sep 2024
• Course times:10:00 - 16:00
• Fee:Free for state-funded schools/colleges in England
• TSMA subsidy:Up to £600