With the switch to online learning, teachers have been rapidly re-inventing themselves to adapt to their new digital environment. BISP’s Maths teacher, Gemma Clark, has taken this opportunity to launch her own YouTube channel, Ace Maths.
The feedback has already been very positive from the students. Matthew in Year 8 said, “I like Mrs Clark’s videos because they are very helpful and detailed in explaining how to solve the questions.” Antonin, another Year 8 student, agreed that this format is very useful. “I like video tutorials because you can learn at your own speed, pause whenever you want, and listen to the exercise again if you don’t understand.”
There are now over 35 videos on Mrs Clark’s channel, each one around 10-15 minutes long and containing a mixture of lesson content and worked solutions to questions. We asked Mrs Clark some questions about her channel:
Why did you decide to start a YouTube channel?
Being able to provide video tutorial support to my students’ learning, so that they can access at their own pace outside of lesson time has been a goal of mine for some time now. It was always a challenge to find the time amidst a busy teaching timetable in school to set this up. Now that my teaching is happening wholly online as a result of the current pandemic situation, I have harnessed the opportunity to realise my YouTube ambition and am taking my first steps towards building and growing Ace Maths.
How have things gone so far?
I am constantly learning during this process, tweaking my approach and picking up on what is working and what isn’t – no different from regular teaching.
It is an ongoing challenge that I am thoroughly enjoying getting my teeth into. Producing video content, and then assigning to students via the educational platform, Edpuzzle, has also proved to be a hit. This is my favourite distance-learning discovery to date, as it allows students to access each video as a video quiz, helping them to watch actively and maximising their engagement with the content. It has been brilliant to see the students’ understanding flourish as they have been watching the videos in this format. Excellent progress in their learning and understanding, which has been evident not only through their resulting attainment but also in discussions during follow-up Google Meet sessions has been fantastic to witness. It has also been really encouraging and motivating to hear positive feedback from students that they are enjoying the content and finding it to be helpful in their studies.
What are your plans for the future with Ace Maths?
Now that Ace Maths has been set up, I am increasingly in the swing of things and am really optimistic that I will be able to continue to add content efficiently and often when I return to the physical classroom. As a public channel, it is my hope that it will continue to be a great support, not only to my own students and their parents but others around the world for years to come.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe to Ace Maths.