Multiple Choice Starter Questions: TES Maths Resource of the Week

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What is it?
I have made no secret whatsoever about my love of a good diagnostic multiple choice question. So, you can imagine my reaction when I came across this simply amazing resource which promises a multiple choice question for every single GCSE Maths objective. Once I picked myself up off the floor, I downloaded the resource and dove right inside. It is brilliant, both in the way it is organised, and in the quality of the questions. There are 194 slides, divided up into in the main topic areas, and you can navigate to each subtopic and back again via really nicely designed section slides.

How can it be used?
Such diagnostic multiple choice questions are designed for quick-fire, accurate assessment in the classroom and to identify any misconceptions students may have – in this sense they allow for exactly the model of responsive teaching that formative assessment should be. As they cover the entire GCSE course, it is our Year 11s who are likely to benefit the most (although there is nothing stopping you picking out relevant questions for other year groups). There are a number of ways of using such questions. I have used them as part of homeworks and low-stakes quizzes, but they perhaps lend themselves best to starters. Getting into a routine of using, say, 3 of these questions every day with Year 11s, chosen from different topic areas. If students get the question correct, then delete the slide. If they don’t then have a discussion about it, keep the slide in the presentation, and it will come back around in a few weeks. This resource is an ideal way to help them prepare for the summer’s exams.

Thanks so much for sharing
Craig Barton

Download: Multiple Choice Starter Questions
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