Learning Maths at Key Stage 3 What to Expect

Learning Maths at Key Stage 3 What to Expect Help for Students Learning Maths in Secondary School ChaptersMath Concepts in The KS3 Maths CurriculumKey Stage 3 Maths ExamsFinding Help With Math Problems During KS3Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated to KS3) consists of years seven, eight and nine â€" so students from ages eleven to fourteen in secondary school in the UK.KS3 school maths is a pretty big and sometimes challenging journey, starting from year seven and ending in year nine before you embark upon maths GCSE, which is one of the mandatory subjects to take at GCSE in the UK.The jump from KS2 in primary school doesn’t have to be too scary, as you will be eased in at a comfortable pace, just building on from what you have been studying in your year six maths lessons.Key stage 3 maths is about learning to interconnect mathematical concepts that pupils can move between with ease and fluency. Being able to identify patterns and overlapping concepts in maths topics is key to KS3 progression.Although the maths topics in years seven, eight and nine are presented as distinct from o ne another on the school syllabus, students should be able to make connections across the topics and build upon prior key stage 2 knowledge to develop confidence and fluency in maths study.KS3 maths will also help pupils develop their mathematical reasoning and maths problem solving to a higher, more sophisticated level. Students will find that KS3 maths will enter into other subjects, applicable to science, ICT and geography, for example.KS3 maths can be applied to many subjects! Photo credit: Tim Geers via Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SAAs we’ve seen, maths can appear in other subjects that pupils will study during key stage 3. Certain topics in chemistry, physics, biology will no doubt contain some maths, and subjects such as ICT, geography or business, for example, could also contain some mathematical situations as well.So keeping up to speed and staying engaged with maths lessons isn’t just important for your mathematical progression alone. It will help immensely with subjects a cross KS3 study, especially with the natural sciences which will start containing more and more maths in the run up to GCSE.KS3 maths revision can benefit your other subjects too! Photo credit: CollegeDegrees360 via VisualHunt / CC BY-SAThe maths involved with physics, chemistry and biology can be quite tricky and requires extra attention sometimes. Pupils will see overlaps in these syllabi, and should therefore seek help or guidance as needed with any maths that seems challenging, regardless of the subject.SuperprofSuperprof, if you didn't know, is a platform that connects diligent students to experienced tutors. Right now, it has over six million tutors across the world - offering personal tuition in over a thousand different subjects, including maths and related subjects. So, whatever it is you want to learn - whether that's about equations or something else - you'll find the right person for the job (and for you!) with Superprof.Be sure to read about your prospective tutor and take advantage of the one free lesson policy so that you can get a feel for their teaching methods and work out if you think you will get along in a professional student-teacher manner.Remember, the cost does not always reflect the person's experience and qualifications (the cheapest tutors are not necessarily the least successful at teaching learners and the pricier ones are not always the top teachers) but, that said, you do get what you pay for so don't be reluctant to pay for a good tutor and then complain that you haven't learned what you had wanted to!If you choose a tutor who does not live nearby, the chances are that they will set you work by sending you questions and tasks electronically, and will also schedule some virtual face to face catch ups via Skype or  video call to ensure that you benefit from real-time interaction and instant feedback as well as simply being left to work things out for yourself.Additional Ways To Support Learning MathsYou don’t necessarily have to spend lots of money on books and website subscriptions to get ahead with your studies, as a range of educational books (including those specially-adapted revision guides) can be borrowed from libraries in your nearby towns.Of course, you won’t be able to make notes in the books you borrow, as they are officially the property of the library, but you can take the materials away to read or even to photocopy (many libraries offer photocopying services on site too so you could even have the opportunity to copy certain articles, exercises or definitions to put in your revision folder and go back to at a later date) and make your own revision guides.Most libraries are open for quite long hours so you can usually find a suitable time to visit around your busy educational schedule. As mentioned, you can read and photocopy relevant materials and even try to recall items that someone else has borrowed. In addition, many libraries now offer modern digital platforms, whereby online data and journals can be accessed and viewed.Your school may have their own library, however, you might find that the study areas get quite busy in the run up to exams. Also, the likelihood of relevant Maths books being available is quite low, since around two dozen (or more if you have a large year group) of you will all be working towards the same goal. That is why visiting libraries in and around your area is a wise idea.Discover how useful maths can be in life and why you should consider studying it.