Mathematics Loyalty Cards

I've been inspired this week due to a tweet from @MissKMcD about her 'Learning Skills Loyalty Card'. Here it is...

 















As with every great idea, is has been well and truly 'magpied' (I hope she doesn't mind)!

Therefore, please find below the new 'Mathematics Loyalty Card' that I'm planning on using with my Year 11 classes after half term...

 This is the front of the card :)











As you can see the card has 6 symbols on it, all of which will need to be 'achieved' if the student is to earn themselves a reward at the end of it. Now, as to what this reward will consist of I'm not yet sure. I've thought about a trip of some sort for those that manage to complete them. Some sort of 'prize' of the students choosing be it confectionery based or otherwise, but the main thing is that the reward at the end of the card needs to be something that is sought of by the individual student, otherwise I can't see the effort and attention being given to the tasks on the card.

This is how the back of the card looks - explaining each of the symbols on the front.










My thinking with each of the tasks is that they should be tasks that are more than achievable, but at the same time require a certain degree of effort on behalf of the student. The tasks will also help support the student in their revision leading up to their examinations. Now, our Y11s already have a 'passport' they have to get signed off by teachers in order to go their Y11 'prom'. So this is something I wanted to be almost separate from that to encourage them to do more independent study in Mathematics. Of course, if they attend after school sessions there is nothing to say that can't count towards their Y11 'passport' and their Mathematics Loyalty Card. The two can run alongside each other however!
I'm hoping that with the tasks on the card that it will instill a further sense of motivation in my students without making them go completely out of their way to try and achieve each task. For example, they will have weekly homework to do anyway, however, if they manage to get full marks on their homework they can stamp off that achievement on their Loyalty Card. They will get set mymaths tasks each fortnight to complete in their computer room lesson (as independent study), so all they will have to do is ensure they get 'green' results on these tasks (at least 5 of them). They all know when the after-school Mathematics sessions are - they just need to turn up to them. Some students are making good use of these, others (perhaps because they don't see the urgency yet, what with the examinations being in June) could do with attending these.

Therefore, I'm hoping to use the Loyalty Cards as an added incentive. The tasks that require students to produce a piece of work to go on display and show evidence of having revised are the only 2 that may require them to go out of their way and do 'extra'. The 'level up' task is something that should happen naturally if all other tasks are completed and attempted.

This idea is very much in its infancy. I will pass it by my colleagues next week and see what they say and then introduce the idea to my students. I'll obviously be tweeting this link out too and hope to get some responses from my Twitter followers as to the 'reward' at the end of the card, how best to use them etc.

When I do give them out I will use my 'Mr Collins likes this' stamp to stamp each symbol when completed. Here's one I made (stamped) earlier...

The stamp fits perfectly in each symbol (when printed A5 size)