maths teaching personal statement examples

Maths Personal Statement

Maths Personal Statement Sample.

When I was at secondary school, I found maths lessons uninspiring, and it was only in later life that I came to love the subject. A few years ago I noticed that my niece’s relationship with maths lessons was very similar to my own. When she began to struggle, I began to tutor her in the subject. After achieving an A at GCSE and deciding to study further maths at A Level, she informed me that her new-found love of the subject was down to my tutoring having made the subject both fun and comprehensible to her. The sense of reward that I felt as a result gave me the initial spark of inspiration to become a teacher, and since then I have been eagerly following my Open University degree in mathematics and gaining classroom experience in preparation to become a teacher.

My love of mathematics as a discipline developed through being required to use it in my professional life, and in particular through being involved in the management side of my father’s business. The daily involvement with processing various types of figures slowly but surely piqued my curiosity. After a time I began to study mathematics more formally, and the more I learnt its secrets, quirks and applications, the more I became fascinated with it. I went on to enrol at the Open University, initially studying science, but then switching to mathematics. Although combining work and study can be arduous, I have loved each and every module that I have taken. An added bonus of the OU degree has been that, as I have become more interested in teaching, I have been able to study mathematics education courses, and these have boosted my eagerness to teach the subject.

I love working with young people because I treasure the opportunity of inspiring them to take an interest in something that will benefit them in their lives. Before I entered a classroom to teach I discovered through caring for my nephew I had a knack for building a good rapport with children without compromising my position of authority, and I was delighted that I was able to successfully transfer this to the classroom. After the experience of tutoring my niece, I began to work as a volunteer teaching assistant at a local school, where I was involved with classes of a wide range of ages. During this time one of the school’s maths teachers had to take a leave of absence, and I was invited to fill her position temporarily. Although apprehensive about the scale of the challenge, I accepted it, and greatly enjoyed the experience. I was at the school for a total of six weeks, and through both observing other teachers and taking my own classes I learnt so much about a wide series of aspects of the profession, such as effective classroom management techniques, planning a sequence of lessons and even maintaining positive relationships with parents as a result of being involved in a parents’ evening. I am looking forward to returning to the classroom in the next few weeks through another period of voluntary work at a local state school.

However, my six weeks of classroom experience taught me that there is much more to the life of a teacher than the narrow remit of teaching lessons. I came to realise that schools operate as a community, where teachers support and nurture one another, where the school has a duty to foster an inclusive learning environment for its children, and where kids develop in areas beyond academic skills. I feel that the leadership expertise that I developed as a business manager, the experiences of caring for my elderly mother and my nephew and niece and my Urdu and Punjabi language skills all equip me for playing a positive wider role within a school community, whether in the form of taking on extra leadership responsibilities, supporting colleagues or teaching children additional skills.

We hope this sample maths personal statement has been helpful.

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1. Get The Basics Right

You need to spend a lot of time making sure that your personal statement sounds professional – this means excellent grammar, spelling and punctuation, and a good choice of words. It is definitely advisable to read example personal statements online, but you need to make sure that you don’t let any stock phrases creep into your own statement. There is nothing worse than a personal statement which looks like it has been cut and pasted from the internet. Make sure you ask someone else to check your statement – it is all too easy to miss errors when the same 600 words have been swimming before your eyes for a whole day.

2. Follow The Instructions

The personal statement is an essential component of the initial application stage.  Very specific instructions are given about what you should include in your personal statement, even providing a bullet pointed list of what is needed. It might sound obvious – but you need to include everything in this list – if you miss anything then your application will be rejected. At the same time, you don’t want to make your personal statement sound wooden by simply following lists – always make sure that what you are writing flows well and sounds natural.

It could be well worth printing off the application instructions and ticking off each point to make sure that you have covered everything. If a candidate looks like they haven’t followed instructions then it puts their application in a very bad light.

There is a strict limit of 600 words – make sure you stay within this length, but also make sure you don’t write a statement which is too short – candidates who submit a statement which is nearer the minimum of 400 words may look like they are struggling to find things to write.

3. Make It Relevant

Make sure you focus on relevant experiences - particularly your experience of teaching and observation in schools It is fine to include other experiences, but you always need to make sure they are linked back to the purpose of your application – i.e. your ability to be an inspirational and passionate maths teacher. If you coach a youth football team then you need to relate this experience back to your passion for teaching young people, rather than emphasising how much you love football. If you have an experience which is not directly related to working with young people then it is important that you make it relevant, for example if you worked weekends in a restaurant, then you may have discovered that you enjoyed training new staff, helping you decide on a career in education. You might find yourself in the lucky position that you have far too much relevant experience to fit in the statement, meaning that you need to be ruthless and prioritise what to put in.

4. Don’t Repeat Yourself

Don’t include anything in the personal statement which you have already included in the application form – this is simply a waste of space. Your degree is already listed on your application form, so there is no need to include it again in the personal statement. It can be tempting to include absolutely everything in the personal statement, whereas you need to be looking at your application as a whole – have you covered all the points across the whole application?

5. Don’t Copy The Website Verbatim

Whilst you may think you are being clever by copying and pasting text from the Maths Scholarships website into your personal statement, be warned that those who are reading your personal statement also wrote this website. Basically, they recognise when they are having their own words quoted back at them. It also shows that you do not fully understand what it is you are applying for.

Take the time to fully understand what the Maths Scholarship is, why the additional support is being offered and that may help you to address the bullet points relating to being a Maths Scholar.

6. Replacing Maths Teacher With Maths Scholar

It can be tempting to replace 'maths teacher' with 'Maths Scholar' in the personal statement that you produced for your application to teacher training. As a word of caution, doing that normally makes no sense and you appear to not fully understand the Maths Scholarship and its benefits.

7. And Finally...

Try and remember that the effort you put into your personal statement will be well worth it and will hopefully be the first step on an exciting and rewarding adventure. When you read your personal statement, you need to imagine it sitting in a large pile of statements from other people. Does yours read well? Is it relevant? Does it have an excellent opening paragraph? If using clichés such as “maths is my passion”, expand on this by explaining why you are passionate about maths, and what is it that gets you all fired up. It’s OK to say you love a specific equation, or that it’s applicable to everyday life but show us how you interpret that. It’s a line that’s all too easy to say and all too hard to prove!

You could have the best teaching ability in the world, but if you have a poor personal statement then you won’t be invited to the Assessment. On the other hand – if you make the effort to write an excellent personal statement, then you will be giving yourself the best chance possible of progressing to the next stage of the application process.

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Successful Personal Statement For Cambridge Mathematics And Physics

Last Updated: 6th April 2022

Author: Rob Needleman

Table of Contents

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it. 

Today, we are looking through a Mathematics and Physics applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Cambridge University. The Mathematics and Physics Course at Cambridge offers the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects: everything from abstract logic to black holes.

Read on to see how this strong Personal Statement addresses both maths and physics to showcase a high level of their ability. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

INTERVIEW + REJECTED

Enrolling on our Oxbridge Maths comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts. 

Your tutor will give you actionable feedback with insider tips on how to improve and make your Personal Statement Oxbridge quality for the best chances of success.  

Mathematics And Physics Personal Statement

Since childhood, I’ve always loved complex puzzles, logical problems and challenges. Later on I discovered mathematics and physics which offered a lot of interesting problems and I enjoyed spending time on them. I loved the fact that real-life events, such as throwing a ball, could be described by a virtual language created by humans. However the most impressive fact for me was when I discovered that mathematicians and physicists can predict events just by solving equations. That’s is when I decided that maths and physics are what I want to do in life to contribute to the world.

Even though my passion in mathematics started very early, I have struggled to get to where I am now. When I got into Bratislava’s best gymnasium in mathematics I found myself at a position I had never been before. That was the first time I wasn’t the best in mathematics in our class, in fact I was one of the weaker students in this field. However over time I made my way to the top, but I still couldn’t surpass my classmates. When I got to the 5th grade, I realized why I didn’t succeed. That year we got a new mathematics teacher and she opened my eyes and showed me the beauty of maths. The most important thing that happened that year however was when I won the regional mathematics Olympiad and they invited me to KMS which is a camp for people interested in mathematics. There I realized that the school mathematics is just a fraction of the possibilities in this area. However the thing that I believe helped me in mathematics is that I started enjoying it. Rather than solving a Sudoku or crossword puzzle I was solving geometry problems. Since then I have won many prizes including bronze medals from the Middle European Mathematical Olympiad and the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Besides maths and physics I also love playing the piano and practicing Kung Fu. I have played the piano for 13 years and my personal favourites are Chopin’s Nocturnes. I may not be great at it, but playing the piano helps me relax and forget about my worries for a while. I practice Kung Fu mainly for health. My favourite style is Bagua. I learned that Kung Fu is not only a martial art, but a way of living. Besides Kung Fu and the piano, I also enjoy teaching kids interesting facts or problems in mathematics. During school, I teach a mathematics club and I want to teach the kids that mathematics isn’t just numbers.

Every summer I help organize a mathematics day camp for children. Mathematics may be the subject which I’m best at, but I don’t want to be ‘just a mathematician’ in the future. Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to do something great like solving global issues or inventing something useful, however I realize that it is very hard to achieve this with pure mathematics. People advised me to go study economics and financial mathematics so I could have a good job and earn money, but that is not what I want to achieve in life. My goal is to shape the world and make it a better place for future generations. This is the reason I want to study physics or engineering. I started doing physics two years ago and since then I participated and won some competitions including the Regional Physics Olympiad. To be better at physics I started reading Feynman’s lectures which helped me a lot, but also taught me that there is much to learn out there about the world. The reason why I want to study in the UK is because there are many opportunities compared to Slovakia. I have many friends who study there and heard from them that it’s an amazing experience. The most important fact, though, is that in the UK I can study and work with people who are ambitious. I know what I want to achieve in life, and even though I don’t yet know exactly how to get there or where ‘there’ will be, I believe that a UK university education will steer me in the right direction.

For more inspiration, take a look through our other successful Personal Statement a nalysis articles:

Successful Personal Statement For Natural Science (Physical) At Cambridge

Successful personal statement for economics at cambridge, successful personal statement for land economy at cambridge, successful personal statement for chemistry at oxford, successful personal statement for geography at oxford, successful personal statement for classics at oxford, successful personal statement for law at oxford, successful personal statement for classics at cambridge, successful personal statement for engineering at cambridge, successful personal statement for philosophy at cambridge, successful personal statement for veterinary medicine at cambridge, successful personal statement for psychological and behavioural sciences at cambridge, successful personal statement for psychology at oxford, successful personal statement for history at oxford, successful personal statement for physics at oxford, successful personal statement example for computer science at oxford, successful personal statement for english at cambridge, successful personal statement for oxford english language and literature, successful personal statement for medicine at oxford university, successful personal statement for modern languages at oxford, successful personal statement for engineering at oxford, successful personal statement for natural sciences (biological) at cambridge, successful personal statement for economics & management at oxford, successful personal statement for ppe at oxford, successful personal statement for law at cambridge, successful personal statement for dentistry at king’s college london, successful personal statement for medicine at cambridge.

Download our Free Personal Statement Starter Guide 

Good Points Of The Personal Statement

This is a very good statement. The statement is well-written and structured. The student describes their life experiences without making the statement sound like a list of achievements. This is achieved because the student explains every experience described, rather than listing their life experiences with no context. It is clear that the student has many talents and achievements, and these are stated in a humble manner that does not make it seem as though the student is bragging. It is clear that the student is aware of the significance of their decision to study outside of their native homeland and the challenges that this will bring. The student explains their reasons for applying to study a dual honours course and does not neglect either discipline.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

The student uses the word ‘gymnasium’ instead of school/college. Whilst this may be the term used in Slovakia, in the UK a ‘gymnasium’ is a place where people exercise and its use in this statement is somewhat confusing. The way in which the student writes about their personal experiences makes the statement sound somewhat like an autobiography.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

This is a very good statement. The student clearly has personality and a high level of ability. Strange terminology used can be excused due to the fact that the student’s first language is not English, and that the vast majority of the statement is very well-written.

This Personal Statement for Maths and Physics is a great example of how to showcase a high level of ability. The candidate’s interest and achievements are clearly shown which is vital to Admissions Tutors.

Remember, at Cambridge, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.

You can find more successful personal statements and our expert guides on our Free Personal Statement Resources page.

Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Cambridge Mathematics and Physics application.

With our  Oxbridge Maths Premium Programme, we help you craft the perfect Personal   Statement , score highly on the STEP and teach you how to  Interview effectively .

Discover our  Oxbridge Maths Premium Programme  by clicking the button below to  enrol and triple your chances of success.

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Mathematics Personal Statement

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Mathematics Personal Statement

Mathematics at times can be the most frustrating subject, the best feeling in maths for me is when I get the right answer to a very problematic question. Every mathematical problem is like a puzzle, at times it can be hard work but all you need is the right jigsaw pieces to fit the puzzle. In the words of Stefan Banach, it has made me realise that 'Mathematics is the most beautiful and most powerful creation of the human spirit.' This caught my attention because mathematics shows a solution to every problem for example, in my A level further mathematic studies I came across to a topic called 'Proof by induction' which has been the most alluring thing in my mathematic studies so far. Proof by induction is a challenging topic but the beauty about it has intrigued my love for mathematics even more. I have enjoyed all my modules for mathematics. My favourite area is Pure Mathematics because it focuses on thought processes and problem solving. Differentiation and integration Is my favourite part of Pure Mathematics.

A level Chemistry is helping me strengthen my knowledge in mathematics because there are a lot of calculations you have to do for example: chemical equations, calculating molarity and speed of atoms. Studying Chemistry demands that I grip onto concepts and the application of mathematics helps me gain general solutions to problems. I have enjoyed studying my AS modules for Further Mathematics and it has given me a huge understanding which I will take forward to A2.

Studying mathematics continues to be extraordinarily enjoying and the difficult task of trying to solve questions presented in a strange way is very pleasing. For Further Mathematics I had to teach myself decision 1 in the few months leading up to the June examination and now during the summer holidays I am self-teaching Core 3. I enjoy working independently and pushing myself to achieve. I particularly enjoy trigonometry especially questions where you have to prove the left or right-hand side of the equation, it's almost like problem solving and trying new ways of approaching the question as there are more solutions.

I love working with young people because I take the opportunity of inspiring them to take interest in something that will be beneficial for them. Whilst on my work experience at Yew Tree Primary School I was a teaching assistant helping children out with their subjects, in particular mathematics. Throughout my work experience I gained confidence talking to others, problem solving for example tackling questions that students wanted help on and the teachers.

I took part in the National Citizen Service challenge. At the start of the challenge I set goals which were to build more confidence and communication. My NCS experience has been amazing and I think by participating it has made me better as a person also improve skills such as communication. In the first week I was a team leader where I had to provide information to the team and the plan for the day. For the second week I worked in a centre where there was people with mental disorders. I planned a session for the people at the centre which had to be sport-related. We had a pitch day where my team presented our social action project to a panel of Dragons. I was part of the finance team where I had to use my mathematical skills and problem-solving skills for the social action project. The social action project was to raise awareness about visual impairment, by doing this it made me a better public speaker.

Sports has always animated my competitive nature and I've always wanted to strive to become better, be it mentally or physically. I enjoy playing for my local cricket club where in my first season I won an award for all round performance. I like to acknowledge the game of cricket, be it on-field or off-field.

I believe that university education will not only expand my knowledge in mathematics but let me experience a lot of new things and meet people who have various interests.

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How to write a teacher personal statement

Your personal statement is your first opportunity to show the school you’re a great fit for the job, and gets you closer to being shortlisted for an interview. The more you show how your skills and interests match the school’s ethos and values, the better. We’ve spoken to a range of teachers to get their top tips for success.

What experience do you have?

Schools want to hear about your trainee experience with different subjects, key stages, types of school, and working with a range of pupils.

Think about your approach to teaching, how you keep pupils engaged, and how you communicate with different kinds of people (children, staff, parents and carers). Ensure you provide evidence for how you have improved student engagement and built positive relationships with pupils.

Schools will be interested in your approach to behaviour management, so think about your go-to strategies.

Are you engaged in teaching theory and research?

Think about any research that has affected your teaching practice. Explain what has worked well and if it didn’t, what you learnt.

Are you up to date on safeguarding statutory guidance?

You need to demonstrate your awareness of the importance of safeguarding and the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education . Include any examples of how you worked with a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

What are your skills and qualities?

Are you a well-organised, confident, and motivated teacher? Say it, and provide examples! Schools are looking for great communicators, team players and relationship builders. Make sure you say how you create a positive learning environment, and consider skills like time management, organisation, and flexibility. Schools will also want to know how you overcome challenges.

How can you contribute to wider school life?

Set yourself apart by showing how your hobbies and achievements could contribute to the wider school community. Could you run an after school club or organise school trips?

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Personal statement for PGCE secondary

If you want to teach children aged 11 and over you'll need to apply through the Department for Education's (DfE) Apply for teacher training service

This example should be used for guidance only. Copying any of this text could significantly harm your chances of securing a place on a course.

Example personal statement for PGCE secondary

I became interested in teaching after realising how much I had benefited from excellent and passionate teachers. They exuded a real sense of enthusiasm for learning, which inspires me to pass on that passion.

My love for computing developed during my A-levels after discovering an aptitude for programming and networking. This drove me to study more, going on to gain a 2:1 in BSc Computer Systems and Network Engineering from the University of England. Studying at university developed my passion for computer sciences and taught me a range of transferable skills that I believe are fundamentally important to teach young people. This is demonstrated in my dissertation, which was awarded a first, investigating The Internet of Things (IoT) and how it can help shape educational establishments of the future.

While at university I decided to volunteer as a teaching assistant in a mainstream school. By my final year I was able to take responsibility for running activities in the classroom, balancing the needs of each child and managing behaviour issues. In addition, I regularly helped run the lunchtime computer club. In working with more vulnerable students such as SEN learners I saw the role played by support staff in maintaining control of the classroom, particularly with those who can be disruptive when under stimulated. I learned the importance of differentiating lesson plans to educate and engage students with special needs and the power of strategies such as a well thought out seating plan and friendly competitiveness in learners. I saw students develop within the classroom as a result of my determined support and these good working relationships are beginning to result in higher grades. I have liaised well across several departments to communicate information about students in an organised and diplomatic way.

One highlight was when I supported a young person with ADHD who attended computer club. They had been struggling to remain focussed and on task in class but were able to focus well when completing tasks on a computer. As a result, they suffered from poor behaviour, disengagement and low self-esteem. I negotiated with some class teachers to allow this pupil to use a tablet during their lessons. The pupil could then access any PowerPoint presentations being delivered to enable them to go back and reread specific slides. They could also access links to visual resources to enhance their understanding of the subject being taught. Homework was posted online for them to complete and submit electronically. This was such a success that the school invested in more tablets to be used by a range of students across the school. This further inspired me to want to become a teacher to enable me to support others who may be facing barriers to learning that could be tackled through the introduction of technology.

To support my professional development further I undertook short work placements in two other schools. Volunteering in Key Stages 1 and 2 confirmed my desire to teach Key Stages 3 and 4. I became aware of the many demands placed upon teachers and their time and I believe that the project management, communication and problem-solving skills gained during my degree will be invaluable assets within the classroom and beyond. I was exposed to a range of pedagogical models and teaching methods, which is something I look forward to learning more about on a PGCE.

One of my hobbies is to make short films about how to use different forms of technology and software packages. I post these on YouTube as instructional videos. These have proved to be very popular and I am considering how I can use this type of activity to benefit the students I teach. One option is to support students to create their own videos to help deepen their understanding of a subject, which they can then choose to upload to the school's virtual learning environment to aid their peers if they wish.

During school placements I witnessed the challenges and rewards present in a school environment. Teachers need to be resilient particularly when working with students who find school difficult, do not want to engage and do not want to accept support. However, I look forward to working in the education system and believe I could help and inspire students to develop their future aspirations.

While researching for my dissertation I spoke with secondary school teachers about the challenges their students faced and one that came up often was digital poverty. In many inner-city schools, pupils do not always have access to up to date and reliable computer technology to allow them to keep up with the advances in technology that they’ll face when seeking employment. One of my aims would be to investigate how the use of integrated technologies, as well as fostering links with local companies and the community, could result in a cost-effective solution allowing all students equal access to computer technology.

Technology has become its own form of literacy due to its prevalence in everyday life. Numerous careers use at least one aspect of Microsoft Office or Google Drive daily; balancing budgets on spreadsheets, creating slides to be presented, or attaching documents to emails to communicate important information. Allowing students to learn and refine these skills prepares them for life beyond the classroom.

With technology being present in many classrooms, and not just to teach computing skills, the introduction of the IoT could enhance learning activities even more. It could provide improved connectivity, introduce artificial intelligence and virtual reality to the learning environment as well as cloud computing platforms. I am excited about the future of education and how I can be an active part of it.

When writing your personal statement, you need to include:

• What inspired you to choose teaching.
• Why you wish to teach at secondary level.
• Your knowledge of the pressures and rewards of teaching.
• The personal qualities and skills that will make you a good teacher.
• How you might contribute to the wider school environment such as running extra-curricular activities and clubs.
• Any experience of working with children and what you learnt through doing this.
• Evidence of your knowledge related to the subject you hope to teach.
• Any relevant work or unpaid experience.
• Your degree, degree modules and dissertation topic where relevant.
• Any relevant skills, hobbies and achievements.

Find out more

• Read all about applying for teacher training .
• Get prepared with our teaching interview questions .
• See more examples of teaching personal statements .

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• mrsstrickey
• Jan 16, 2021

Writing a Personal Statement

Going for your first NQT post can be a daunting prospect... especially when in teaching, you need to write a personal statement to support your application form.

Schools use your personal statement to help short list candidates for a position by checking off the criteria of the person specification that they can see in your statement. It is always a good idea to write your personal statement alongside the person specification, ensuring that you have included all the "essential" criteria and as much of the "desirable" criteria you can that are assessed through the application.

Where possible, you should also use the language of the school you are applying to - their vision, values, mission and ethos statements will help you here and should be available on the school's website. You will also sometimes find these in the application pack. Read this carefully and then read it again, reading between the lines of what they might be looking for.

Here is an example of the structure of a personal statement for a trainee teacher applying for their first NQT job:

Begin with an impact statement that summarises your philosophy on teaching or that refers to the mission/vision/values/ethos of the school you are applying to:

I believe that it is, as Einstein said, the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. As a passionate teacher, dedicated to ensuring the very best outcomes for all students I teach, this statement resonates with me as I endeavour to awaken joy in all of the learners within my classroom. It was your belief all young people have the right to a transformational educational experience, that will enable them, no matter what their starting point, to fulfil their potential and realise their ambitions that first attracted me to your school as it aligns with my own personal and professional philosophy on education.

Throughout my practice, I constantly encourage pupils to participate and contribute in an atmosphere highly conducive to learning. I have consistently set high expectations of pupils in different training contexts. There are high levels of mutual respect between me and pupils. I am very effective in promoting learners’ resilience, confidence and independence when tackling challenging activities. In my lesson, I generate high levels of enthusiasm, participation and commitment to learning.

Back this up with an example from your training.

I have also assumed a high level of responsibility for the attainment progress and outcomes of the pupils I have taught. I have demonstrated confident judgement in planning for pupil progression both within individual lessons and over time and I am able to articulate a clear and well-justified rationale as to how I am building on prior achievement. Within my lessons, I seek to actively promote engaging and effective methods that support pupils in reflecting on their learning. I have demonstrated that I am able to set appropriately challenging tasks, drawing on a sound knowledge of the pupils’ prior attainment, which has been obtained through systematic and accurate assessment. I regularly create opportunities for independent and autonomous learning. As a result the majority of pupils make very good progress.

In order to plan effective lessons, I draw on my in-depth subject and curriculum knowledge of [your subject or phase] to plan confidently for progression and to stimulate and capture pupils’ interest. Throughout my training, I have demonstrated very well-developed pedagogical subject knowledge, by anticipating common errors and misconceptions in my planning. I am astutely aware of my own development needs in relation to extending and updating my subject, curriculum and pedagogical knowledge in my early career and have been proactive in developing these effectively during my training. I always model very high standards of written and spoken communication in all professional activities. I also successfully identify and exploit opportunities to develop learners’ skills, in communication, reading and writing.

I plan lessons that often use well-chosen, imaginative and creative strategies, and that match individuals’ needs and interests. I am highly reflective in critically evaluating my practice. I am able to accurately judge the impact of my practice on individual and groups of learners and can use my evaluation to inform future planning, teaching and learning. During my training, I have shown initiative in contributing to curriculum planning and developing and producing effective learning resources in my placement settings.

I have been able to quickly and accurately discern my learners’ strengths and needs and I have been proactive in differentiating and employing a range of effective intervention strategies to secure progression for individuals and groups. I have an astute understanding of how effective different teaching approaches are in relation to impact on learning and engagement of learners

I can confidently and accurately assess pupils’ attainment against national benchmarks. I use a range of assessment strategies very effectively in my day-to-day practice to monitor progress and to inform future planning. In my practice, I systematically and effectively check learners’ understanding throughout lessons, anticipating where intervention may be needed and do so with notable impact on the quality of learning. I have shown that I am able to assess learners’ progress regularly and work with them to accurately target further improvement and secure rapid progress.

I have been able to rapidly adapt to the different circumstances in which I have trained, working confidently within the frameworks established in different settings and applying rules and routines consistently and fairly. I have also demonstrated an ability to adapt to remote working and remote delivery in response to the Global Pandemic. I consistently have high expectations and understand a range of strategies that experienced teachers use to promote positive behaviour and apply these very effectively, including use of school sanctions and rewards, and use of praise, in order to create an environment highly supportive of learning. I am able to manage pupil behaviour with ease so that learners display very high levels of engagement, courtesy, collaboration and co-operation. Where it is needed, I actively seek additional support in addressing the needs of pupils where significantly challenging behaviour is demonstrated.

During my training, I have been proactive in seeking out opportunities to contribute in a significant way to the wider life and ethos of the school. I have built strong professional relationships and have demonstrated that I am able to work collaboratively with colleagues on a regular basis. I have taken responsibility for deploying support staff in my lessons and for seeking advice from relevant professionals in relation to pupils with individual needs. I deliberately seek out opportunities to develop my own professional learning and respond positively to all the feedback I receive. I have also demonstrated that I can communicate very effectively, both verbally and in writing, with parents and carers in relation to pupils’ achievements and well-being when required to do so formally, but I am also proactive in communicating in relation to individual pupils’ emergent needs.

I always treat pupils with dignity, building relationships rooted in mutual respect, and at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher's professional position. I realise the need to safeguard pupils' well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions. I show tolerance of and respect for the rights of others. I do not undermine fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. I always ensure that personal beliefs are not expressed in ways which exploit pupils' vulnerability or might lead them to break the law. I am always punctual and have good attendance. I have attended numerous CPD sessions and will continue to do so. I have also completed a weekly duty (before school and at break} and attends daily briefings (whole school, subject or pastoral). I have taken on board the policies of the school and maintain a high standard in all my practices. I have a good understanding of the framework within which I work and my professional duties

End with a statement that implies/assumes you will be invited for interview:

I would relish the opportunity to work at your school and look forward to discussing this further with you at interview.

You can download the word version of this

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Maths and statistics personal statement example.

Mathematics and statistical data are fundamental to understanding the world. Being able to see how things as simple as numbers can be arranged into mathematical models that can describe everything from the stock market to the flight of a ball both excites and fascinates me. For example, how is it that mathematicians can create models and strategies to price securities and predict the market with minimal risk, and therefore make banks and hedge fund millions of pounds? The power of maths is such that where there were once shouting men on the trading floor, there are now mathematicians overlooking algorithms that perform 70% of buy/sell orders on Wall Street. The reason for this is that maths describes to us how the real world works, whether that be in the trading squares of London or in nature.

This intrigue has stemmed from a great enjoyment of studying both A level maths, further maths and physics, as well as an AS in geography and an EPQ. Whilst I have greatly enjoyed all of the modules I have tackled in maths, I particularly enjoyed the statistical module (S1 and S2), and relished in the challenge of using models, such as the normal distribution curve, to calculate the probabilities of events and then using hypothesis tests to see if this result was significant. I then used many of the techniques I learnt from stats and applied them to my geography coursework (analysing data from around groynes), using both Spearman's rank correlation and the Mann Whitney U test. I have found that what I have studied in maths also complements physics, which involves graphs and equations to model scientific ideas As my school does not teach S3 module, I have taken it upon myself to teach it to myself and am enjoying linking Poisson and Binomial into the chi squared distribution. Completing this not only demonstrates my passion and enhances my ability, but also shows great time management skills.

Whilst school teaches me the foundations of maths, TV programs and books really opened my eyes to the beauty of maths, statistics and finance. I have watched multiple episodes of Horizon on topics such as infinity and Fermat's last theorem, as well as documentaries and books on the roles Quants have played on using their mathematical skills to revolutionise Wall Street. I particularly remember a quote from Emanuel Derman's 'Life as a quant', which read: 'The capacity to wreak destruction with your models provides the ultimate respectability', which really brought home the importance of maths.

I enjoy tackling a mathematical problem and I relish in the feeling of finally succeeding. I love being able to put a value to a real life situation, such as the chance of an event occurring or the distance of an object in flight, as well as seeing how it can be used to build the world we know, such as using numerical integration to work out the area of a tunnel. I believe a degree in a mathematical field would be both enjoyable and challenging, and provide me with an excellent platform for life, teaching me a logical and efficient way of thinking, perfect in the stressful world of the city.

I also enjoy applying an analytical approach to my training, for both running and cycling. In athletics/cross country, I create training plans detailing everything up to an event, such as long run split times, recovery time, intensity of sessions and fatigue, which I then use to put into excel and create a value for form at the end of each week. This means I can attempt to peak at given events, which I used to finish a career high of 8th at this year's nationals. In cycling, this statistical obsession is used to calculate 'zones' for my power/hr as a percentage of my functional threshold power, meaning I can use the bike to compliment my running and build my cardiovascular endurance.

I would love to pursue a career in the world of mathematical finance, and I believe the choices of institutions I have made will be perfect to guide me towards my aspirations.

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For everyone whose relationship with mathematics is distant or broken, Jo Boaler , a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), has ideas for repairing it. She particularly wants young people to feel comfortable with numbers from the start – to approach the subject with playfulness and curiosity, not anxiety or dread.

“Most people have only ever experienced what I call narrow mathematics – a set of procedures they need to follow, at speed,” Boaler says. “Mathematics should be flexible, conceptual, a place where we play with ideas and make connections. If we open it up and invite more creativity, more diverse thinking, we can completely transform the experience.”

Boaler, the Nomellini and Olivier Professor of Education at the GSE, is the co-founder and faculty director of Youcubed , a Stanford research center that provides resources for math learning that has reached more than 230 million students in over 140 countries. In 2013 Boaler, a former high school math teacher, produced How to Learn Math , the first massive open online course (MOOC) on mathematics education. She leads workshops and leadership summits for teachers and administrators, and her online courses have been taken by over a million users.

In her new book, Math-ish: Finding Creativity, Diversity, and Meaning in Mathematics , Boaler argues for a broad, inclusive approach to math education, offering strategies and activities for learners at any age. We spoke with her about why creativity is an important part of mathematics, the impact of representing numbers visually and physically, and how what she calls “ishing” a math problem can help students make better sense of the answer.

What do you mean by “math-ish” thinking?

It’s a way of thinking about numbers in the real world, which are usually imprecise estimates. If someone asks how old you are, how warm it is outside, how long it takes to drive to the airport – these are generally answered with what I call “ish” numbers, and that’s very different from the way we use and learn numbers in school.

In the book I share an example of a multiple-choice question from a nationwide exam where students are asked to estimate the sum of two fractions: 12/13 + 7/8. They’re given four choices for the closest answer: 1, 2, 19, or 21. Each of the fractions in the question is very close to 1, so the answer would be 2 – but the most common answer 13-year-olds gave was 19. The second most common was 21.

I’m not surprised, because when students learn fractions, they often don’t learn to think conceptually or to consider the relationship between the numerator or denominator. They learn rules about creating common denominators and adding or subtracting the numerators, without making sense of the fraction as a whole. But stepping back and judging whether a calculation is reasonable might be the most valuable mathematical skill a person can develop.

But don’t you also risk sending the message that mathematical precision isn’t important?

I’m not saying precision isn’t important. What I’m suggesting is that we ask students to estimate before they calculate, so when they come up with a precise answer, they’ll have a real sense for whether it makes sense. This also helps students learn how to move between big-picture and focused thinking, which are two different but equally important modes of reasoning.

Some people ask me, “Isn’t ‘ishing’ just estimating?” It is, but when we ask students to estimate, they often groan, thinking it’s yet another mathematical method. But when we ask them to “ish” a number, they're more willing to offer their thinking.

Ishing helps students develop a sense for numbers and shapes. It can help soften the sharp edges in mathematics, making it easier for kids to jump in and engage. It can buffer students against the dangers of perfectionism, which we know can be a damaging mindset. I think we all need a little more ish in our lives.

You also argue that mathematics should be taught in more visual ways. What do you mean by that?

For most people, mathematics is an almost entirely symbolic, numerical experience. Any visuals are usually sterile images in a textbook, showing bisecting angles, or circles divided into slices. But the way we function in life is by developing models of things in our minds. Take a stapler: Knowing what it looks like, what it feels and sounds like, how to interact with it, how it changes things – all of that contributes to our understanding of how it works.

There’s an activity we do with middle-school students where we show them an image of a 4 x 4 x 4 cm cube made up of smaller 1 cm cubes, like a Rubik’s Cube. The larger cube is dipped into a can of blue paint, and we ask the students, if they could take apart the little cubes, how many sides would be painted blue? Sometimes we give the students sugar cubes and have them physically build a larger 4 x 4 x 4 cube. This is an activity that leads into algebraic thinking.

Some years back we were interviewing students a year after they’d done that activity in our summer camp and asked what had stayed with them. One student said, “I’m in geometry class now, and I still remember that sugar cube, what it looked like and felt like.” His class had been asked to estimate the volume of their shoes, and he said he’d imagined his shoes filled with 1 cm sugar cubes in order to solve that question. He had built a mental model of a cube.

When we learn about cubes, most of us don’t get to see and manipulate them. When we learn about square roots, we don’t take squares and look at their diagonals. We just manipulate numbers.

I wonder if people consider the physical representations more appropriate for younger kids.

That’s the thing – elementary school teachers are amazing at giving kids those experiences, but it dies out in middle school, and by high school it’s all symbolic. There’s a myth that there’s a hierarchy of sophistication where you start out with visual and physical representations and then build up to the symbolic. But so much of high-level mathematical work now is visual. Here in Silicon Valley, if you look at Tesla engineers, they're drawing, they're sketching, they're building models, and nobody says that's elementary mathematics.

There’s an example in the book where you’ve asked students how they would calculate 38 x 5 in their heads, and they come up with several different ways of arriving at the same answer. The creativity is fascinating, but wouldn’t it be easier to teach students one standard method?

A depiction of various ways to calculate 38 x 5, numerically and visually. | Courtesy Jo Boaler

That narrow, rigid version of mathematics where there’s only one right approach is what most students experience, and it’s a big part of why people have such math trauma. It keeps them from realizing the full range and power of mathematics. When you only have students blindly memorizing math facts, they’re not developing number sense. They don’t learn how to use numbers flexibly in different situations. It also makes students who think differently believe there’s something wrong with them.

When we open mathematics to acknowledge the different ways a concept or problem can be viewed, we also open the subject to many more students. Mathematical diversity, to me, is a concept that includes both the value of diversity in people and the diverse ways we can see and learn mathematics. When we bring those forms of diversity together, it’s powerful. If we want to value different ways of thinking and problem-solving in the world, we need to embrace mathematical diversity.

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MYP Mathematics Starter Pack: posters, examples, guides, templates

Subject: Mathematics

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Other

Last updated

18 May 2024

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Are you a Mathematics teacher new to the MYP who wants to better understand the key components involved?

Or are you looking for an all-in-one reference to save time jumping between multiple IB guides for rubrics, keywords, templates or examples?

Do you want some simple yet informative classroom posters?

Or are you curious about how others plan contextual, inquiry based units?

Do you need to give a new student an overview of what to expect when studying MYP Mathematics?

Then this is the resource for you!

Featuring 16 key elements of the MYP framework as printable, clear and colourful posters (please see below to see the full list of what is included). Plus 14 pages of snapshots into how these elements are built into the planning of a unit or learning experience. This resource is aimed to show not only the what, but also the how of implementing MYP Mathematics elements into your classroom.

Areas of focus:

Unit plan overview Key and related concepts Global contexts Statement of inquiry and inquiry questions Subject group objectives Assessment criteria Approaches to learning (ATL) skills Branches of study Approaches to teaching Lesson elements Reflection Learner Profile Command terms

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