The Makings of First Class Maths | garethmetcalfe So the level 6 tests were introduced into primary schools at the end of KS2, and I took a sharp intake of breath: was the maths curriculum about to become narrowed for our most able learners? I appreciated that there were many children for whom a greater level of challenge was required to retain an interest and purpose in maths. However, I feared that in reality our most able children would be accelerated through monotonous, dry level 6 materials (or, more to the point, past papers) in order for them to reach the level 6 holy grail. My belief, a view supported by all manner of research and guidance, was that more able children need to be given deep, conceptual mathematical experiences rather than to be accelerated through maths content. Over the subsequent years, I have written a maths resource which I am enormously excited to release called First Class Maths. Below is an extract from one of the tasks: The Village Elder. Like this: Like Loading...
Independent Learning using iPods in Maths (iPodagogy) Since the beginning of September we have been trying to maximise the use of 1:1 iPods in year 6 in all areas of curriculum. The potential of enhancing teaching and learning in mathematics through the use of this technology has been particularly interesting. We have been developing the creative use of a range of Apps to support progress, engage children and add relevance to maths teaching with positive outcomes ( 10 Practical ways to use Apps in Maths ) We have also explored a wide range of maths specific Apps which have helped pupils mainly in the areas of number fact and tables recall. ( Apps for Maths ) Recently we have extended the use of the iPods to allow them to support independent learning, and play a central role in effective formative assessment. Each week the children complete regular short assessment tasks based on assessment criteria appropriate to the level of maths they are working towards. The children track their own progress on a target sheet in their exercise book.
If This Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right - Growth Mindset Blog by Emily Diehl, Director, K-12 Professional Learning and Curriculum Design, Mindset Works Just Tell Me What To Do One of the most frustrating classroom experiences occurs when students disengage from learning because they're scared to be wrong. As a teacher, I met many students who wanted someone to just give them the answer and now with my own children, I see it again. I'd like to tell you a story about what this looks like and then share some tips on how to encourage students to take on challenges, risk being wrong, and begin to see "being wrong" as part of a natural process of learning. Once Upon A Classroom I observed this lack of willingness to engage in a middle school Science class a few years ago. However, the emerging issue was not even that this was a low-level task in which the students were not problem-solving or actively learning. Once the task began, students raised their hands right away, and when the teacher got there, they said, "We don't know what to do." 6 ÷ 2(1+2) = ?
3 Teaching Techniques That Made My 2014 - Mr Thomas' Blog January 2, 2015 At the start of this academic year I wanted to really put the theory of learning I knew into practice. Here are three teaching techniques I tried that I’ll be taking with me into 2015. 1. It’s also made the questions I write far richer and more interesting than ever before. 2. The first way I’ve done this is through our departmental testing. The second way is through an idea I’ve borrowed from Bruno Reddy and Kris Boulton at KSA. 3. Quick Key is an optical scanning app for mobile phones. Like any technique, these three have worked well because I made them a habit.
Bar modelling- a powerful visual approach for introducing number topics Building on my recent post about a taxonomy for deep learning in maths, I have been trying to think a bit deeper myself about what each type of ‘deep learning link’ might look like. In particular, I have been researching and putting a lot of thought into what effective ‘visual models’ look like for the ‘key nodes’ I have previously identified as the most important foundation maths knowledge for students to master before starting their GCSE maths course. These are principally number topics. Last year I became aware of the Singapore Maths Bar Modelling approached have recently found the time to research it further. Maths No Problem In short, I really like the approach and am convinced it could enhance my own practice significantly by giving students powerful, but simple visual models they can draw upon and use to solve problems. In primary education in Singapore, maths teachers follow a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) sequence when teaching maths topics. Next up, equivalent fractions:
#MathsCPDChat on times tables strategies | Mr Reddy Maths Blog Pre-reading: Strategies for learning, remembering and understanding the times tables. Some additional thoughts for starting out teaching the times tables with year 2s onwards, prompted by a #MathsCPDChat These are the things I think are important for mastery of the tables (most of which, I suspect our primary colleagues are doing): 1. Begin with manipulatives - physical objects to aid in seeing multiplication as repeated addition, e.g. 2 beads + 2 beads + 2 beads is equivalent to 3 lots of 2 beads. [15 mins in the first ever lesson, then 15 minutes of the same at the end of the same day. 2. 3. As you can see, with 1 to 3 above, I would adopt an over-arching approach of little-and-often. The following is for week 2 or 3. 4. 5. 6. So far, they’ve barely had to write anything – just a bit with 3, 4 and 5. The other thing that’s important to me is a pupil’s self-efficacy – the feeling they have that it (maths) is in their power to master. 7. 8. And now repeat with 5s and 10s!
Primary Maths Apps for children - 4 great apps that help teach maths With so many great apps available for Apple and Android, how do you choose which primary maths apps are the best for children? Here are 5 maths apps that help a range of abilities and will help children improve their maths abilities while augmenting classroom teaching The Number Monster by Wombi The Number Monster by Wombi is for kids aged three and up. It aims to teach children their numbers with fun animations and simple click-and-drag gameplay. Primary Maths apps available from App Store (£1.99) and Google Play (£2.79) Wee Kids Maths by Ebooks & Kids A bright, fun, and educational game for young children, Wee Kids Maths aims to improve maths skills with a wide range of fun games and exercises. Primary Maths apps available from App Store (£1.49) Google Play (£1.20) and Amazon App Store (£1.21) Slice Fractions by Ululab Slicing games are very popular, both on console games and apps, and Slice Fractions brings this to the world of maths apps. Math Bingo by ABCya.com
investigation The monthly NRich puzzle poster is out. This month it is a nice number investigation into the sum of consecutive whole numbers. Click here to download the poster. You can view and download more of the monthly posters from the archive here. I put a request out in the TES forums for ICT resources and lesson ideas. A chap called Kevin Bertman replied sharing many great ideas which are all on his fantastic website e to the i pi. What a fantastic idea from Kevin. Image via Wikipedia I designed this investigation to challenge a high-flying year 9 group to see if they could apply the principles of relative frequency to explore whether pi is a normal number. This investigation grew out of the pupils struggling to get their head around irrational numbers and in particular how there are an infinite number of digits after the decimal point. Click here to download the resource. Checkout this worksheet for a nice investigation activity into angle properties of 2D shapes. Enjoy!
Meaning and Magic amid the Muddle of Mental Mathematical Models. Forgive the gratuitous alliteration. In recent months, I’ve been thinking about the basics of maths education a lot. There have been three main contexts: 1. The teaching of maths at Highbury Grove: I haven’t taught maths myself for years but I line-manage the department and I’ve observed 12 Maths lessons in the last two weeks all by different teachers, spanning a range of topics, ages and ability levels. 2. 3. In all three contexts, I’ve found it fascinating to consider the areas of maths that children find difficult and the processes we need to consider when teaching them to overcome these difficulties. I don’t have a neat set of proven strategies here; I’m just going to share some of the things we’ve been discussing. Times Tables and Division At our Transition Forum, this was a key topic. A suggestion from one primary teachers was that tables should be learned four ways all of the time, all mixed in. 8×7, 7×8, 56÷8, 56÷7. Dividing by 10. 10% of 10 is 1: What’s 20% of 20? Equations. 1.
Using Numicon to Teach Mathematics to Year 2 pupils – Inverse Focus | emmaannhardy What Matters One thing I argue is that the KS1 Mathematics curriculum should be slimmed down to give teachers the time to focus on the issues that underpin all understanding later. No child should leave Year 2 not understanding place value, number and the four calculations and if this means that we sacrifice, for example, learning right angles and properties of shape then I’d argue it’s a sacrifice we should make. I’ve never met a KS2 teacher who has lamented their children not knowing how many vertices an octagon has but I’ve met many who have despaired when their children have not been able to add or subtract ten instantly for example. Using Numicon for Number and Calculations Over the past year I have been experimenting with using Numicon for different concepts and like any tool in the infant classroom there are things it is more useful for than others. Where I have found Numicon useful is with: Find the differenceAdditionPlace Value Inverse Using Numicon for Inverse Extending Learning
Conker Maths Level 6 Maths at KS2. What’s the problem? Recently I’ve picked up on a few blogs and twitter comments from primary Heads and teachers suggesting that that the introduction of Level 6 papers has placed them under unacceptable pressure. One person suggested it was “another way to feel like a failure”. Another was calling for it to be scrapped so that “children could enjoy learning without the constant pressure of testing”. I am concerned about this kind of response – although I am assuming that it’s a minority view in the primary sector – because it comes across as if some primary teachers don’t think we should be teaching children to that standard. It feels like a massive own goal in the fight for a profession-led system capable of raising standards without external pressure. There are some arguments that are legitimate. When I went to work at the British International School in Jakarta, my children also attended the school. For that reason alone, I was delighted when Level 6 papers were introduced. Here’s another couple: