Teaching for Mastery in Mathematics
Maths No Problem! Primary Series
3 day workshop in Birmingham, UK
The latest curriculum in England has three aims:
- Fluency
- Problem Solving
- Reasoning
To teach for fluency, teachers are using the concrete-pictorial-abstract approach. This is the basis of the Singapore Maths method.
Classes should have a certain structure to promote the developing of reasoning and problem solving skills:
Introduce the topic through an anchor task. An anchor task is a PROBLEM given to students at the beginning of a Maths lesson that provides an opportunity to activate prior knowledge, requires students to collaborate and ask questions of each other, and promotes an environment for students to productively struggle and persevere in problem solving.
Students explore, try to solve the problem in more than one way. They should work together, as they must collaborate to learn.
Structured learning – Discussion. It is important for the teacher to ask good questions that promote discussion and enhance learning.
Guided or independent practice
Reflection – Teachers should address errors and give time for students to reflect on their learning.
Extending High Achievers:
Students who are good in Maths model, draw diagrams, explain or justify and are able to challenge themselves. No acceleration is needed. Students should be given rich and sophisticated problems to work on.
Working with Strugglers:
Provide opportunities for the weaker children to feel successful, model reading behaviour. Teachers and students must have a positive mindset. Remedial lessons should be focused on developing fluency strategies. Having a display wall students can refer to is very useful.