4 ways to make a child a master of maths
Tony Staneff, series editor of the latest DfE-approved maths mastery textbook, Power Maths Key Stage 1, outlines four ways schools can embed the much-discussed mastery approach in their classrooms… to make each of their students a master of maths. While the mastery approach to maths has been around for a few years now, I wouldn’t be surprised if you are still wondering what it actually means. In my work with schools and teachers across the country, I know there’s a lot of confusion around the different interpretations of mastery and how to bring the practice into the classroom, so, here are four practical tips to help teach maths as effectively as possible and kick-start your mastery journey. 1. Encourage a positive maths culture It can often be the case that prior attainment causes teachers to assume that some children may not be able to succeed in a new topic. Ask yourself: what are the expectations of children in your school with maths? Are children working on “ability” tables and being pigeon-holed too early? Promoting a positive and growth mindset towards mathematics is a fundamental part of the mastery approach as teachers are encouraged to ensure that all pupils have, or are given, the background knowledge to succeed and there is no limit placed on their attainment. This should be a constant message delivered throughout the school year. If pupils are struggling, this doesn’t mean they can’t do maths – it’s important to look at the factors affecting achievement in the lesson, for instance, do they have the pre-requisite knowledge or is too much content being covered? 2. Take another look at lesson planning School leaders should encourage teachers to spend longer on topics and to go deeper. This is what happens in some of the most successful education settings across the world and it also supports how our brain works. Look at a curriculum that takes a small steps approach and avoids covering too much in lessons, too quickly and sending children into cognitive overload. While forgetting is part of the learning journey for every child, leading academic Daniel Willingham says that “Memory is the residue of thought” and so it’s important that children are thinking in lessons. Ask teachers to consider how they can structure their lessons to spark curiosity and use plenty of affirming types of questions. 3. Teach for meaning and understanding Do pupils need to know that 2 x 5 = 10 or know why 2 x 5 = 10? The most effective way of children understanding mathematics is if the abstract has some meaning and understanding. Encourage teachers to use concrete manipulatives and images such as the bar model. Schools should look for resources that are full of images that link the underpinning mathematics with the abstract calculations. 4. Keep up your learning and access support Whether you have the best teachers of maths in the world or those that need more development, we can all keep learning. Steps to improvement can include conducting an audit, getting in touch with your local maths hub or looking into funding for DfE-approved textbooks as part of the Teaching for Mastery national programme. Investing in your staff’s CPD as part of a wider development plan for maths is crucial, as is allowing your teachers to do maths together on a regular basis. Tony Staneff is the mastery team leader at White Rose Maths and series editor of Power Maths, a whole-class mastery programme. Power Maths Key Stage 1 has been approved by the DfE and written to comprehensively deliver the UK National Curriculum for key stage one. Don’t forget you can get a a handy, free guide on maths mastery!
Three tips to enhance maths in your school
Alexandra Riley is author of the Power of Maths report and Senior Publisher in the Primary Maths team at Pearson. She leads the team behind Power Maths, a whole-class mastery programme developed in partnership with White Rose Maths. Here, she highlights how schools can not only boost results but improve perceptions about how maths is used in everyday life… Maths can unlock doors by giving children and young people the tools needed to access new learning or pursue a career that increases their future earning power. And yet, only 36% of males and 23% of females at Key Stage Four feel that mathematics is most likely to lead to a job in the future [1]. Meanwhile, myths about mathematics continue to perpetuate, from the belief that some people just can’t do maths to the perception that this isn’t a creative subject. Following the release of Pearson’s Power of Maths report, shaped by leading thinkers across education and business, here are some ways you can improve both the perceptions and teaching of mathematics in your school: 1. Bust myths Maths is relevant and important in our lives beyond the school gates. In your school, talk openly about the utility and creativity of maths. Maths is not about getting “the right answer”. Instead, show pupils that debate, discovery and creativity are an integral part of maths, rather than characteristics confined to humanities, and this makes maths fascinating and exciting. You can do this in practice, by regularly integrating problems with more than one solution into maths lessons, and debating the strategies used and solutions. Pupils will become engaged in their learning by thinking creatively and participating in rich mathematical discussion. 2. Build resilience If an adult is under-confident in maths, they can unknowingly pass on their anxieties to children and young people, leading to many arriving in their lessons ready to hate it. Building mathematical confidence among parents can be key to tackling maths anxiety in your school. At a primary level, teachers can give parents simple suggestions for engaging their child in learning at home, whether it is working on a puzzle book at bedtime, creating a maths picture storybook or talking about shape while they play together. You can run workshops to communicate this or draw on Pearson’s Handy Parent Factsheet, which explains the importance of a growth mindset and how parents can encourage their children to be confident mathematicians. 3. Never underestimate the power of professional development Teachers are one of the biggest influencers on our young people yet many maths teachers are not subject specialists (particularly at primary) and feel under-confident in teaching the subject. High-quality resources, such as textbooks and teacher guides, can help teachers to consistently implement what they have learnt in the classroom. You can also encourage teachers to observe, or even film, lessons and reflect on them with a colleague or as a team. This gives an opportunity to reflect on best practice, build subject knowledge and share new ideas. The future of mathematics is ultimately one where people from diverse backgrounds and interests come together to collaborate and drive change. By harnessing a passion for mathematics in schools and classrooms, we can all inspire young people with its power one step at a time. To read the Power of Maths report and its recommendations, please visit: pearsonprimary.co.uk
UNCOVERED: Maths mastery for four-year-olds
Katie Hiatt is a Publisher at Pearson and has led the development of Power Maths Reception. Here, she explains the CPA method and how it’s suited to children in early years. With a mastery approach becoming increasingly popular in primary schools, many school leaders are starting to consider how to embed mastery in their reception classrooms, without compromising on giving children a rounded experience of early years. Here are some ways you can align a mastery approach with early years best practice: Focus on foundations Don’t worry about teaching reception children to count to higher numbers or the names of every 3D shape you can find – these things can come later. What’s really important is that children begin to develop a sense of the underlying concepts and structures of maths. Some children may come to school already fluently counting to ten and beyond – but do they really, deeply understand what these numbers mean? Can they recognise and represent five in a variety of ways? Can they pick five pencils from a pot of ten? Do they know what pairs of numbers make up five, and when they’ve found all the pairs? Children need to master these foundation skills in order to succeed in KS1 and beyond. CPA the early years way CPA stands for concrete, pictorial, abstract – an approach that is being championed by the NCETM and Maths Hubs. Many teachers find that using concrete resources in maths comes naturally in EYFS – and that’s great! Being able to touch, feel and manipulate the maths is an ideal way to help children develop an understanding of the underlying concepts. But some teachers find it more difficult to move children from that great starting point to a pictorial and then abstract approach. Teaching children how to represent objects is a good starting point – it’s not practical to get three elephants and two camels into the room to sort them, so what could we use instead? Moving from a representation with a clear link (such as toy elephants and camels) to representation with something less obviously linked (such as counters and a part-whole model) ensures children understand the concept of representation as well as the underlying structure of this particular problem, building a firm foundation for later success in maths. Abstract maths doesn’t have to mean formal written maths. Try using sound and movement – how many claps can you hear? Can you hop five times? Can you line up in threes? Activities like these ensure children are not relying solely on visual cues. Develop a growth mindset in maths A key way to help children become ready for KS1 is to embed a growth mindset right from the start. Made a mistake? No worries! Learn from it, and have another go. Something you tried hasn’t worked? What could you try instead? Growth mindset attitudes to learning will help children become confident, curious and resilient learners, not just in maths but across the whole curriculum. Power Maths Reception combines a mastery teaching approach with Early Years best practice to help children be ready for maths in KS1 and beyond. It also includes built-in professional development for teachers. Find out more at: pearsonprimary.co.uk
Russian Grandmaster and maths teacher share learning benefits of chess
Following the pilot of a chess-based educational initiative in Russia, global education technology provider, Promethean, will be bringing Grandmaster, Sergey Karjakin, and a Russian maths teacher to Bett 2019, to deliver a programme of activity which provides insights into the learning benefits of teaching chess in the classroom. After undertaking academic studies that demonstrated learning chess could help to improve student achievement, Moscow Education Department has introduced weekly chess lessons as a mandatory part of the primary curriculum. To support schools in integrating chess teaching into the classroom using technology, Promethean piloted the ‘Grandmaster Challenge,’ which gave all schools in Russia the opportunity to showcase creative ways of teaching chess with Promethean solutions. Commenting on why Promethean launched the chess initiative, Ian Curtis, Head of EMEA and APAC Markets, said: “We’re much more than a technology company. We are heavily invested in education and supporting teachers to develop lifelong learners. In today’s world, technology plays an increasingly prominent role in teaching and learning, just as it does in students’ home lives. In light of this, we wanted to encourage teachers to explore approaches which use modern technologies alongside traditional methods of chess teaching – the objective being to better engage students in learning to play chess.” Having emerged as the winner of Promethean’s Grandmaster Challenge, Bakhova Alfusya Borisovna, maths teacher at Secondary School No 6, Nartkala in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, will be delivering daily presentations on Stand B98 which share her innovative approach to chess teaching with technology. Presenting alongside Sergey Karjakin, who holds the record as the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster, Alfusya will provide insights into making chess engaging for even the youngest of students, while Sergey will discuss why he believes the game has an important role to play in developing children’s mathematical, critical thinking, and social skills. For more information, see Promethean at Stand B98 at Bett 2019 – there will be live chess games featuring Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin and the teacher from Russia taking place.
KidZania London STEAMs into October
Launching Friday 5 to Sunday 7 October, KidZania London – the indoor city run by kids at Westfield London, Shepherd’s Bush – will be hosting an action-packed STEAM Week, inspiring kids to develop their skills across science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. With 2018 seeing the launch of the government’s Year of Engineering campaign, of which KidZania is an official partner, there has been an increased focus towards recognizing and celebrating STEM subjects and careers spanning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. However, KidZania also recognises that the demand for arts resources has also rocketed, as teachers are increasingly championing the importance of creative thinking and visual learning in the classroom. The three-day STEAM festival will look to merge these disciplines together, demonstrating that no matter where children’s strengths are, whether its number crunching or a way with words, there are careers and opportunities out there for everyone to explore. From STEAM-themed world record challenges with Guinness World Records Live, to slimy Jelly Belly X-ray operations with PDSA and structure building workshops with Engineering Development Trust, there will be fun and educational workshops to bring the school syllabus to life – whether that’s on a school trip or a weekend visit with the family. Eddie Kemsley, CEO at KidZania comments: “Embracing creativity through the arts is something we positively encourage at KidZania – whether through our Book of The Month Activity with Little Tiger, inspiring even the most reluctant book worms, to our music academy and dance studio. We are hugely excited to be incorporating this into our existing STEM focus, to really demonstrate the wide variety of subjects and career opportunities out there. She continues: Not everyone can be great at numbers or science, but as some of the most innovative engineerable solutions have been developed by creative thinkers, it’s important for us to be able to showcase the importance of arts subjects too.” Exciting partnership activities include: Take the Guinness World Record Challenge 5th – 7th October Does your child have what it takes to be the next Guinness World Record Holder? KidZania’s Guinness World Record Live event will put kids to the test with one of three STEAM-themed world record challenges. Jelly Belly Operation at PDSA – Saturday 6th October Join PDSA for a fun and interactive Jelly Belly Operation. Examine X- rays and find the foreign bodies in our pet patient’s slimy stomach! Design and Build with the Engineering Development Trust 5th – 7th October Come and get involved in one of our fun ‘hands on’, design, build and test challenges with the Engineering Development Trust.. KidZania believes in ‘Learning by Doing’. By bringing the classroom to life in the city, it aims to boost children’s curiosity and imagination through curriculum-based real-life activities. To book tickets for your school trip now, please email schools@kidzania.co.uk or call 0330 131 3335. See KidZania.co.uk for more details. Twitter – @KidZaniaLondon Instagram – @KidZaniaLondon Facebook – /KidZaniaLondon Pricing: Access to all additional activities is included in the entrance price £14 per child. Reduced pricing available for schools with a high Pupil Premium level Learning outcomes: KS1 – KS2 Science KS1 – KS3 Maths, Art, Design & Technology and PSHE About KidZania London: At KidZania London, children can take part in real-life adventures. Spanning across 75,000 square feet, KidZania is an amazing indoor city built just for kids! KidZania provides children with the opportunity try out a variety of real life role-play activities from being a firefighter, journalist to a surgeon. Each role-play is developed to teach kids essential life skills including financial literacy, teamwork and independence. Designed to empower and entertain kids, KidZania gives them the chance to challenge themselves and gets children thinking about which career they may pursue in the future. KidZania is a unique role-play experience for 4-14 year olds, blending learning with reality and entertainment.
EducationCity host best PlayLive Challenge Week ever!
The EducationCity annual PlayLive Challenge, which took place between the 17th and 22nd June, was a phenomenal success, with a record number of children taking part. All in all, over 7,340 students participated in the two-day competition. The aim of the week was to crown the PlayLive Maths and English Champions for the year, as well as boost excitement and engagement surrounding Maths and English, and to this end, the company opened up the competition to all schools, not just their subscribing schools and schools already taking a trial with them. Individual PlayLive Maths and PlayLive English competitions were run for each year group, with the two UK-based schools and two international schools gaining the highest score overall being given the PlayLive Maths and English Champion title for their geographic area. EducationCity is delighted to announce that the winners for each year group are as detailed below: PlayLive Maths Results UK Schools (scores in brackets) Year 1 – Powick Church of England Primary School, Worcester (17) Year 2 – St John The Baptist RC Primary School, Lancashire (43) Year 3 – Magherafelt Primary School, Magherafelt (51) Year 4 – Lady Royd Primary, Bradford (48) Year 5 – Eastgate Academy, Norfolk (52) Year 6 – Beeston Hill St Luke’s C of E Primary School, Leeds (62) International Schools Year 1 – GEMS Al Barsha National School United Arab Emirates 57 Year 2 – Harrow International School, Hong Kong 55 Year 3 – Scholars International Academy (SIA), United Arab Emirates (49) Year 4 – British School of Ulaanbaatar, Ulaanbaatar (51) Year 5 – Aloha College, Spain (41) Year 6 – Aloha College, Spain (45) The overall 2018 champions for PlayLive Maths are Beeston Hill St Luke’s C of E Primary School in Leeds and GEMS Al Barsha National School. PlayLive English Results UK Schools Year 1 – Grasslot Infant School, Cumbria (40) Year 2 – Seaton School, Aberdeen (68) Year 3 – Latymer Prep School, London (89) Year 4 – Abbotskerswell Primary School, Devon (114) Year 5 – The Divine Mercy RC Primary School, Lancashire (190) Year 6 – Crawley Ridge Junior School, Surrey International Schools Year 1 – Scholars International Academy, United Arab Emirates (34) Year 2 – Al Mamoura Academy, United Arab Emirates (38) Year 3 – Scholars International Academy, United Arab Emirates (70) Year 4 – Repton School Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (66) Year 5 – GEMS Founders School Dubai, United Arab Emirates (39) Year 6 – GEMS Founders School Dubai, United Arab Emirates (73) The 2018 champions for PlayLive English are The Divine Mercy RC Primary School in Lancashire and GEMS Founders School Dubai in the UAE. The 2018 champions for PlayLive English are The Divine Mercy RC Primary School in Lancashire and GEMS Founders School Dubai in the UAE. “We are absolutely delighted by the number of students who took part in our PlayLive Challenge Week this year, especially given how busy schools are at this time of year,” says Richard Whalley, Managing Director of EducationCity. “It’s great to see, and fantastic to be part of. We love to throw down the gauntlet with this challenge and are always amazed by the students’ speedy recall and input. It’s really tough to get 190 points in just 60 seconds!” Upon hearing of their win, Matt Livesey from Beeston Hill St Luke’s C of E Primary School was delighted and quick to endorse the use of EducationCity in the classroom. He said: “EducationCity has become a staple of our learning here at St Luke’s. When it’s mentioned the first reaction from the children is always, ‘Can we go on PlayLive?’ The pupils have a level of engagement that is unparalleled and we can see the results in their work.” The PlayLive Maths challenge included challenges dedicated to addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The PlayLive English challenge is a word-formation challenge where the objective is to make as many words as possible. EducationCity is an award-winning online teaching and learning resource, used in schools in over 80 countries across the world. Founded in 1999, EducationCity’s online teaching, learning and assessment resource is designed to support the teaching of students aged 3-12 years in English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, French, Spanish and English as an additional language. Follow EducationCity on Twitter @EducationCity and see www.educationcity.com