My beliefs around learning Maths

Following on from Sharon's sharing I have been wondering about my beliefs about Maths teaching and learning. So far these are my beliefs (perhaps most will end up to be practices!!);

• hands on manipulation of materials helps their learning
• playing games (having fun) helps consolidate ideas
• following from this - winning boosts confidence
• worksheets have a place - as an assessment / progress checkin
• unless practising writing numbers, worksheets don't help learning (unless used as above!)
• to make self-directed at maths time
  • need to teach learning tasks
  • have tasks that are levelled correctly
  • encourage use of GM
• Juniors need lots of short, sharp DAT then consolidation time
• For SDL, mixed ability good - maybe buddy blues with reds
• Physical movement helps memorise numbers
• Need engagement - students having clear expectations

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Reading chapter 4 of Clarity in the Classroom has made me reflect on how I craft LIs and SC and the realisation that I have often made the mistake Michael Absolum talks about. When coming up with the success criteria, I frequently repeat the LI but change a verb or add “will be able to….” Absolum says that we are often too focused on the specific skills rather than thinking about why we want students to learn whatever it is.

We need to be aiming for clarification - looking at not only what, but why and how and then checking in to find out how we are doing.

For example I am currently working with a group of students who need to add full stops to their writing. I would usually have my LI as “putting full stops in the correct place” with the SC  of “has full stops in the correct place”. This doesn’t actually help students. What I need to have as a LI is a "why" - a “bigger picture” concept. So for full stops my LI might be “to break up writing into ideas so it is easy to read” with the SC being “we will have full stops in the right place”. This lets the students know why they need to learn what I am trying to teach them, which in turn will hopefully motivate and engage them.

My lightbulb moment for this group was taking the LI back to the “bigger picture” concept which then opens up lots of different avenues for teaching - the "how". Rather than persevering with the actual skill and highlighting each piece of work where there should be full stops, I need to look more globally at full stops, by linking reading and writing, I think it will make the use of full stops really explicit as they have seen, used and heard many examples and we model the use of full stops everyday, multiple times a day.

Once full stops have been conquered we can move onto commas and have fun with phrases like - eats shoots and leaves, time to eat Grandma!