NCETM: Moving Forwards witha Primary Agenda

The National STEM Centre

Primary Mathematics

Conference 2012

Laurie Jacques

Director for Primary

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The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics NCETM is a consortium managed by Tribal Education in partnership with Myscience, Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), and the Institute of Education, University of London (IOE); it is funded by the Department forEducation (DfE).

The NCETM 2012-2015

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The NCETM vision 2012-2015

...to ensure all teachers of mathematics - from early years to the post-compulsory sector - have access to high quality continuing professional development (CPD).

It will do this through developing a sustainable programme of mathematics CPD to support national teaching schools and other improvement partners in their work with schools and teachers.

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MathematicalProficiency

• Mathematical proficiency requires a focus on core knowledge and procedural fluency so that pupils can carry out mathematical procedures flexibly, accurately, consistently, efficiently, and appropriately. Procedures and understanding are developed in tandem.

• Arithmetic Proficiency, Algebraic Proficiency, Geometric Proficiency and Statistical Proficiency.

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ArithmeticProficiency

Arithmetical Proficiency is the appreciation and sense of number and number operations that enable mental calculations and written procedures to be performed efficiently, fluently and accurately.

Memorisation, accuracy and fluency vs understanding and reasoning because:

Children who do not understand what they are doing often make errors when choosing and carrying out procedures, cannot reconstruct steps, cannot self-monitor their work, and cannot check for reasonableness. Reasoning with numbers is fundamental to making connections within and beyond mathematics. Secondary mathematics and employment depend on understanding and reasoning with number. Life in a global changing economy requires adaptability; it is difficult to be adaptable if you do not understand what you are doing.

(ACME Report on Primary Arithmetic, 2010)

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Improving children’s Arithmetic Proficiency

Findings from Ofsted:• practical, hands-on experiences of using, comparing and

calculating with numbers and quantities• understanding of place value, fluency in mental

methods, and good recall of number facts such as multiplication tables and number bonds

• subtraction is generally introduced alongside its inverse operation, addition, and division alongside its inverse, multiplication.

• high-quality teaching secures pupils’ understanding of structure and relationships in number.

(Good Practice in Primary Mathematics, Ofsted, 2011)8

Improving children’sarithmetical proficiency

What can we learn from effective systems?

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Finland

● Inclusive Ethos● Problem solving● Text books● Teaching● Teaching practice during initial teacher

education● Mathematics pedagogy in primary teacher

education

Improving children’sarithmetical proficiency

(Finnish’ Pupils Success in Mathematics, OfSTED, 2010)

• Classroom teaching practices• Classroom conditions• Teacher education

(Leung et al, 2005)

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Improving children’s arithmetic proficiency

Hong Kong

• Computational skills along with more conceptual and strategic thinking;

• Fewer topics, in-depth, carefully sequenced• Concepts in one year, with increasing levels of

advancement in later years;• Mastery• Mathematical representation of problems

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Improving children’sarithmetic proficiency

Singapore

Improving children’sarithmetic proficiency

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(Ministry of Education, Singapore, 2006)

Singapore

But we are not in Singaporeor Finland, or Hong Kong

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Arithmetic Proficiency: a national priority for primary schools: What can we learn from some effective systems?

Key principles to which we can aspire

• Mathematics in Singapore does not rely on rote learning of facts and procedures without the underlying understanding required to use them effectively.

• Improving pupils’ attitudes likely to raise achievement

• High expectations;• Concrete, pictorial, abstract (CPA);• Visual problem solving strategies;• Focus on number and calculation from the

beginning.15

The NCETMProfessional Development LeadSupport Programme

Schools

‘Improvement Agents’:e.g.

Teaching Schools, LAs, Independent

Consultants

NCETM “Expert Leads”

Primary CPD providers

Primary Lead Mathematics

Teachers

Secondary CPD providers

Secondary Lead

Mathematics Teachers

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The NCETM PD LeadSupport Programme - 3 phases

• Residential 1• Interim CPD task• Residential 2

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The NCETM PD LeadSupport Programme

Objectives• reinforce and develop understanding of the

characteristics of quality CPD in mathematics;• consider the relationship between procedural

fluency and understanding, focusing on the use of algorithms;

• understand what is meant by ‘Arithmetic Proficiency’;

• be equipped to present Arithmetic Proficiency training for lead teachers.

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The NCETM PD LeadSupport Programme

Outcomes• Accredited provider in an ‘approved’

school.• Mathematics Proficiency Provider

directory• Steps towards the NCETM CPD

Standard• Collaborative Teacher Projects

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www.ncetm.org.uk