Parents as Partners in Maths

Wednesday 14th October 2015

Aims To inform you further about some of the key

changes to the mathematics curriculum

To explain how these changes have impacted the way we teach maths in school

To demonstrate some of the strategies and equipment that the children use in school

To provide you with practical ideas of how to best support your child’s learning at home

Research published in 2014 suggested that half of parents are unaware of the changes in the national curriculum for primary maths (Telegraph 2014)

Only half of those surveyed, realised that the new content is intended to be more demanding

Out of all the subjects, maths was identified by the highest proportion of parents as the hardest subject to help their child with

How equipped do you feel?

The 2014 National Curriculum for mathematics has been designed to raise standards in maths, with the aim that the large majority of pupils will achieve mastery of the subject

Broken down into: Number

◦ Number and place value◦ Addition and subtraction◦ Multiplication and Division◦ Fractions, decimals and percentages

Measures

Geometry◦ Properties of shape◦ Position and direction

Statistics

2014 Maths Curriculum

What’s in and What’s Out….

WHAT’S OUT WHAT’S IN

A separate strand for ‘using and applying’

Calculators

Informal methods of calculation

(now calculation paper)

More challenging objectives, especially in number

Formal written methods introduced earlier

Greater expectations in fractions

Roman numerals Times tables up to 12x12

(end of Year 4) Equivalence between

metric and imperial measures

Algebra Long division and

multiplication in Year 6

Fluency in mathematics – ability to develop conceptual understanding and recall and apply knowledge accurately and rapidly

Reason mathematically – follow line of enquiry, develop arguments, justification and proof using mathematical language

Solve problems – apply mathematics to routine and non-routine problems. Develop perseverance

Key principles

THE STRUCTURE OF A UNIT

How we teach Maths at The Meadow

DiagnosticsWhere are

we?What do they

know?

Instruction

Teaching skills

Non-routineproblem solving

Thinkingmathematically

Doing mathsBeing

mathematical

ApplyingWord problems

&practical problems

Doing Maths Being Mathematical

Doing Maths Vs Being Mathematical

Doing Maths

• Activities for testing and rehearsing skills

• One correct answer• Answering questions

presented by the paper• Think carefully• Memory recall

Being Mathematical

• Multiple approaches and outcomes are possible

• Answering questions presented by children

themselves• Think bigger…..

• Promotes wider thinking, speculation and conjecture

• Working systematically and methodically

• Find ways of recording• Generalising and reasoning

Pupils are expected to move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace

Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly will be challenged through rich and sophisticated problems, rather being accelerated through new content

Mastery Curriculum

Models and images are key to securing understanding and fluency

Every table in school has access to maths resources

Taught how to use them

Use of equipment helps children understand rather than just learning ‘tricks’

Conceptual understanding

Step 1 Visual representation including fingers,

cubes, numicon etc Maths language – multiplication, lots of,

groups Sign recognition Multiplication number stories

Multiplication

Step 2 Pictorial representation of repeated

addition

Multiplication

Step 3

Multiplication

Step 4

Multiplication

Step 5

Step 6

short written method leading to long multiplication

Multiplication

Playing number games, including board games like ‘Snakes and Ladders’ has been proven by research to increase children’s understanding of relative number size as well as counting.

Look for and talk about numbers in the environment

Play games e.g bingo, double my number Shopping and giving change Cooking Telling the time and reading timetables

What can you do to help?

Maths for Mums and Dads – (Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew – available from Amazon)

You can do maths – be positive and avoid phrases such as “You’re just like me, I found maths tricky!”

Regular practise of number bonds (10, 20, 100 and related facts)

Regular times tables practise (out of order and division facts)

Asking ‘Why?’ and ‘How do you know?’ Mathletics

What can you do to help?