Mobilise Project
  • Home
  • Projects
    • Cognitive Theory and Memory (CTM)
    • Curriculum Design (CD)
    • Emotional Health and Well-being (EHWB)
    • English (EN)
    • Feedback and Marking (FM)
    • Maths (MA)
    • Special Schools
    • Teaching Assistants (TA)
  • Resources
  • Key Dates & Events
  • Blog
  • Contact

Maths (MA)

  • Use assessment to build on pupils' existing knowledge and understanding

    Use assessment to build on pupils' existing knowledge and understanding

    1

    • Assessment should be used not only to track pupils' learning but also to provide teachers with information about what pupils do and do not know
    • This should inform the planning of future lessons and the focus of targeted support
    • Effective feedback will be an important element of teachers' response to assessment
    • Feedback should be specific and clear, encourage and support further effort, and be given sparingly
    • Teachers not only have to address misconceptions but also understand why pupils may persist with errors
    • Knowledge of common misconceptions can be invaluable in planning lessons to address errors before the arise
  • Use manipulatives and representations

    Use manipulatives and representations

    2

    • Manipulatives (physical opbjects used to teach maths) and representations (such as number lines or graphs) can help pupils engage with mathematical ideas
    • However, manipulatives and representations are just tools: how they are used is essential
    • They need to be used purposefully and appropriately to have an impact
    • There must be a clear rationale for using a particular manipulative or representation to teach a specific mathematical concept
    • Manipulatives should be temporary; they should act as a 'scaffold' that can be removed once independence is achieved
  • Teach pupils strategies for solving problems

    Teach pupils strategies for solving problems

    3

    • If pupils lack a well-rehearsed and readily available method to solve a problem they need to draw on problem-solving strategies to make sense of the unfamiliar situation
    • Select problem-solving tasks for which pupils do not have ready-made solutions
    • Teach them to use and compare different approaches
    • Show them how to interrogate and use their existing knowledge to solve problems
    • Use worked examples to enable them to analyse the use of different strategies
    • Require pupils to monitor, reflect on, and communicate their problem solving
  • Enable pupils to develop a rich network of mathematical knowledge

    Enable pupils to develop a rich network of mathematical knowledge

    4

    • Emphasise the many connections between mathematical facts, procedures and concepts
    • Ensure that pupils develop fluent recall of facts
    • Teach pupils to understand procedures
    • Teach pupils to consciously choose between mathematical strategies
    • Build on pupils' informal understanding of sharing and proportionality to introduce procedures
    • Teach pupils that fractions and decimals extend the number system beyond whole numbers
    • Teach pupils to recognise and use mathematical structure
  • Develop pupils' independence and motivation

    Develop pupils' independence and motivation

    5

    • Encourage pupils to take responsibility for, and play and active role in, their own learning
    • This requires pupils to develop metacognition - the ability to independently plan, monitor and evaluation their thinking and learning
    • Initially, teachers may have to model metacognition by describing their own thinking
    • Provide regular opportunities for pupils to develop metacognition by encouraging them to explain their thinking to themselves and others
    • Avoid doing too much too early
    • Positive attitudes are important, but there is scant evidence on the most effective ways to foster them
    • School leaders should ensure that all staff, including non-teaching staff, encourage enjoyment in maths for all children
  • Use tasks and resources to challenge and support pupils' mathematics

    Use tasks and resources to challenge and support pupils' mathematics

    6

    • Tasks and resources are just tools - they will not be effective if they are used inappropriately by the teacher
    • Use assessment of pupils' strengths and weaknesses to inform your choice of task
    • Use tasks to address pupil misconceptions
    • Provide examples and non-examples of concepts
    • Use stories and problems to help pupils understand mathematics
    • Use tasks to build conceptual knowledge in tandem with procedural knowledge
    • Technology is not a silver bullet - it has to be used judiciously and less costly resources may be more effective
  • Use structured interventions to provide additional support

    Use structured interventions to provide additional support

    7

    • Selection should be guided by pupil assessment
    • Interventions should start early, be evidence-based and be carefully planned
    • Interventions should include explicit and systematic instruction
    • Even the best-designed implementation will not work if implementation is poor
    • Support pupils to understand how interventions are connected to whole-class instruction
    • Interventions should motivate pupils - not bore them or cause them to be anxious
    • If interventions cause pupils to miss activities they enjoy, or content they need to learn, teachers should ask if the interventions are really necessary
    • Avoid 'intervention fatigue'. Interventions do not always need to be time-consuming or intensive to be effective
  • Support pupils to make a successful transition between primary and secondary school

    Support pupils to make a successful transition between primary and secondary school

    8

    • There is a large dip in mathematical attainment and attitudes towards maths as children move from primary to secondary school
    • Primary and secondary schools should develop shared understandings of curriculum, teaching and learning
    • When pupils arrive in Year 7, quickly attain a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses
    • Structured intervention support may be required for Year 7 pupils who are struggling to make progress
    • Carefully consider how pupils are allocated to maths classes
    • Setting is likely to lead to a widening of the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, because the former are more likely to be assigned to lower groups
  • General

    General Maths Information

Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Together logo
Lincolnshire Learning Partnership logo
Education Endowment Foundation logo
  • © 2021 Mobilise Project
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Website by Honcho Design