We embarked on this project, to broaden and develop the quality of teaching and learning within mathematics.
Our aims:
- To increase the children’s retention of mathematical concepts
- Improve the structure/ planning of our lessons
- To gain professional development by watching an NCETM specialist, furthermore, to share that world-class practice with our own colleagues
- To network with other boroughs and create links with other schools
We have been proactive in working with our colleagues to develop the teaching and learning of mathematics in our school. Staff CPD has centred around reducing the Cognitive Load for our students following the idea of ‘Keep up don’t catch up,’ a concept that is making waves through education and was a focus within our workgroup. We also wanted our staff to consider breaking down or ‘atomising’ the learning into purposeful steps and therefore a deeper retention of knowledge and skills (go slow now to go faster later).
Outcomes from the workgroup:
- Two sessions in school, with the Teaching for Mastery specialist, working with Year 1 and 2 to incorporate ‘S’ planning in order to structure learning to build on the previous lessons
- Up to date pedagogy about the developments in mathematics
- Access to a shared drive to liaise and share examples of good practice with other schools
- Teachers that are more confident to teach maths as they start with the foundations of knowledge and deepen the knowledge with purposeful reasoning
Future aspirations:
- To work with the whole school using ‘S’ planning and NCETM teaching for mastery template to drive the provision of maths forward. Atomising the learning and adapting the pedagogy accordingly
- Continue to develop Year 1 and 2 lesson design focusing on purposeful worksheets that progressively deepen learning
- Use our school’s Maths Progression Map to ensure children are developing core maths skills from Rec to Year 6 with an understanding of how this supports the ‘go slow now to go fastlater’ approach
- Focus on using variation within lessons to deepen learning and ensure children are equipped with the necessary skills to transfer and apply knowledge to different contexts