The best mathematical tasks are often elegantly simple. Bells and whistles are not needed and, indeed, often they are distractions from the intended learning. To keep a task focused, thought should be given to the following questions: What do I want the children to learn?What might be the ‘bumps in the road’ that could cause […]
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Lucy Durrant, Assistant Head Teacher and Maths Lead at Winterbourne Junior Girls’ School in Croydon, tells us about how she and her colleagues use Inspire Maths and MyMaths to support their maths teaching. Tell us a bit about your school. Winterbourne Junior Girls’ School is a junior school in Croydon with over 270 pupils. In 2015 Ofsted rated […]
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As you’re probably already aware, a new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework will come into force in September 2019. You can get an overview of the new Framework in our blog post ‘The new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework: What’s changed?’ We’ve taken a closer look at the Framework, alongside the new School Inspection Handbook that Ofsted inspectors will be using, and have pulled out […]
Read moreLesson Study in Japan is a model of teacher-led research in which a group of teachers collaborate to target a particular area for development in their students’ learning. Based on their prior teaching, the group of teachers work together to research, plan, teach and observe a series of lessons, using ongoing discussion, reflection and expert […]
Read moreConsistent use of images supports the understanding of mathematical structures. The outstanding examples of this in mathematics have become ‘canonical’, that is part of the mathematical canon. At school level these canonical images are: number line; function graphs (thankyou Descartes); 2-dimensional combination grids (thankyou Omar Khayyam and Cayley); Venn diagrams (thankyou Cantor and Charles Dodgson). […]
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With problem solving and reasoning at the core of the mathematics curriculum, we recognise an increased emphasis on developing teaching styles where children are encouraged to think for themselves, explore strategies, communicate their thinking and discuss and debate with their peers. This can be in conflict with a belief that all learning in mathematics has […]
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I have been floating the idea of treating key mathematics ideas as handrails for teachers and students. Recently several positive comments about this perspective have floated back to me, so I am sharing the idea with you. In mathematics, teaching key ideas could be handrails. Handrails can be held, used as guides or supports, or […]
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We understand that maths anxiety can be a real concern for teachers, parents and children, which is why we are committed to finding ways to make everyone feel more positive about numbers. Derry Richardson, Head of Professional Development at Oxford University Press provides her top tips for helping combat maths anxiety in the classroom Being […]
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Sally Smith, Maths Lead and Year 6 teacher at Old Town Primary School in Hebden Bridge, tells us about how she uses MyMaths to support her maths teaching. Tell us a bit about your school and class.Old Town is a primary school in West Yorkshire with around 100 pupils. I currently teach Year 6 and prior […]
Read morePreparing students for the new A-level exams The first cohorts for the new linear Maths A-Level exams are well over halfway through, so our attention is now turning to how best to prepare for the upcoming exams. I’d like to reflect on some of the changes in A-level Maths that I think we should all […]
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