In a recent blog post , I talked about the way in which the much-praised Asian education systems are rethinking their ‘grades are everything’ approach to education. It is encouraging to see that they are beginning to realise the importance of a more holistic, child-friendly approach, though I worry that for some years we in the UK […]
Read moremaths
First, a bit of theory about learning. In 1980, Shlomo Vinner, an Israeli mathematics educator, coined the terms ‘concept image’ and ‘concept definition’ to highlight the difference between what students actually know about a concept and the formal meaning of the concept. David Tall, an English mathematician and educator, is credited with promulgating the term […]
Read moreAt Coldfall Primary School, we recently adopted the Inspire Maths programme and teachers are working hard to bring the ‘Singapore’ or ‘mastery’ approach into their lessons. But what does teaching for mastery look like in the Singapore classroom? How do teachers use textbooks and how do they ensure that children are appropriately challenged and supported? […]
Read morePupil progress shouldn’t be confused with curriculum pace: good progress in mathematics is not about moving on quickly Primary schools are still responding to significant changes to assessment and accountability put in place by the government over recent years. This started with the removal of National Curriculum levels and was followed by new key stage […]
Read moreIt’s not just academies and free schools that enjoy curriculum freedom: maintained schools have more flexibility than they think I am often asked at maths education events whether south-east Asian mastery is at odds with statutory curriculum requirements. Head teachers and maths co-ordinators in many schools yet to make the change to mastery state: ‘Our […]
Read more
Having a vision of mathematics, of what is possible in the way of appreciating and comprehending mathematics (distinct from simply gaining facility with arithmetic), is surely an important part of teaching people to think mathematically. One important aspect of mathematical vision is being aware of ubiquitous themes, and one theme that has been impressing itself […]
Read moreAs I travel far and wide, training and talking to teachers, common questions occur… How can we improve the mathematical reasoning skills of our pupils and how can we support them as well as gather evidence for it? To address these questions, firstly, we need to understand what mathematical reasoning is and understand why it […]
Read more
Isn’t it amazing how quickly and easily adolescents can learn the words of a song, and yet they struggle to remember mathematical formulae? Memory in mathematics is quite peculiar. In common with learning the words of a song, once you get started, it can be surprising how much comes back, but, as with songs, it […]
Read moreSo often in our work with teachers, we are asked what equipment we would recommend using with children and how we would use it. As a response to these questions we have put together some resources to help teachers develop children’s number sense. This was made possible by funding from the Nuffield Foundation which gave […]
Read more
Everyone is immersed in algebra because algebra is the expression and manipulation of generality. Whenever a generality is present, algebra is present too; wherever a generality is manipulated or varied, algebra is taking place. Whenever you purchase something, you are immersed in algebra. As a customer, you are interested in the final price, whereas the […]
Read more