How we teach Maths at KS1 and KS2

Stretton uses a Teaching for Mastery approach to support mathematical learning.  Mastery in Mathematics is:

• Representing concepts in multiple ways
• Communicating solutions using mathematical language
• Independently applying learnt concepts to new problems

 Teaching for Mastery at Stretton is based on 5 principles:

• Representation and Structure: Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract representations are exposed to children.  All classes have a range of concrete manipulatives for children to explore with.  Through instruction and guided practice, children use concrete materials to demonstrate learning pictorially and then in abstract form. This sequence gives children the opportunity to access the concept being taught so they understand why mathematical algorithms and procedures work.

• Mathematical Thinking: Taught ideas are not just received passively but are worked on to develop deep understanding.  Children are given an initial hook (problem) and time to explore possible solutions, reasoning and discussing with their peers and adults.  Children will be given opportunities to structure their ideas to the class, where connections and conjectures are begun to be made.

• Fluency: Children are given a range of opportunities to quickly and efficiently recall facts and procedures to then be able to use them in different contexts in Mathematics.  All children from Years 1-6 complete daily ‘Flashback 4’ tasks, which include a set of arithmetical questions containing a mix of current and previous learning.
                        

• Variation: Varying the way a concept is presented and varying practice questions so that mechanical repetition is avoided.  At Stretton, orientations of pictorial representations will be varied, missing number problems will feature in teaching and learning, and often children will be exposed to examples that display a concept as well as those that do not display it.

• Coherence: Learning is broken down into small steps.  There is a focus on one key point each lesson, which allows for deep and sustainable learning.  The sequencing of these steps is organised so that certain concepts are planned as important pre-cursors to later ideas.

What you will see in a Maths lesson:
 

• A typical Maths lesson is facilitated by the teacher, with all of the children in the class working on the same task at the same time.
• Maths lessons are organised so that children are working in mixed attainment pairs.

• Maths learning is not differentiated by task. Children who grasp concepts rapidly are further challenged through completing the Star and Greater Depth challenges before any acceleration through new content.  

• Those who are not yet fluent are given time to consolidate their understanding through the support of additional scaffolds, additional practice, and further guided practice before moving on.  Pre-teaching is also a tool used at the start of lessons to prepare children for upcoming learning.

• Key questions are used throughout the lessons to elicit reasoning and encourage deeper understanding.  Precise questioning is used so that teachers are able to identify those needing interventions so that all children can keep up.

• Teachers make effective use of interactive whiteboards to model concepts to children using high quality, carefully designed teaching slides.   Explicit teacher modelling of strategies and procedures through worked examples, with the teacher ‘thinking out loud’, forms an essential scaffold for pupil learning.

• Children are provided with carefully chosen concrete or iconic representations to support the development of conceptual and procedural fluency, with the aim of moving towards working in the abstract.

• Children hear the modelling of correct mathematical vocabulary, and these will be visible on working walls, which serve as a knowledge organiser for the concepts taught over the course of the year.

• Steps to Success for each lesson are constructed pictorially so that children have visual prompts when carrying out new learning of mathematical concepts.

• Arithmetical fluency has a dedicated time at the start of each Maths lesson. Flashback 4 and Fluent in 5 are implemented in each class as a means to store calculation procedures into the long-term memory.  Each class from Years 1-6 have access to Times Table Rockstars so that table facts can be practised regularly, with a Hall of Fame for those children achieving Rock Hero and Rock Legend statuses.