1. Mathematics Subject Leaders’ Network Meeting

2. Agenda:
Transition
The continuation of our previous conversations. How’s it going? Is there any more information that needs to be shared? Have you arranged any visits to each others’ schools?
Problem Solving and Reasoning through multiplication and division  
Each person to bring at least 2 examples (that you have used successfully in the classroom) of problems / resources / scenarios you have used in order to develop your pupils’ PS & R skills in multiplication and division.  
Lou to bring examples of how to enhance the pedagogical aspects of PS and R to enhance pupil resilience and independence. E.g. Questioning prompts; Reasoning progression etc etc
Updates
AOB – other future meeting agenda items

3. MSL Jobs – Autumn Term
All analysis from the previous academic year of:
Pupil data
Staff CPD needs identified for next year
Should have been put into place from the beginning of September. Evaluation of the impact of all work (interventions / CPD) should be carried out before the end of term.
Continuation of all aspects of monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in mathematics
Evaluation of evidence gathered through monitoring
Updating summary document for Maths SEF against current Ofsted expectations (A4 sheet ONLY)
Evaluation of Action Plan – evaluation of impact not whether actions have been carried out
Amending of Action Plan for next term as appropriate

4. Transition – continuation of previous discussion
How has the beginning of this year been? Do you need to share anything in preparation for later in the year?
How best can primary schools prepare pupils for their secondary experience?
Sharing of ideas / best practice / future steps

5. Problem Solving and Reasoning in Mathematics

6. By the end of the session:
Please choose 3 aspects you wish to trial in your own classroom in order to develop your pupils’ problem solving and reasoning skills

7. What is a problem?
A question is: A sentence, phrase or gesture that seeks information through a reply An exercise is: An activity carried out for a specific purpose A problem is: A situation that needs attention / any situation that invites resolution

8. Problem solving…..
Claxton, G (1999) Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning, London: Bloomsbury

9. Where’s the problem?
Why do our students generally find problem solving questions difficult?
What are the barriers?
What do we want pupils to be able to do?
What can we do about it?

10. Reasoning
What is reasoning?
Why do pupils find reasoning difficult?

11. Reasoning Step one: Describing: simply tells what they did.
Step two: Explaining: offers some reasons for what they did. These may or may not be correct. The argument may yet not hang together coherently.
Step three: Convincing: confident that their chain of reasoning is right. The underlying mathematical argument may or may not be accurate yet is likely to have more coherence and completeness than the explaining stage.
Step four: Justifying: a correct logical argument that has a complete chain of reasoning to it and uses words such as ‘because’, ‘therefore’, ‘and so’, ‘that leads to’ ...
Step five: Proving: a watertight argument that is mathematically sound, often based on generalisations and underlying structure.
Reference: nrich maths

12. Questioning Why do you think that …?
A teacher’s questions are central to the development of pupils’ reasoning.
Several different questions can be useful in probing pupils’ thinking:
Why do you think that …?
Can you explain why that is right?
How do you know?
Can you show me …?
Is there another way …?
What explanation do you think is best …?
Does it always work? Why?
What does this calculation represent?
What does this number represent?
Is this a sensible answer? Why?
Does this answer make sense with the question?
What would happen if I changed this bit?
Why don’t we… (insert misconception)

13. Problem Solving and Reasoning are closely linked
As teachers we support the process in 3 principle ways through:
Choice of task
Structuring stages of problem solving process
Explicitly and repeatedly providing students opportunities to develop key problem solving and reasoning skills.

14. Sharing of best practice
Sharing of 2 examples each (that you have used successfully in the classroom) of problems / resources / scenarios you have used in order to develop your pupils’ Problem Solving & Reasoning skills in multiplication and division.

15. Approaches to support the pedagogical aspects of Problem Solving and Reasoning to enhance pupil resilience and independence
Classroom ethos - what type of learner do I want to create?
Resources – in which way do I want my learners to learn?
How can I check that what I ‘think’ has been learned as really been learned?
How do I know?
How do I REALLY know?
What happens when I don’t have high enough expectations?

16. Key aspects of good or better teaching and learning in mathematics
Independence and resilience in learning of pupils fostered by ALL adults
And also:
Meeting the learning needs of all pupils
Pupil progress
Knocking down any walls! (Expectations)
Etc etc etc

17. Key findings in my experience
Where the teaching and learning of mathematics is at its best:
There is a buzz of independent learning where pupils are engaged in meaningful tasks based on the precise learning outcome(s) of the day / days
These tasks challenge their thinking and they relish it!
The classroom culture is one of trying, perhaps failing, but resiliently trying again maybe using something different.
The classroom environment supports this ethos.

18. Where this isn’t the case….
Tasks are given to pupils which have little or relevance to THEM or their learning needs. In other words they are built around the teacher’s needs rather than the pupils.
Pupils are not supported to fail and therefore tasks are ‘safe’.
The classroom environment is also ‘safe’ and displays and resources (including themselves and all adults) are not used to support independent learning by pupils.

19. How do we get the ‘buzz’?
Creating a learning culture in your classroom where we are all learning (including me!)
Letting go…..
Providing the resources to support their independence
On-going and in-depth knowledge of all your pupils
Creating tasks where they are challenged

20. End of the Session
Have you chosen the 3 aspects you wish to trial in your own classroom in order to develop your pupils’ problem solving and reasoning skills?

21. Maths Updates
Maths Mastery CPD Materials
White Rose Maths Barvember

22. Maths Updates (cont)
TES Resources:

23. Maths Updates (cont)
NCETM Secondary Assessment materials:
NCETM Newsletter:
Ofsted Handbooks updated (very slightly) October 2017

24. The Future
April 16th 2018

25. Future Training Needs
What aspect of your role as Mathematics Subject Leader do you find the MOST challenging?