1. Maths at Parkwood schools federation
EXCITING CHANGES ARE AFOOT HC

2. CHANGES TO THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM
HIGHER DEMANDS ON YOUNGER CHILDREN – SATS RESULTS
ENSURING OUR CHILDREN MEET THESE EXPECTATIONS WITHOUT THEM FEELING THE PRESSURE AND STILL ALLOWING THEM TO ENJOY THEIR LEARNING.
BEING FLUENT IN THEIR ARTHIMETIC;
REASONING MATHEMATICALLY AND SOLVING PROBLEMS
CURRICULUM IS BASED ON PRACTICE FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Hc

3. BIG INVESTMENT = BIG CHANGES
SINGAPORE APPROACH (FROM LAST PLACE TO FIRST PLACE)
INCORPORATES IDEAS WE VALUE AT PARK WOOD
EVERYONE CAN DO MATHS
GROWTH MIND-SET: YOU ARE CAPABLE OF GROWING YOUR OWN INTELLIGENCE WITH PRACTICE AND EFFORT.
NOT RELIENT ON MEMORISATION AND ROTE LEARNING. AVOIDS DRILL AND PRACTICE.
CHILDREN WILL MOVE FORWARD AT BROADLY THE SAME PACE WITH ALL SKILLS AND CONCEPTS NO MATTER HOW CHALLENGING IT MAY BE FOR INDIVIDUALS. HC

4. IMPROVEMENT FOR ALL PUPILS
Able learners in the maths curriculum should experience a deep, rich, rigorous and challenging mathematics education rather then being accelerated through too early
This approach is focused on depth of learning rather than early progression
An able learner should be able to communicate mathematically and develop problems solving skills
They are encouraged to dig deeper into their understanding. Hc

5. HOW DOES IT WORK? THINKING SKILLS TO BE DEVELOPED
HEURISTICS WILL BE TAUGHT TO GIVE CHILDREN STRATEGIES FOR WORKING THROUGH PROBLEMS (DRAW A DIAGRAM; MAKE A LIST; GUESS AND CHECK; LOOK FOR PATTERNS; WORK BACKWARDS; SOLVE PART OF THE PROBLEM ETC)
THE USE OF A VARIETY OF MANIPULATIVES IN EVERY LESSON PROVIDES CHILDEN WITH THE CONCRETE EXPERIENCES THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND CHALLENGING CONCEPTS.
EVERY LESSON INCLUDES PLENTIFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN TO APPLY SKILLS IN EVERYDAY LIFE CONTEXTS.
REFLECTIONS AT THE END OF THE LESSON WILL IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO ARTICULATE THEIR LEARNING. RR
The Singapore maths approach has been proven to improve childrens mathematical reasoning skills. It enables children to learn stratagies to help them to logically work through problems. In case you didn’t know heuristics means process or method. The children work through a variety of problems and learn to apply them in different situations both real and imagined. All children from EYFS right through to year 6 use manipulatives (which are basic physical objects), this then moves on to pictorial representations of those physical objects and finally they move on to abstract ideas. The reason every child goes through these 3 stages is that this approach ensure the children develop skills such as visualisation, to support them when they do begin to solve abstract problems.

6. WHAT IS THE THEORY? RR Based on Jerome Bruner-
This stems from the work by Jerome Bruner.
Concrete Pictorial Abstract
children are able to ‘see the Maths’
You need to think, ‘What way can I present this which will get everyone to do it?
Remember concrete helps them to understand it- not make it easier.
Pictorial is the bridge between concrete and abstract- make sure you are not just moving through the mechanics.
The children have to understand the concrete phase to move on.
They will understand the abstract through the concrete and pictorial.
When reaching abstract concepts, the concrete and pictorial should be used alongside this.
By constant use of concrete materials, children will begin to have a greater understanding of numbers to ten. If you had eight cubes in an egg box with ten dips, you could ask children to tell you what they know about 8. Just by looking at the egg box they will be able to tell you 8 is two less than ten; is 8; 8 is less than 10 etc.

7. STRUCTURE OF A LESSON ANCHOR TASK LET’S LEARN
( Class given a problem to solve)
LET’S LEARN
( Teacher guides them in the approach or Strategy to use)
GUIDED PRACTICE -20 minutes
(With a partner or group)
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE-15 minutes
REFLECTIONS- What have I learned? How do I know?
JF- Structure of the lesson
Watch video to see basic structure to a lesson.
Text books and work books to be looked through by TAs.
Anchor Task (10 minutes):
This should be a hands-on experience where children explore a question posed. Children should have manipulatives to use. Prior to the lesson you should have considered ways in which children may attempt to work out the answer and provide necessary manipulatives. Teachers should use this time to observe the approaches of the children- do not question or guide them in any way. Remember this is an interruption and will disrupt the process.
Let’s Learn (15 minutes):
This should be considered an ‘excuse to discuss’.
During this time you draw their ideas together from the anchor task by looking at the ways they have approached the task. Talk about what they know and then model the approach given in the ‘Let’s Learn’ section of the text books. Books are a support. There is nothing wrong with bringing the book to life to make it interesting for the children; the example used in the training was telling stories about the ladybirds flying away as a way of teaching 5 - 2= 3. Feel free to alter the noun in the stories. This concept could be completed with children in hoops, using cupcakes or include your project focus e.g. mini beasts; just stick to strategies.
Guided Practice (20 minutes):
This should be carried out as a hands on group activity. Children should be applying the method that you have used in the ‘Let’s Learn’ section (2- 6 questions). This should be done in groups or pairs. Some lessons include an ‘Activity Time’ section. Don’t get hung up on if the children reach a solution in the time. Think: did they practice the skill? If they did, then it’s ok that they didn’t reach a solution.
Children work on their own. Independent learning is completed from the work books; books give you variation from question to question. Resources may not always be needed in this section but should be readily available should the children still need to use them. Extend those who finish early with mastery questions. Piaget was a great advocate of the fact it is better to have five ways to answer one question than one way to answer five questions. This way our children will develop persistence, be resilient and never give up. This can be used as a form of differentiation e.g. find different ways to add three numbers (Year 2)
REMEMBER: do not extend the child by moving to the next day’s objective. NEVER just make numbers bigger!
Everyone does the same questions. Struggling learning would continue to use the concrete. As much as concrete resources are not allowed to be used in SATs, they will have the skills to draw pictorial representations of their concrete experiences.
While individuals are working on finding multiple ways to approach one question, strugglers aren’t left behind as they have to time to strengthen and deepen their own understanding through more time spent using manipulatives.
Remember, mastery does not mean moving on to the next objective. It means extending the existing one to test their knowledge. The more ways the children practice something the more depth there will be in their knowledge
Is there enough opportunity for challenge?
Key questions can be used to challenge understanding:
Why is that so?
Can you prove it….?
Is there another way?
Is it true that….?
How do you know…?
True or false, if I…..?
Can you explain how….? LM
Anchor task – area of a rectangle (tangrams needed)

8. IMPACT ON TEACHING AND LEARNING
CONSISTENT APPORACH TO TEACHING MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND CONCEPTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF THE SINGAPORE APPROACH – NOT JUST FOR CALCULATIONS.
CHILDREN WILL BECOME FAR MORE INDEPENDENT IN THEIR LEARNING. THEY WILL DEVELOP TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS
SLOWER DELIVERY OF SKILLS WILL ALLOW FOR CONFIDENT APPLICATION IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS RELATED TO LIFE.
MIXED ABILITY TEACHING FOR ALL YEAR GROUPS (DECISION BASED ON RESEARCH FINDINGS). EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AT THE SAME PACE. JF

9. IMPACT ON LEARNING AND TEACHING
WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE
OUR CHILDREN WILL HAVE THE SKILLS TO CLIMB OUT OF THE PIT! JF

10. WHAT’S IN FOR PARENTS?
ACCESS TO ONLINE VIDEOS AND GUIDANCE TO HELP YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD WITH LEARNING.
BASED ON SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOPS IN THE PAST, WE WOULD LIKE TO RUN WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS IN THE FUTURE WHICH PROVIDE PARENTS WITH THE SKILLS TO HELP THEIR CHILD WITH SPECIFIC AREAS OF MATHS.
CONFIDENT CHILDREN AND HAPPY CHILDREN. RR

11. The south Asian ‘mastery’ approach to teaching maths is set to become a standard fixture in England’s primary schools, thanks to a major expansion announced by Schools Minister Nick Gibb in the Summer. HC
This isn’t just our school, this method of teaching and learning is going to be rolled out to all schools in the country in the foreseeable future. We are now one of few schools in the area to adopt this approach. We are hoping that by adopting this early we will be able to give our children the best opportunity to become confident and able mathematicians.
The Kent and Medway Maths Hub which operates from the Joseph Williamson Trust involving lead teachers from the Maths School are responsible for developing this approach in Medway.