The Primary Mathematics Curriculum has been widely welcomed with its fresh focus on problem solving and, in particular, on ‘maths talk’. In this Making The Most of article we discuss the design of Folens ‘Maths My Way’ and how it can help your school deliver on these innovative approaches to learning.
I was recently asked to share my reflections on the new Mathematics Curriculum and, in particular, to write about ‘Maths Talk‘, which, along with a focus on ‘Problem Solving‘, helps make the new curriculum so innovative. As my teaching is now mainly focussed on school STEM challenges where developing questioning, inquiring and curious minds is key, I admit to already being a willing and excited convert to all the new ideas!
So why a new curriculum and how can new resources like Maths My Way help?
Why Maths Talk matters
It is positive, not negative.
I am reminded of my time as a recently qualified teacher, and finding a research report into ‘comments only marking’ that opened my eyes to the importance of actionable feedback and the role of talking positively about a child’s maths, rather than simply scoring it. It reminded me that what we say and do as teachers, influences a child’s view of themselves…. and subsequently, the adult.
From the training provided so far by OIDE, we know the big ideas the curriculum ask us to explore with ‘Maths Talk’ – encouraging students to articulate their thinking, explain their reasoning, and to engage in free and open mathematical discussion in class. These approaches all help to lower the stakes for children, activate peer to peer learning and enable more ways to access the ideas for more children. Sounds like a winner!
From my own perspective, how we talk and use words with students is fundamental to everything.
We should talk… lots!… and not just in Maths lessons!
Our ability to accurately understand both the situations and problems we face and to communicate any potential solutions, is highly contingent on the accuracy and scope of our vocabulary. It is difficult to understand something we can’t describe and we can’t easily describe something if we don’t have the right words. We need to practise this.
It is also through the students talking with me and with each other, that I can get a real insight into where they are at in their thinking at any moment.
Maths Talk is potentially our most powerful and immediate form of formative assessment. Before pencil even hits paper, we can already have an idea of where a student’s mind is at and redirect or focus. Maths Talk combined with resources like dry wipe boards makes for quick and detailed feedback.
There is perhaps some other ‘talk’ that is even more critical – the talk about why a particular problem is worth solving. It is through such ‘talk’ and the stories that we develop and share together in open class discussion, that children can connect authentic, real world situations that they can recognise to the abstract mathematical ideas we want them to learn.
Maths Talk is a great way to personalise a lesson to the children and give it meaning.
Finally, I observe that too many adults have somehow come to believe they are deficient in some way when it comes to maths.
There has clearly been some ‘failure’ of the curriculum in the past. I am hopeful that through these new approaches, we can find a way to finally tackle the countless unhelpful utterings of ‘I am no good at maths‘ that children may hear from parents and peers.
Maths My Way: ‘Maths Talk’ designed in
Let’s face it, lesson planning can take significant time and effort for teachers.
Developing new and engaging activities based on extended talk and vocabulary exploration brings new and potentially unfamiliar planning challenges for teachers. Fortunately, frameworks authored and tested by teachers in their own classrooms, are available and are valuable resources to help in transitioning to a new curriculum.
Maths My Way is newly developed and expressely written to the aims and ideals of the new curriculum, putting Maths Talk and Problem Solving at the centre of lessons and activities.
Let’s take a look.
Components of Maths My Way
In Maths My Way, the Maths Language is clearly listed in the fortnightly plans and explicitly taught and reinforced in each lesson.
A range of topical questions and conversation prompts are also there to help teachers probe understanding and activate the students’ prior knowledge in a low stakes way.
Maths My Way weekly plan with daily Key questions and Math Talks prompts highlighted.
TIP: The key questions are a great help as they guide you toward the appropriate discussion areas but we should remember that they are also starting points. You may want to extend them to stimulate more talking and questioning and invite children to share their own questions.
The key mathematical language and vocabulary is also listed in the fortnightly plans. As you progress through the units, the required coverage is guaranteed.
Key vocabulary listed in a Maths My Way two week plan.
TIP: If you are making classroom displays for a topic, you can use the Maths My Way vocabulary lists to create quick references for the children to consult any time in lessons.
Daily digital teaching slides consistently highlight the key language so that students become familiar with the terms and their use, saving hours of preparation and checking. A handy reference for teachers mid-lesson too!
6th Class Teaching Slides with vocabulary and discussion prompts.
Complex ideas are supported with Polypad interactions and animations that bring the words to life.
6th Class vocabulary explored using animation.
Maths My Way – Multigrade ready
Many of us will be familiar with the particular challenges of ensuring coverage and progression in a multigrade setting. Topics in Maths My Way have been carefully aligned so that a mixed age class can engage while focus and differentiation is optimal and the language and terms used in class, appropriate to all.
Maths My Way multigrade plans with aligned topics and activities
‘Maths Eyes’ – finding the maths all around us
A classic activity to bring children’s’ attention to maths in the real world and develop their vocabulary, is ‘Maths Eyes’. These inquiring, observational activities can take the form of posters or treasure hunts.
Maths My Way, provides teachers with a host of topic and seasonal centred interactive Maths Eyes Posters for discussion. There are samples online to try.
How about the Maths we can spot on a June Sports Day?
Here are some more you can try for the Christmas season with Class 2. https://folens.ie/pages/maths-eyes-posters-for-christmas
As well as being useful lesson resources in their own right, Maths Eyes is also an idea. Children can create or suggest their own Maths Eyes posters and take more ownership of their learning.
Maths Talk and Problem Solving
Most children are excited by tackling a puzzle or beating a hard level in a video game. They do seem to have a natural thirst for solving problems. This has perhaps been ignored for far too long as a key route to engagement.
It isn’t that children fail to see a solution, its often that they fail to see the problem clearly enough.
The talking and perspectives shared around a problem help reveal the details. The authors have worked to ensure Problem Solving is at the heart of every Maths My Way lesson. Unpicking a problem is half the battle. So the Maths Talk prompts provide ways to inquire and explore the problem with the correct terminology.
A problem well-stated is a problem half-solved!
Charles Kettering
Open ended design to grow young minds
For problem based content to engage and work well and to feel like a game to the children, the material must also be age appropriate, cognitively challenging and with a low threshold – so that all students can build confidence on early success. There also needs to be a high ceiling so that the conversation and dialogue can extend to the full ability of the class. This is quite the planning challange!
Teachers should already be familiar with the range of question styles encouraged in the OIDE training and they will be happy to find that these have been embedded into Maths My Way lessons and activities.
Hopefully you can see some ways that Maths My Way can support teachers in delivering the ideas and approaches encouraged by the new Primary Mathematics Curriculum in a structured and progressive way.
Let us know your thoughts or ideas about other topics you would like us to discuss in the comments. If you are signed into MyFolens, you are all set!
More about ‘Maths Talk’ on Teachers’ Corner
Our other teacher authors are equally excited by the opportunities the new curriculum provides for talk, play and problem solving. Check out what they have to say.
If you have not had a chance to check the excellent What’s the Math-er podcasts, I cannot recommend them highly enough – in depth, detailed and packed with ideas you can try and explore.
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