Poems, Puzzles, Pictures and Problem-solvingThe 4 Ps of Primary School Mathematics

28 December 2014

Payal MalhotraCurriculum Specialist

Scholastic India

Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO, Arcelor Mittal

Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and CEO, Pepsico

Harish Manwani, COO, Unilever

Shantanu Narayan, CEO, Adobe

Atul Singh, Group President of Asia, Coca Cola

Ajay Banga, President and CEO, Mastercard

Piyush Gupta, CEO, DBS Group Holdings and DBS Bank

Who Are These People? What Do They Have In Common?

Problems in Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

• A curriculum that disappoints both a talented minority as well as the non-participating majority at the same time,• Crude methods of assessment that encourage

perception of mathematics as mechanical computation, and

• Lack of teacher preparation and support in the teaching of mathematics.

A sense of fear and failure regarding mathematics among a majority of children.

Position Paper, National Focus Group on Teaching of Mathematics, NCERT

The process of learning mathematics

Primary Mathematics Teaching and Learning Syllabus, Ministry of Education, Singapore, 2012

Global Best Practices in Learning of Mathematics

1. Learning to mastery – focus on concept development

Holiday Spirit

Holiday Spirit

Pearly Whites

Pearly Whites

Use symmetry to see 8 groups of 7 pearls.

To multiply by 8, double three times: 7 doubled once is 14, doubled twice is 28, doubled three times is 56.

8x7=7+7 + 7+7 + 7+7 + 7+7

7

+7

+14

Mrs Kohli has 3 cakes.

She divides them equally among her 4 children.

How much cake does each child get?

Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract Approach

1

2 3

The Best of Times

The Best of Times

Global Best Practices in Learning of Mathematics

2. Cross curricular learning

Math Art

Math Art

Global Best Practices in Learning of Mathematics

3. Development of mathematical thinking

• Enjoy learning mathematics • Learn the importance of mathematics• View mathematics as something to talk about,

communicate, discuss among themselves and work together on

• Pose and solve meaningful problems

Move 3 sticks to make 3 squares.

Move 3 sticks to make 3 squares.

Move 3 sticks to make 3 squares.

What do I need to form?What are the properties of a square?

How many sticks do I have to move?

What were you thinking as you were doing this activity?

Move 3 sticks to make 2 squares.

Move 3 sticks to make 2 squares.

Move 3 sticks to make 2 squares.

• What was this activity?• What knowledge and skills are required to carry out this

activity?

DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICAL THINKING

Global Best Practices in Learning of Mathematics

4. Consistent Formative Assessment

Consistent Formative Assessment

• When the chef tastes the soup, it is formative assessment, when the guests taste the soup, it is summative assessment!

• Formative assessment is an important part of teacher learning and teaching.

• Formative assessment should be frequent, meaningful and informal.

Grade 1 Journal Task: Addition and Subtraction up

to 20

Answer of Pupil A

Susan says that 12 + 3 is the same as 3 + 12

Is she right?

Why? You can write or draw to show me.

Answer of Pupil B

Best Practices: Formative Assessment and Developing

Metacognition

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5. Problem Solving is central – process

and method

Model method – an effective problem

solving tool

Focuses on the problem-solving process

Emphasises problem solving

4-step problem solving process helps students develop confidence in problem solving

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Focuses on the method required to solve the problem – teaches students the heuristics for mathematical problem solving including the model method

Emphasises problem solving

The model method

Draw a picture

Surbhi read 10 pages of a book on Monday. She read 1/3 of the remainder on Tuesday. If she still had 24 pages to read, how many pages were there in the book? (G5)

How many pages did she read on Monday?

Divide the remainder into 3 equal parts.

What fraction did she read on Tuesday?

How many pages were unread?

What do I need to find?

2 units 241 unit 123 units 36

36 + 10 = 46

There were 46 pages in the book.

The Model Method: An effective problem solving tool

Thank You!

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"If we teach today's students as we did yesterday's, we are robbing them of tomorrow." — John Dewey