Curriculum Evening – Mental Maths

25th February 2016

Five core elements of mental agility: Real life contexts Mental flexibility Estimation Number discussion Modelling mental strategies Providing our learners with a “Number

Toolkit” of strategies to apply across their mathematical learning.

What is mental agility/maths?

Relating mathematical questions to the real life world – asking pupils to connect their learning from in school to their own lives.

Worded problems within a variety of real life contexts.

Skills for life, learning and work. For example:Applying number skills when in supermarket – calculations to help work out “Buy One Get One Free” or discounted prices/train station times/percentages of amounts/fractions related to everyday shapes etc.

Real life contexts:

Quick fire recall of number facts to apply across mathematical thinking.

Known times tables facts which aid the development of multiplication and division.

Increased confidence overall in maths. Knowing which strategy is the most efficient

strategy to apply to a given calculation.

Mental flexibility

Knowing a rough “guess” and having the skills to eliminate inaccurate answers or suggestions.

Skills to justify why these should be eliminated

Quick and efficient strategies Rough guess which is then checked using

appropriate strategy.

Estimation

Doubles and near doubles/halving Partitioning Counting on and back Bridging and Adjusting Complements of numbers Factoring

Number discussion:

Scaffolding – building on prior knowledge – what do we already know?

Applying to known facts – number bonds to 20 and beyond, addition and subtraction facts, times tables facts with related division facts.

Teacher and pupils demonstrating and sharing thinking and successful strategies and how to apply them.

Modelled mental strategies:

Number Talks embedded across the whole school (daily)

Mental Maths also included in mathematical learning (daily)

Mental maths skills also applied in over contexts across the school.

Variety of challenges Links to Problem Solving Sumdog – ICT support. Variety of resources.

How we teach mental maths?

What does mental maths look like in Midcalder?

Using 100 squares to calculate factors of

numbers.

Applying a variety of different strategies

to mental multiplication tasks

High quality pupils dialogue when

completing given mental maths challenges.

Group tasks to support

understanding of prime numbers…

Successful learning – showing 8 differing

strategies and sharing an

explanation to allow other to

use them.

Applying NUMBER TALKS strategies

to show how many different ways I

could calculate an answer.

Raising attainment Boosts overall maths confidence “Have a go” ethos across the school

encouraging pupils to develop their mathematical discussion and vocabulary – encourages and promotes resilience towards learning.

Allows teachers to gauge misconceptions and assess where pupils are in their learning, leading to individualised next steps for improvement.

Benefits

At Mid Calder Primary the children experience 3 days of number work and 1 Day of topic maths. These lessons will follow this structure:-

Number Talks Mental Starter Teacher Talk Learning Activities Effective Plenary

A typical Mid Calder Maths Lesson

The learning intention is what learners should know, understand or be able to do by the end of a learning experience. The focus should be on what is to be learned as opposed to the task, activity or context.

The success criteria gives details of how pupils will achieve the Learning Intention.

Sharing our Learning Intention and Success Criteria

LI: We are learning about improper fractions and mixed numbers

SC: I can explain what improper fractions and mixed numbers are and can give examples of both

SC: I can change a mixed number into an improper fraction by changing the whole number into appropriate fraction parts and adding on the remaining fraction

SC: I can change an improper fraction into a mixed number by working out how many whole ones can be made from the parts

Sharing our Learning Intention and Success Criteria

Teacher Talk/Learning approaches

Station 1 Teacher Table

Station 2 Sum Dog

Station 3 Game Station

‘You get more help because we are in smaller groups and I get less nervous asking for help if I need it.’

‘I like that the teacher can concentrate on group and then Mrs Brown (PSW) can help with the other.’

‘We all help each other and it’s fun when one of the children become the teacher.’

‘We get to do something different at every station, but we are using the same skills. We learn more from this, because we are on the netbooks, then play a game and then build up to practicing the skills on paper.’

‘We know it’s not just the answer that is important, but the strategy we use to get there.’

Why stations?

Offers an environment for children to be supported and challenged.

Opportunities for problem solving and a chance to apply learning to real life contexts.

Self and Peer assessment Quality Feedback related to LI and SC – supports

them in making their next steps Gather a variety of assessments allowing teachers

to adapt future teaching Opportunities for quality plenaries

Teacher Station

Sum Dog

Motivating Mental agility Problem solving approaches Estimation and reasonable answers Independent learning Accessible at home and school

Tracking Mental Agility   Sept 2015 Oct 2015 Nov 2015 Jan 2016  Addition &

Subtraction Addition & Subtraction of decimals

Multiplication 4 Operations

Pupil 1 48% 60% 66% 94%Pupil 2 64% 84% 85% 100%Pupil 3 11% 60% 88% 91%Pupil 4 30% 88% 91% 96%Pupil 5 56% 61% 95% 82%Pupil 6 64% 77% 80% 88%Pupil 7 58% 92% 95% 100%

Weekly assessments

Improved confidence, speed and accuracy

Children want to improve

Game/ Activity Station

This can be working independently, with a pupil support worker or in pairs or a team.We use Heinemann active maths activity cards and gameboards, concrete materials, make things such as times table flash cards, make up own games for peers, use dice, packs of cards, teaching clocks, number squares etc.All activities are linked to the learning intentions and success criteria of each lesson.Pupils are asked to give opinions on games, what were the challenges with the tasks, how could we make them even more challenging etc.Discussions often occur during games relating to strategies to use, feelings of own abilities about the task, peers supporting each other and explaining different ways to do things.

Ask pupils questions when completing shopping tasks/receipts calculations.

Estimation and budgeting of pocket money/allowance.

Link to percentages of discounts of money. Using number process to calculate time

durations. Times tables practice. SUMDOG challenges and tasks at home. Homework support

How can you support your child at home?

There are a range of useful websites which can easily be accessed at home – these can offer different types of questions/mathematical topics for discussion.

These can be accessed on our school blog where links to websites can be found.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/wl/mcps/

Useful websites

Thankyou for attending this evening. We hope you have found this session

interesting. If you would now like to examine a variety

of resources which are being used in school, please move to the studio to have a browse.

Please feel free to ask staff members any questions.

Thankyou