The Connective Model
Understanding mathematics involves identifying and understanding connections between mathematical ideas.
Developing Spatial Reasoning Pilot Project report 2024
Three Year 3 and 4 teachers each chose six under-resourced children for a small pilot project which aimed to improve the children’s attitude and self-belief in maths and their attainment. Spatial reasoning was chosen as the mathematical content as research has identified that it can impact not just on geometric understanding but also on number.
The children engaged in a workshop using pattern blocks and then they co-led a workshop for their peers back in class. Our findings revealed that despite the brevity of the project five children were more actively engaged, achieving more within their daily maths lessons and that one child had already improved their attainment. All the children commented favourably about their involvement and wanted to repeat the experience.
The children in each school created a presentation about the project:
Growth mindsets and mathematics – resources
- Faster Isn’t Smarter – Seeley
- Fluency without Fear – Boaler
- Math Anxiety – Ashcraft
- Mindsets and Math Science – Dweck
- Positive Classroom Norms – Boaler
- Psychological Prisons – Boaler
- The Perils and Promises of Praise
- Unlocking Childrens’ Maths Potential – Boaler
Collaborative Professional Development
Learning from the ICME international survey on teachers working and learning through collaboration
Many professional development projects, including ones set up by the maths hubs, involve teachers working and learning collaboratively.
In order to both support and challenge professionals who lead mathematics developments across the South West, Alison Clark-Wilson was invited to join the local PD network meeting in the summer term of 2017 and engage participants in exploring and furthering their understanding of collaborative working, through a collaborative process. The resulting report can be found below. We hope this is the start of many conversations about collaborative professional development, both locally and across the country.
Pre-Teaching and Assigning Competence
Supporting children to be active and influential participants in mathematics lessons through effective use of assigning competence and pre-teaching
Following a year-long action research project, funded by Devon County Council, Jurassic Maths Hub and Cornwall and West Devon Maths Hub, the report (available to download below) examines the impact of class teachers pre-teaching and assigning competence to vulnerable children, with the aim of supporting them to be active and influential participants in mathematics lessons.
The impact has been extraordinary. We have had the privilege of witnessing teachers change children’s lives through this project. Children who had no belief in themselves as learners in mathematics now believe in themselves, and are actively involved in their own learning and in the learning of others
What is pre-teaching?
Pre-teaching here is identified as additional individual or small group time with the teacher who will teach the lesson, in advance of the lesson. The focus of any pre-teach is on addressing the barriers the learners might have in accessing the lesson.