Mathematics
Mathematics is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. At The Richmond School we believe that all children can achieve in Mathematics whilst becoming fluent, resilient and reflective when exploring concepts. We use Maths No Problem - an approach to teaching maths developed in Singapore.
Singapore established a new way of teaching maths following their poor performance in international league tables in the early 1980’s. The Singapore Ministry of Education, decided to take the best practice research findings from the West and applied them to the classroom with transformational results.
Problem solving is at the heart of Maths No Problem. The focus is not on rote procedures, rote memorisation or tedious calculations but on relational understanding. Pupils are encouraged to solve problems working with their core competencies, such as visualisation, generalisation and decision making. In summary:
Singapore established a new way of teaching maths following their poor performance in international league tables in the early 1980’s. The Singapore Ministry of Education, decided to take the best practice research findings from the West and applied them to the classroom with transformational results.
Problem solving is at the heart of Maths No Problem. The focus is not on rote procedures, rote memorisation or tedious calculations but on relational understanding. Pupils are encouraged to solve problems working with their core competencies, such as visualisation, generalisation and decision making. In summary:
- Based on research and evidence.
- It builds students’ mathematical fluency without the need for rote learning.
- It introduces new concepts using Bruner’s Concrete Pictorial Abstract (CPA) approach.
- Pupils learn to think mathematically as opposed to reciting formulas they don’t understand.
- Teaches mental strategies to solve problems such as drawing a bar model.
How are lessons taught?
Concepts merge from one chapter to the next. Chapters are then broken down into individual lessons. Lessons typically are broken into three parts and can last one or more days. Pupils master topics before moving on.
The three parts to a lesson are:
There is more in-depth information around each part of the lesson available from the link below:
The three parts to a lesson are:
- Exploration Task and Structured Discussion – the entire class spends time on a question guided by the teacher. The children are encouraged during this time to think of as many ways as possible to solve the question as possible. Children record their findings and ideas in a Maths Journal.
- Guided Practice – practice new ideas in groups, pairs or individually guided by the teacher. Children journal their responses and explore the methods used and why.
- Independent Practice – practice on your own. Once children have mastered the concept they use their reasoning and problem solving skills to develop their depth of learning.
There is more in-depth information around each part of the lesson available from the link below:
What impact will Singapore Maths have on our children?
- Children will have a greater conceptual understanding of number and calculation. They will be able to visualise and generalise more readily due to a more in-depth understanding.
- Struggling learners will be fully supported through accessing concrete equipment and use of visual models to support understanding.
- Confident learners will be challenged through exposure to unfamiliar problems, development of reasoning skills and by exploring multiple ways to manipulate numbers and solve problems.
- All learners will access teaching of content which matches the expectations of the new curriculum in England and be supported further, if needed, in order to access this. The resources match the expectations for formal written methods set out by the Government, alongside greater understanding.
What is covered when?
SEND
Whole-class teaching rather than setting by ability can benefit all types of learners, especially children with SEN, because in group work, they are exposed to multiple methods and different ways of thinking. Learners can explain the concepts to each other using their own natural language. Also, if all pupils are encouraged to collaborate, it can build confidence as there is less pressure than when working in isolation. Each stage of a Maths — No Problem! lesson: exploration, structured discussion, practice, journaling, and reading can be used to support children struggling with maths and in particular children with a specific learning difficulty. During exploration, children are learning to work together while investigating the anchor problem. Pupils with SEN will benefit from this social environment and the opportunity to learn from their peers. All pupils are learning to be independent of an adult and it gives the teacher time to formatively assess all pupils, so they can quickly and clearly address any misconceptions, potentially during structured discussion. This helps teachers to move pupils from less sophisticated strategies to more advanced ones. During reading, the textbook can be seen as another pupil’s journal, and it can be used as a scaffold for how to set out calculations. It can also be used to model methods and mathematical language.
The programme has been designed with visualisation, creativity and pattern spotting in mind, which all play to a child’s strengths. Everything in the Maths — No Problem! resources, from language, numbers, fonts, colours and page layout have all been chosen to not only maximise clarity, but to also minimise clutter, confusion, and distraction. To encourage all pupils to have a strong sense of number, start by using ten frames to help children develop instant recognition of numbers up to ten. Then progress on to looking at number bonds of lots of different numbers rather than just number bonds of ten. Emphasise the need for estimation as a stage in problem-solving and question children from a young age on the ‘reasonableness’ of their answer. Promote generalisation in class by asking children what they know already and how this can help them solve new problems.
The programme has been designed with visualisation, creativity and pattern spotting in mind, which all play to a child’s strengths. Everything in the Maths — No Problem! resources, from language, numbers, fonts, colours and page layout have all been chosen to not only maximise clarity, but to also minimise clutter, confusion, and distraction. To encourage all pupils to have a strong sense of number, start by using ten frames to help children develop instant recognition of numbers up to ten. Then progress on to looking at number bonds of lots of different numbers rather than just number bonds of ten. Emphasise the need for estimation as a stage in problem-solving and question children from a young age on the ‘reasonableness’ of their answer. Promote generalisation in class by asking children what they know already and how this can help them solve new problems.
What else do we offer in maths?
Maths Blast
Three times a week children will have a 'Maths Blast' session with their class teacher for around 20 minutes. These sessions are to revise concepts that have already been taught, to support teachers to assess what children can do while they attempt activities not at the point of teaching in normal Maths lessons. It also allows children to revise and re-visit concepts and receive support if they need this. Maths Blast will usually have children working on their fluency with calculation or fact recall activities but these may be adapted by teachers to match the specific needs of each class or group.
Times Tables Rockstars
Times Table Rockstars is an online game that helps children become fluent in their times tables. Children create their own avatar to become a rock star, navigating their way through a variety of different rockstar battles to build their speed and knowledge of their multiplication facts whilst earning coins to buy themselves items for their character. Children compete against each other on the 'Rock speed' leader board and we compare our average to that of other local schools. When children achieve a rock speed under 1 second, they receive their 'Rock Hero' status and certificate in our celebration service on a Friday!
Children can access TTRS from home here:
Three times a week children will have a 'Maths Blast' session with their class teacher for around 20 minutes. These sessions are to revise concepts that have already been taught, to support teachers to assess what children can do while they attempt activities not at the point of teaching in normal Maths lessons. It also allows children to revise and re-visit concepts and receive support if they need this. Maths Blast will usually have children working on their fluency with calculation or fact recall activities but these may be adapted by teachers to match the specific needs of each class or group.
Times Tables Rockstars
Times Table Rockstars is an online game that helps children become fluent in their times tables. Children create their own avatar to become a rock star, navigating their way through a variety of different rockstar battles to build their speed and knowledge of their multiplication facts whilst earning coins to buy themselves items for their character. Children compete against each other on the 'Rock speed' leader board and we compare our average to that of other local schools. When children achieve a rock speed under 1 second, they receive their 'Rock Hero' status and certificate in our celebration service on a Friday!
Children can access TTRS from home here:
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