At Mawgan-in-Pydar, we are developing a mastery approach to the teaching of mathematics with a specific focus on developing fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills. We use whole class teaching, taking pupils of all abilities through calculations and problems in detail, supported by high-quality resources. Teachers use their knowledge of the curriculum and the resources created by the 'White Rose Maths Hub', to embed the mastery approach.
Our statement of intent reads:
For every child to develop a sound understanding of Maths, equipping them with the skills of calculation, reasoning and problem solving that they need in life.
Our motto for teaching maths is:
Teach Learn Challenge Understand
This reminds us that the maths journey through fluency, reasoning and problem solving is clearly aimed at every child having a deep understanding of each mathematical concept.
Key features of this approach to teaching:
- Emphasis on problem solving and comprehension: children relate what they learn and connect knowledge.
- Careful scaffolding of core competencies:
o visualisation, as a platform for comprehension
o mental strategies, to develop decision-making abilities
o pattern recognition, to support the ability to make connections and generalise
- Emphasis on the foundations for learning and not on the content itself so children learn to think mathematically as opposed to merely reciting formulas or procedures.
Staff across the school have been developing a mastery approach to teaching Mathematics, using the White Rose planning framework, whereby every child is given the time to fully master each concept, before moving on, ensuring success for all learners. Children spend most lessons solving problems and working with concrete apparatus to fully understand abstract mathematical concepts. Any children who need additional input in order to consolidate a concept, have rapid and timely intervention from well-trained and passionate staff which ensures that the children are confident before moving on.
At Mawgan-in-Pydar we embrace technology to motivate and capture the imagination of our learners. Sumdog is popular with our pupils across the school to embed their learning while Times Table Rock Stars has children challenging themselves to improve their fluency on their rapid recall of the times tables. Times Tables Rock Stars is a carefully sequenced programme of daily times tables practice. Each week concentrates on a different times table, with a recommended consolidation week for rehearsing the tables that have recently been practised every third week or so. This format has very successfully boosted times tables recall speed for hundreds of thousands of pupils over the last 8 years in over 14,000 schools - both primary and secondary - worldwide.
Our maths subject leader works closely with Maths Mastery Specialist Shelley Beckerleg and attends Maths Hub Mastery Workgroups led Kim Rogers and Steve Proctor (Mastery Specialists) to ensure she is up to date in all aspects of mathematics teaching and learning.
