Strategies
In this section, different ways of approaching the teaching of problem solving strategies are considered. Teachers discuss the pros and cons of the ‘explicit’ and ‘implicit’ approaches. You can also see different strategies being taught at different stages, and find references to strategies that are not mentioned in the 5-14 Guidelines but which some schools have found appropriate and useful.
Approaches to teaching strategies
Here you can find out about two approaches to the teaching of strategies:
- In the implicit approach, teachers give their pupils a problem and, through discussion, an agreement is reached on which strategy or strategies have been used to solve it
- In the explicit approach, teachers believe that strategies should be explained and taught explicitly - at least when they are being met for the first time.
Examples of strategies at different stages
Many schools introduce only a few strategies at the infant level and increase the number as pupils move from stage to stage. There seems to be general agreement about the strategies suitable for introducing to infants, but the stages at which other strategies are introduced is often the choice of the school and the teachers. In this section you can find out about schools using strategies such as ‘Working together’, which are not mentioned in the 5-14 Guidelines.