Kathleen: We're now seeing children more able to work in pairs, trios and groups throughout other areas of the curriculum. And I think it is with the – you could put they're being given responsibility for actually solving something through this particular maths period. But now when they go into group situations in other areas of the curriculum they are using the same language talking about things. In environmental studies, for instance, you might be saying “well how are we going to do this?” – “well why don't we make a list”. Now this Make a List is something that can be displayed on the classroom walls. And so we're now seeing that the strategies that are displayed in the classrooms are carrying over into other areas of the curriculum.
Fiona: I feel now that children are very able, through being asked to explain each step of what they've been doing, they are more able to explain the way they've thought through a process. And I think that's had an impact across the curriculum.
Robyn: They're more able to work together, the emphasis is more on group – the group product rather than the individual. There's more – they're not so bothered about who come up with the idea, it doesn't matter if it was their particular idea because they all feel like they're contributing towards that. They're all trying to help each other – it's fostering more of a sort of a helpful attitude amongst them. They're more able to listen to each other in all areas of the curriculum, they're more able to accept each other's ideas and to think that maybe they can use somebody else's idea, it doesn't always have to be their own idea. And it also helps to promote a more positive attitude towards getting things wrong – it doesn't matter if we get it wrong, what do we do about it?
Anne: Although we use problem solving initially in maths, and we use all the strategies, we – problem solving is a life skill and it's something that should really permeate all the other areas of the curriculum. For example, down in primary 1, children do problem solving when they're doing structured play, for example, with the sand and the water.