Moray Council - Maths projects
Background
Teachers had asked for guidance on how pupils learn to solve missing number problems such as '3 + □ = 8'. This type of problem is encountered early in P1 and teachers find that most pupils have great difficulty in solving them. Staff decided that their project would research 'Developmental Stages in Numeracy' so that they could assess their pupils and target learning and teaching appropriate to developmental levels. Pupil assessment would be cross-referenced to PIPS to establish any correlation. Initially two Learning and Teaching Officers worked with the principal teacher in Pilmuir who was also a teacher of P1.
Outcomes
- Learning and teaching targeted to appropriate developmental level
- Professional freedom to be creative in the way maths is taught in P1 and onwards
- Cross-referenced to PIPS assessment
- Raised awareness of developmental strategy
- Raised attainment
Evidence
A staff member says: 'The influence of the project is evident from the expansion beyond Pilmuir Primary, and into authority-wide CPD on Mental Strategies. Teachers in Pilmuir and those who have attended CPD sessions comment that the Developmental Structure is very useful in guiding the next steps for individual pupils and encouraging discussion of 'how' problems are solved rather than focusing on the answer.
'We are at an early stage in this development, so the impact on pupils is not yet measurable in terms of 5-14 assessment, but we have enabled teachers to avoid asking pupils to solve "3 + □ = 8" problems before they have reached the appropriate developmental level.
'Evaluations from CPD have been favourable. At this stage the impact has mainly been winning the hearts and minds of staff. We have demonstrated the approach to parents on Information Days and are encouraged by the positive responses. The assessments are an excellent professional development process, and feedback from staff that have begun to discuss strategies with pupils indicate that they are enthused by the insight this gives to the methods used by pupils.
'We feel we have achieved the criteria we had for success and are beginning to widen the scope across the authority.
'Next year's CPD and our plan to combine the Pilmuir project with our other LTS project on common order will take us to a new level of involvement.'
