Numeracy
Numeracy

Renfrewshire Council: Mental Agility

An image of a boy doing maths work

Overview

The project within Renfrewshire Council focused on the key elements of development - expectation, continuity and progression in numeracy - as well as providing support for teachers of numeracy.

The overall aim of the project was to refocus on numeracy using mental agility strategies to raise pupil motivation and to reintroduce enjoyment of mathematics by the pupils.

A pilot project was introduced involving three clusters (13 schools in total - three secondaries and 10 primaries).

Each of these schools received an invitation to a twilight session on mental agility with one and a half days' support from a leading consultant in numeracy and mental agility strategies also being provided. The consultant worked with the pupils in the classroom with teachers. The materials used in the support varied, but included the 100 plus board, 'show me' whiteboards and flashcards.

A vital part of the project was the provision of time for staff to discuss the use of the mental agility strategies. To facilitate this, twilight sessions were organised. These events proved very useful and it is planned to continue with these into next session. Staff valued the support from the consultant. The exchange of resources and strategies was also welcomed.

Impact

The pilot has made a significant impact on staff and pupils. Mental agility has been given a higher focus.

Impact on staff:

  • More interactive teaching
  • Greater confidence in using mental agility strategies
  • Less focus on 'textbook' lessons
  • Increased reflection on their practices - 'it’s good to talk'.

Impact on pupils:

  • More confidence and motivation is being shown when pupils are attempting mental maths
  • An increased enjoyment of maths.

Overall, there has been an increase in the pupils' fluency in mental agility, which in turn has increased the pace and challenge of learning and teaching. This has been enhanced by the approaches used to deliver the learning and teaching within the area of mental agility. These have included strategies from the Assessment is for Learning programme such as self and peer evaluation, wait time and questioning techniques.

The evidence shows that both pupils and staff are progressing together to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

The following Word file provides further details of the Renfrewshire Numeracy project:

Word icon Word file: Mental Agility report