Aberdeenshire Council: Active Learning in Numeracy

Objectives

The overall aims of the project were to:

• increase teacher confidence
• establish links within and between schools
• develop/extend activity-based contexts for learning beyond P3
• raise the profile and value of activities/games in a numeracy context
• encourage enjoyment and independence in learning
• support the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence.

Activity-based approaches to numeracy are designed to support children’s understanding of the number system. They make mathematics fun and help teachers to identify areas of uncertainty or confusion. Observing children involved in counting games and activities helps to determine children’s levels of confidence with number skills, and supports formative assessment.

Key findings

• The activity-based games served to support and enhance existing approaches to the teaching of numeracy (Ginn Abacus Maths).
• Children and teachers were enthused and motivated by the games and activities.
• Children showed awareness of how the games and activities supported their learning in numeracy and were able to apply what they had learned to other areas of the mathematics curriculum.
• The whole-class activities could be easily differentiated and were, therefore, very inclusive.
• The games helped to reinforce the use of correct mathematical language (‘factor’, ‘array’, etc).
• The games and activities served as very useful formative-assessment tools, allowing the teacher to identify areas of weakness in core mathematical concepts.
• The children demonstrated increasing confidence in mathematics and a greater willingness to ‘have a go’.
• The games and activities were still being used in many classrooms beyond the initial project period.
• The children still look forward to whole-class number work, with Count Around and Magi Mixer being particular favourites.
• They have greater confidence and belief in their own mathematical ability, and many now see that mathematics can indeed be fun.
• The children are applying the strategies and skills that they have learned as they progress through the mathematics curriculum, and they are aware of how these games can support their understanding of mathematics. 

Comments from pupils included:

'I really enjoyed target maths, it was really fun. Being against the clock made me go faster (something I didn’t know I could do!). I’m definitely looking forward to next time we do it. It was really good.'

'I really like target maths because you have to be quick and I want to do it again.'

‘I enjoyed Four’s a Winner because it’s lots more fun and it really gets you thinking. It’s the best maths game I’ve played.’

‘Four’s a Winner was fun because you were playing a game but also using your times tables.’

‘I thought Four’s a Winner was easy because you just had to think about one type of maths.’

‘Giants is really fun and very competitive. It is quite easy though. You could make it harder by using bigger numbers.’

‘It was fun but hard because sometimes you had to do sums that you did not know.’

Future developments

Almost all the pupils enjoyed the counting games and the new mathematics activities. There was a mixed response from staff. 

In some classrooms, teachers went ahead with confidence and changed aspects of classroom practice. They have continued to use the games and strategies beyond the project time, for example 'Have a go' notebooks are used consistently to support all areas of numeracy. They have encouraged active involvement in new learning and teaching of number skills.

In some classrooms the activities and games were used during the project and have occasionally been used in more recent weeks. In some classrooms there is still a reliance on schemes and textbooks. There is an increase in confidence in pupils and an increase in use of mathematical language.

We hope that with time there will be further use of these fresh approaches, leading to greater enthusiasm, confidence and success in the teaching and learning in numeracy.

Staff from Newmachar and Dunnottar have already shared their experiences with some staff from other schools interested in developing numeracy activities in a similar way. CPD workshops were held across Aberdeenshire with over 300 teachers attending. The games and strategies are being implemented in many schools with some creative use of resources, for example supporting Active Parent Partnerships.  We hope it will be possible for this sharing of practice to be extended in 2007-08.