Transcript Problem-solving approaches to teaching and learning in Maths Fran Wilson The Parkside Federation Excellence Innovation Collaboration.

Problem-solving approaches to
teaching and learning in Maths
Fran Wilson
The Parkside Federation
Excellence Innovation Collaboration
What does is mean to be good at
Maths?
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What does it mean to be good at Maths?
• You can analyse problems
• You can interpret descriptions
• You can work out what you don’t understand
• You can see when different ways of showing
something are related
Having these skills will mean that:
• You see how things work in general
• You are good at explaining what you think
• You ask good questions
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What it means to be good at Maths?
Which will mean that:
• You can work out which method you should use
• You can make links to real
life
• You can work out a way to
improve
So that:
• You can find a way to solve problems.
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Parkside Federation
• Two schools in central Cambridge –
Coleridge CC and Parkside CC
• Differing demographic of catchment
• Very different achievement levels in Maths
Coleridge A*-C – 33%, Parkside A*-C – 75%
(2005 cohort – first year of federation)
• Very different styles of organisation and
teaching.
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Parkside CC
• Mixed-ability classes
• Pupil-centred
exploration
• Problem solving
• Discussion and group
work
• Thinking Maths
• Three part lesson focusing on cognitive progress/
learning styles
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Coleridge CC
• Classes set by ability
• Teacher-led instruction based teaching
and learning
• Three-part lesson focusing on curriculum
content
• Practice heavy activities
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Ethos for Learning
• Students learn better from each other than
from their teacher
• Students have the ability to solve
problems if they are given the time to think
about them
• Students need to be able to work out what
to do independently to create their own
scaffolding
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Ethos for Learning
• Resolving conflict may require students to
struggle
• Discussing methods is crucial to increasing
understanding
• All students can benefit from the progress of
some students
• Students can approach learning in different
ways
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Ethos for Group Work
• Teachers help students to develop group
work strategies by allocating roles
• Students discuss how they’ve worked on
their role in the plenary
• Students set targets in their group on how
they will improve how they work together
in the future
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Group Roles
Each member of the group takes or is given one of
the following roles:
• Organiser
• Resource Manager
• Inclusion
• Understanding
The plenary is then used to discuss how the group
worked together, which roles they did well and
which they need to work on to improve.
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The Parkside Federation
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For example – first problem of the topic
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Plenary
• What did your group do well today?
• Did it help to have the group roles? How?
• What could your group do better in the
future?
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What happened?
• Realisation that you don’t have all the
information that you need
• Identification of what information is needed
• Different strategies for working together
• Successful completion of some of the task
• Discussion of process
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Excerpts from a lesson
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The answers!
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The changes
• Students more open to working things out for themselves
• Developing confidence in solving problems
• Greater commitment to achievement
• More positive approach to maths lessons
• Higher aspirations and belief
• All SEN students included into lessons and on track for
FFT estimates
• Better results!
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Coleridge Results - GCSE
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
D-U
C
B
A*/A
2007
64%
25%
6%
6%
2008
71%
20%
8%
0%
2009
48%
36%
14%
2%
2010
53%
24%
12%
10%
Est 2011
37%
27%
17%
19%
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Excellence Innovation Collaboration
Introducing to a new department
• What does is mean to be good at Maths?
• How to teach effectively using group
roles?
• What activities can be used?
• Reflection and review
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Effective Group Work
• Introduction of the group roles
• Use of discussion and plenary in lessons –
centre’s development on students taking
responsibility for learning
• Joint planning, teaching, observation and
review of group lessons in department
development time
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Issues and Concerns
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• Establishing group work early on with a
group – how would you set up the first
ever group lesson with a new class?
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• How to challenge students who see group
work as a ‘day off’?
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• How to group mixed ability groups so all
levels are learning and achieving?
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• How to organise seating arrangements in
a disruptive class (difficult to keep control
if not seated in rows)
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Excellence Innovation Collaboration
More information?
• [email protected]
• Nrich May Issue
• The Elephant in the Classroom – Jo
Boaler
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Excellence Innovation Collaboration