Maths

At Bealings, we want to behave as real mathematicians who love maths! Asking questions – “I wonder what will happen if?”  – seeing patterns in number and our world, making good guesses, predicting, visualising, testing theories, inventing methods, reasoning logically, examining results, did we achieve a solution? If yes, then we can proceed to test our method again to ensure it will always work!

If not, hmmm…let’s explore why not and see if a part of our theory needs changing or the whole theory ! We will be discussing, sharing our thoughts, methods and solutions.

This is the PROCESS! The process by which, in pairs, small groups or individually, we are empowered and enjoy being in a mathematical mystery,  and inventing ways to possible solutions.

These can then be tried out to see if they always work. If they do, then we will understand how to solve similar problems using this method because we invented it!

And, as we understand it, we will have learnt it!

It will be part of our long-term memory.

The teacher’s role will be to have built on previous experiences of the children and “scaffold” their thinking with appropriate comments, questions, resources and encouraging feedback.

The emphasis is on the thinking and reasoning process to arrive at a solution, rather than memorising a method to get the answer.

The children will be developing their curiosity and skills of asking questions, discovering patterns, theorising, inventing methods, visualising, reasoning, trial and improvement, working systematically, evaluating methods and solutions!

In KS1 much time is given to exploring maths and children developing their own methods, allowing for the growth of deep roots in mathematical thinking, processes and intuitions.

Mathematical equipment and apparatus to enable understanding is always available, but less needed as the children grow as mathematicians. Mathematical thinking tends to progress through the stages of Concrete to Pictorial to Abstract as the children develop.

Through KS2, more sophisticated branches of understanding can now grow, leading to investigations of most effective methods and models, quicker and more elegant solutions.

Maths Progression Map