ACTION RESEARCH: PUPIL EVALUATIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING: AUTUMN 2017
Researcher: N Hugginson Minchinhampton
Context: Year 2 Maths
Desired Outcomes:
• Pupils who enjoy maths.
• Pupils who see themselves as mathematicians
Method:
Evaluation 1:
Interview sample group using questions that probe maths growth mindsets— eg do you enjoy maths? How do you feel when you encounter problems?
Evaluation 2:
Children showing greater evidence in books of their successful reasoning and problem solving, showing an ability to explain, prove, discuss etc
Results:
Children have become more confident contributing to whole class situation ie during Maths Talk sessions, including less able children. Children have used a P4C ethos during these sessions.
We have used more “do it, secure it, prove it” during most lessons for many worksheets and this has worked well. The children have got used to the format and are able to progress further through the sheet.
On other occasions, the children have started with a problem and have explored different ways of solving it. Mixed ability groups have worked with some children, but not always for the lower ability. We have thought about giving them a related problem using smaller numbers etc as some children have been visibly switched off by this.
Thumbs up has shown that the children have gained confidence in maths and are happy to have a go more readily. They talk happily about the things they find tricky and how they might be able to attempt it and what they could get or do to help themselves.
I have used hinge questions on the IWB and these have been very good for engaging the children in discussion with talk partners. Also this has sometimes been done by “voting with their feet” and then giving the children the opportunity to explain. their reasoning and then change their opinion based on their thoughts provoked by other children.
After a lot of practice and modelling. their written explanations have shown some improvement after practice. The children now reason more fully and give more careful explanations (see Maths Books). We will be continuing to work on this next term too as the written explanations can be difficult for children of this age.
Conclusion:
1. Developing children’s confidence in maths is of paramount importance to their enjoyment of maths. A previously high attaining child may think of themselves as a mathematician, but not have an open enough mind set for solving problems. A previously lower attaining child can often perform the problem solving/investigative maths more carefully and analytically.
2. Hinge questioning and thumbs up give teacher/TA an immediate assessment of children’s progress within a lesson and if tailored well, can reveal misconceptions and gaps in children Knowledge, Skills and Understanding. Yellow postits are also of importance to the process and enable staff to discuss misconceptions etc
3. Shanghai interventions may be based on the lesson’s work, so may involve problems as well as maths strategies.
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