Maths in the Classroom
What does Maths Mastery look like at St. Andrew's?
We learn together....
Where possible, the whole class is taught maths together and moves through topics and concepts at broadly the same pace. We spend more time on key topics and concepts to ensure learning is well developed and deeply embedded before moving on. We challenge children by asking them to explore concepts deeply through verbal reasoning and our 'diving deep' and 'diving deeper' questions.
We believe that the vast majority of children can succeed in learning mathematics in line with national expectations. The learning needs of individuals are addressed through careful scaffolding, questioning and appropriate intervention where necessary, to provide the appropriate support and challenge. Same day intervention is used to support slower graspers and to address misconceptions.
We use representations…
We use the CPA (concrete, pictorial and abstract) approach to support our teaching of maths. The children are given concrete apparatus (things they can touch, hold and manipulate) and visual representations (things they can see) to help them visualise and internalise mathematical concepts. This allows them to access, conceptualise and solve problems. Without the ‘hands on’ and pictorial steps, this can be very hard for children to understand.
The CPA approach:
- Concrete Representation: Children first introduced to using objects.
- Pictorial Representation: When a child has understood the ‘hands-on’ experience, they can now relate them to representations such as a diagram or picture.
- Abstract Representation: The child is now capable of representing problems using mathematical notation.