Mental maths

I would like to make a case for raising the importance of mental math as a major component in students’ tool kits of mathematical knowledge. Mental math is often associated with the ability to do computations quickly, but in its broadest sense, mental math also involves conceptual understanding and problem solving. (Cath Seeley NCTM President)

With the implementation of the new curriculum we have recently changed our approach to the teaching of mental maths. Instead of the traditional class based session during Numeracy hour with mixed ability children we now 'set' for a weekly mental maths session. 

The sets are based upon children's current maths level and teacher assessment of their mental maths ability and confidence. Confidence plays a huge part in all areas of maths but perhaps even more so in mental maths due probably to its fast pace. Setting results in mixed age range groups and as we use TAs as well as teachers to deliver session allows for smaller,more targeted, groups. 

We have been running these sessions for 5 weeks so it's too early to analyse the impact they are having however the reactions of the children has been really positive. 

The emphasis from day one has been that the children are not competing with each other but with themselves. This then removes some of the potential stress and means that even if they score 10 out of 20 as long as they get 11 the following week to improve their score or at least get 10 to equal it then they are doing fine.

The results of each question are then analysed to identify common errors which informs the teaching for the following session. Any minor errors are addressed at the end of the session. The common errors in my group have been fractions, decimals and percentages with plave value and rounding up and down as the minor errors. All of these are easy to address and have led to some real quality targeted teaching. 

From discussion with staff the language of maths seems to be an area which requires addressing for most groups. I think that as we use the language of maths everyday in our daily teaching we assume the children retain it all and know what it all means. Clearly this isn't true and needs to looked at. 

As maths co ordinator these sessions have been fascinating and have provided me with lots of areas for development to add to my maths development plan. 

The next focus? Problem solving!

Twitter as a professional development tool

I am a tweeter! I only tweet however in my role as a teacher, mine is a professional as oppose to a personal account. That's not to say that occasionally a tweet will be about something I am watching such as The Voice or Elementary but on the whole my tweets relate to my day job, my role as a teacher. 

I have been teaching for 16 years and on the whole still enjoy my job. I have always seen it as a vocation. But this is something which in our present climate that is challenged constantly. 

Despite being one of the more mature teachers I keep reviewing my practice and my teaching toolbox is constantly evolving. I refer to myself as a pragmatic teacher because I will gve anything a go. 

Twitter has, alongside Pinterest provided me with a huge range of ideas, resources, educational research and contact with people from all over the world. It or should I say they have opened up my world giving me access to a huge staff room full of diverse interesting and often like minded people. 

I have delivered staff training on both Twitter and Pinterest and also blog regularly something which was actually inspired by some of the wonderful blogs I follow on Twitter. 

I believe my practice as a teacher is enriched due to my online contacts. However, and it is a big however Twitter does have its dark side. 

We all know and hear regularly about how we must teach our own children and our pupils about safe surfing and use of social media. The same though needs to be said of anyone using social media. I think as professionals we know and understand the etiquette of Twitter and if we don't initially it becomes clear the more you use it. But it is not the etiquette that is or can be the problem. 

The first area to be aware of comes from those we follow. In order for Twitter to be effective professionally you need to build a bank of people to follow. These people will provide you with lots of advice, tips, information etc. They are invaluable! These people are by definition hugely successful otherwise we wouldn't want to follow them but you must proceed with caution. 

Picture the scene - it is a cold, wet morning in October, you have had problems with a parent the day before, the childrens behaviour is challenging and you are about to have a lesson observation with pressure to deliver 'Outstanding' against an ever changing list of criteria. You unwittingly seek solace in Twitter, you come across those hugely successful people. Does it help? Maybe but the likelihood is probably not. In that state of mind all you see is how good they are and how crap you are. It adds to your low self esteem, you question yourself, doubt your own abilities. We and probably they have all been there but at that moment you can't see that. 

The next area in which we need to proceed with caution comes from the 'Twitter cliques' and trust me they do exist. It is similar to the playground parent  clique or the clique church even your own staff room cliques. On Twitter they reply only to each other's tweets, they send personal tweets to each other rather than direct messages and you rarely get invited to join their little group. This can be deflating, you tweet away thinking at some stage they will acknowledge what you have to say but you get no reply at all not even a retweet or favourite. The only way to get them to acknowledge your Twitter presence is to disagree with something they say and then boy do they pounce! 

These things may seem trivial but I do know teachers who have been put off Twitter as a result of one or both of these things. So the only way to deal with it is to be aware if it. You need to know when to back away, to leave it for a few days and go back. 

I will continue to preach the use of Twitter for professional development but will also make those that use it professionally aware of its benefits and it's drawbacks. This is because without Twitter we cannot create that professional digital footprint that potential new employers seek. But perhaps more importantly without it we lose a huge professional development tool.

Practical maths

This week in year 2 I have been teaching the children about units of measure for measuring length and height. We began with millimetres and centimetres as I had decided to start small and go larger.

We began by looking closely at a ruler on the visualiser and demonstrating to the children how I measured a couple of items. The children were then given the opportunity to measure a selection of items around the classroom, which they were told should be smaller than a 30cm ruler. They thoroughly enjoyed it and it helped them become more familiar with manipulating rulers and understanding what they were reading. 

The next step was to measure lines as accurately as possible and then to draw lines of a given measurement. I have to say they all managed this remarkably well, due in part to the earlier practical activity. 

For the next lesson I asked the pupils how they thought I could measure the length of classroom. Could I use a ruler? They did think, pair,  share and came back with some good and some bizarre ideas about what equipment I should use and what unit of measure it should be. After this discussion I showed them a metre ruler and a trundle wheel, allowing them to look at them and discover what unit of measure they are. 

We then divided up into four groups, one outside measuring the length of the playground, one measuring the length of the corridor, one group measuring the classroom and a final group measuring height. They then rotated around the groups discussing, measuring, exploring as they went as well as recording results. 

It was a logistical nightmare, organising 34 children and three other adults but was well worth it. 

To assess their new found knowledge I gave them photographs of each other measuring and asked them to describe what they were measuring, what equipment was used, what unit of measure and what their results were.

A great time was had by all but more importantly in the assessment that followed they all excelled. With only the odd mix up of centimetres and metres. Not bad for 34 six and seven year olds. 

Measuring mass next, which again lends itself to a practical lesson so chaos here we come again!

Looking After Chickens in School

In our school we have four chickens. Since the picture above was taken the chickens have, as well as a lovely cosy coop, a brand new chicken run. I think the plan is to eventually have more chickens and then perhaps some pigs.

Keeping chickens is a new venture in our school which has been received very favourably by the children and parents alike. We have 'chicken' monitors, a job I know I would have loved in primary school because lets face it it beats book or pencil monitor any day!

The monitors go out to clean, feed and replace the bedding for the chickens as well as to collect the eggs. During the winter the chickens lay an egg each a day and apparently this will increase as the weather improves.The eggs are then sold to parents or staff for a token price which is then put towards the cost of the feed.

I decided it would be good for my class to learn a bit more about the chickens by taking over the jobs of the KS2 monitors for the next two weeks. Fortunately my T.A. has some experience of looking after the chickens as during the school holidays she comes in to care for them when the caretaker is not around.What I didn't know however is that she is actually scared of them which has proved quite hilarious, especially when she goes into the run to change the bedding. Obviously she hides it from the children but it is funny to see her doing her best to avoid them and them following her around. Well we do have to get our fun from somewhere don't we and fortunately she has a similar sense of humour to me.

The most challenging part of looking after the chickens has been the organisation of my class.

Firstly we had to get all 34 of  them to bring in wellies or a change of shoes, this has proved a nightmare as despite two weeks notice and two text messages I still have two children without a change of footwear! Then obviously we have had to store 33 pairs of wellies in an already full classroom.

Secondly trying to get 34 around the chicken run was clearly not going to work so we have had to split the class up into two groups which then means my T.A., bless her, has to brave the chickens twice every day!

Finally imagine trying to get 17 children to find their wellies, take their shoes off, put their wellies on at the door (to avoid mud all over the carpet) and repeating the whole process when they come in again along with washing of hands. Sound chaotic? Well it is and then we have to do it all over again for the second group!!

Even when I am writing this I am thinking 'You must be mad!' but I'm hoping to gain something for all of our pain. A bit of writing at least and of course lots of fun and real life experience for the children. I really do believe that they are and will over the next two weeks get so much out of the whole experience.

Watch this space!!

Boxing Clever part 2

I blogged earlier in the week about my experience of using Alan Peat's' Boxing Clever' with my year 2 class (Step 1).
We used 5 Katie Morag stories together as a class and then in groups we decided  what would go into each of the 8 boxes.

Today came (Step 2).
The children were set the task of producing their own Katie Morag book based upon their favourite story. 

They were put into groups based upon the book which they had chosen, then within that group recapped the story and placed 8 post it notes on the relevant pages as guide of what to draw and write in their own re telling.

My long suffering T.A. has spent two days drawing lines into home made books complete with 8 pages for the 8 boxes! But it has been well worth it because they are so excited at the prospect of having their own complete book. We have even got a brand new class set of felt tip pens which I think I am even more excited about than them!

After being put into groups and having sorted post it notes etc I then set the scene of what they needed to write on each of the pages. 

This began with me identifying a checklist of punctuation, conjunctions and vocabulary that they should try to add into their writing. They were also given a word bank and their own word books to support spellings. 

Next I modelled writing one of the pages using the Visualiser to show the whole class. Then they set off writing for about 15 minutes, this was then followed with a mini plenary or as we call it a 'pit stop'. I then chose a name from the llolly sticks and that child placed their work under the Visualiser to share what they had done with the rest of the class. 

Sharing work and giving feedback is a relatively new skill to year 2 but I am proud to say it is going really well and they are getting quite good at saying what is good and what needs to be improved when looking at each other's work. 

This was followed by another 10 minutes writing. Clearly they have a fair bit to do to finish the writing and draw and colour pictures with our brand new felt tip pens but so far so good. 

Mathletics and Reading Eggs

I introduced Mathletics, as part of my role of co ordinator of maths, several years ago. Since it's introduction it has been an important part of our maths tool-kit in helping to raise maths results from years 2 to 6. Our KS2 maths scores in 2012 placed us in the top 40% of all schools with 97% of our pupils achieving expected progress in 2012 when the national level was 87%. Now obviously this is not all down to Mathletics but there is a definite correlation between use of Mathletics and individual pupil progress. In simple terms, those pupils, of all abilities, have a higher rate of progress if they use Mathletics regularly compared to those that use it less often.

My year 2 class have only been introduced to Mathletics this year and these are some of their comments about it:

'It is tricky but it does help you get better at maths'

'It's brilliant, it really helps me with my maths'

'It's good'

'It really helps me with my learning'

'It is a bit hard but I know I'm getting better at maths'

As a teacher, what I like the best about Mathletics is how easy it is to differentiate my pupils learning, set tasks for both school and as homework and to keep track of the children's progress.This information can then be fed back to parents during Parents Evenings or a general reminder given to use Mathletics more regularly via the termly newsletter.

As co ordinator of maths I also regularly check individual pupils use of Mathletics across a two week period. The three pupils who have accessed Mathletics the most have their name placed on the leader board in school. The first place winner receives a trophy to keep for two weeks and the second and third place pupils receive a certificate each. These are awarded during our weekly celebration assembly and are very popular which helps keep the pupils interested and using Mathletics regularly.

Reading and Reading Eggspress are a newer addition to our Reading tool-kit having been introduced to the school at a later date. The main difference with Reading Eggs is that as you can see from the picture above it can be used by children from the age of  3, in our school it is used from F2 through to year 6. Our reading scores at the end of KS2 are in the top 20% of all schools in KS2 and KS1. Reading eggs is KS1 can be quite competitive as the pupils strive to finish all 12 maps which then results in them moving onto Reading Eggspress. Here is what some of the children in year 2 think about Reading Eggs and Eggspress:

'Reading Eggs helps me with my reading. It's amazing'

'I like the activities'

'I think Reading Eggspress better than Reading Eggs because it has more things to do, because you can choose what games you play'

'I like Reading Eggs but I wish I was on Reading Eggspress'

As a teacher I find Reading Eggs and Eggspress a bit more difficult to navigate. It is self differentiating but does not give me the facility to set activities or check their usage however which means that although you can suggest they use it for homework whether they have done it is difficult to check.

Like Mathletics a trophy and certificates are awarded to encourage use at home but in Reading Eggs this has to be based upon them writing stories rather than reading which isn't as useful.

I would though without hesitation recommend both Mathletics and Reading Eggs/Eggspress so if you haven't already why not give it a whirl!

The Importance of Laughter in School

We all know that laughter is important to our mental health and general well being. Here are some quotes on the benefits of laughter:

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
--Victor Borge


If you're too busy to laugh, you are too busy.
--Proverb


We don't laugh because we're happy – we're happy because we laugh.
--William James

With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.
--Abraham Lincoln

Schools have become a source of increasing stress both on staff and pupils with the constant focus from the media, the use of education as spin from politicians and governments seeking votes. the strive for results and targets etc. The list is endless.

The results of this stress are felt by everyone involved in education from the office staff, through to teachers, pupils, senior management and governing bodies. All of this makes laughter important for without it, we would, as one of the quotes says above, not be happy.

Being around children can provide no end of laughter, they give us those precious teacher moments that result in tears of laughter and they laugh with each other. laughter is infectious. What we have to do too though is provide opportunities for laughter. We need to laugh with them, give them opportunities to laugh at us. This can often be provided in the unlikeliest of places. 

I was in an assembly in school today which was delivered by the clergy from our local church. They are wonderful people who have a real sense of fun. They manage to turn potentially boring Tuesday morning assemblies into a look forward to day when the whole school end up smiling and laughing. 

Today's assembly was about Zacchaeus the tax collector so had the potential to be boring but not with our clergy! It began as it always does with some acting. There are three people who come to deliver the assembly, they consist of one man who is very thin and tall, two women, one of whom is of average size with one is as small as the man is tall. Two of them are comedy actors with the third being the perfect straight actor. They always also involve at least a couple of children in their comedy sketch which makes for even more fun. 

The sketch today involved a painted tree and a set of step ladders with the smallest actor on the steps pretending to be Zacchaeus, the tallest actor and three children being the 'crowd' blocking Zachaeus' view and the straight actor trying to keep the chaos together whilst playing Jesus. It was hilarious! I looked around the hall and everyone from the youngest F2 to the oldest year 6 and staff were laughing. 

After the'acting' comes the singing. The song today was 'Does The Lord make you sad?' Which as usual was accompanied by a series of actions, led by the clergy, with absolutely everyone joining in. 

These songs with actions are 'famous.' Having appeared in a leavers assembly a few years ago with a few of the year 6s impersonating the clergy whilst singing one of their favourite songs from the assemblies complete with actions. It brought the house down! 

What is special about these assemblies is that the'message' always gets across whilst the whole school have fun. Tuesdays assembly is the day we come out if afterwards with smiles on our faces having shared laughter and experienced joy.