Category Archives: Professional Development

Resources/Links (Numeracy)

Resources/Links

This guide is intended to stimulate professional reflection, dialogue and debate about
mathematics and how to improve it. It draws together themes, features and
characteristics of effective improvement in mathematics and descriptions of good
practice. It offers a reference point for staff and teachers2who are working together
to improve mathematics education. This guide will also be useful for learners,
parents and communities as they discuss how they can contribute to improving
learning in mathematics.

Learning Together Mathematics

This document, published by Education Scotland, is essential reading for teachers as they develop their work with the statements of the experiences and outcomes.

mathematics_principles_practice_tcm4-540169

The National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub – access using your Glow login.

“The National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub is a virtual learning environment for all practitioners. The Hub provides an innovative approach to career-long professional learning for all practitioners in all sectors. For practitioners, this provides a fantistic opportunity to collaborate, and take part in CLPL in a virtual environment, which means that you can take part in the courses and events listed from the comfort of your own home!  Unfortunately you’ll have to buy your own biscuits!  It offers practitioners:

  • Professional learning in different aspects of numeracy with a focus on progression, numeracy and mathematics skills, numeracy across learning, assessment and moderation and teaching.
  • Career-long professional learning opportunities of various types such as broadcasts, professional reading and action research.
  • An easy to use environment where you can share and work with colleagues from across Scotland as well as those from your own school or authority.”

If you are having any problems accessing GLOW please contact Maria.Mcarthur2@argyll-bute.gov.uk for assistance.

Fun Activities for Number and Maths

http://www.sumdog.com/

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/

http://www.mathplayground.com/

http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/math-trainer-multiply.html

http://www.brainormous.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/firstlevel/mathematics/

http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-math-lines/10

http://www.ictgames.com/resources.html

http://nrich.maths.org/frontpage

https://www.youcubed.org/

Numeracy Update

Numeracy Update

February 2017

Please follow this link to read the latest Numeracy and Mathematics Resource Guide, this guide is designed to be interactive and links to all of the recent and relevant documentation from Education Scotland.

numeracy-and-mathematics-resource-guide-february-2016

The yammer page is now up and running!  Log in as usual to Glow, and find yammer within the Microsoft Office applications available.  The group is called Numeracy and Mathematics in Argyll and Bute – an exciting title!  Looking forward to chatting to you all and sharing resources!  If anyone is having difficulty accessing Glow, please check with your school administrator in the first instance or get in touch with Maria McArthur.

January 2017

Numeracy update –

We have developed the Numeracy website on SALi and we would urge all practitioners to access the materials on there and feed back to us how this could be improved.  It is a work in progress and we are continuing to build and grow content.  S6 pupils at Hermitage Academy have been working with Derek Munro to create short videos to clearly identify the steps in numerical processes.  Presently, there are a couple of examples on SALi in the Numeracy section, under Fractions, Percentages and Decimals.  We would like to develop this further, across the BGE.  If there are any schools who would be willing to assist us, please get in touch.

A Numeracy Yammer page, accessed through Glow, is currently being set up for all practitioners in Argyll and Bute to share ideas, ask for support and generally have a ‘yammer’ about what is going on in your schools – more details to follow.

Schools have been making use of Sumdog and there has been some very positive feedback.  If you have any problems regarding the website, please contact our dedicated team, argyllandbute@sumdog.com.  All schools who attended the successful training day on 29th November have received their copy of Number Talks as well as supportive materials, including the Mental Skills Progression Framework.  If you want supportive materials, please refer to SALi, Numeracy, Number Talks.  If you do not have a copy of your Number Talks book yet, please email us.  Maria is organising twilight sessions linked to Mental Agility.  So far the following dates have been organised:

Thursday 9th February@Rothesay Joint Campus – 9.30 am

Thursday 16th February@Rockfield Primary School, Oban – afternoon session, starting at 1pm.

Wednesday 15th March@Innellan Primary School, Dunoon – 3.15pm.

If you wish to attend one of these sessions please contact Maria.Mcarthur2@argyll-bute.gov.uk.  Alternatively, if your Cluster is interested and wishes to schedule their own session, please contact us.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES!

Lynda Keith will present two seminars:

6th March for leaders and managers – Leading Learning in Maths and Numeracy and Developing School Policy for Numeracy and Mathematics;

7th March for practitioners – Developing Growth Mindsets in Numeracy and Mathematics and Numeracy across Learning.

May – we are organising a taster day on Numicon – more information to follow!

If you wish to attend any of these training days please contact Maria.Mcarthur2@argyll-bute.gov.uk to book a place.

October 2016

numeracy-update-for-argyll-and-bute

 

 

 

Numeracy across Learning

Numeracy across Learning

Creating a numeracy rich environment

A child’s numeracy experience is enriched by the people and the physical environment around him/her.  A numeracy rich environment emphasises the importance of using materials and interactions which facilitiate numeracy and mathematical opportunities.  This Toolkit has been develooped for use within the Early Years however has many different ideas for staff to engage with throughout their establishment:

EY Maths Numeracy Outdoors SS

Numeracy across Learning

Please use this link to download the Argyll and Bute Council guidance on Numeracy Across Learning for the secondary schools.  It works accross all of the Experiences and Outcomes, exemplifying Level 2, 3 and 4 examples for Numeracy in different subject areas:

GUIDANCE on Numeracy Across Learning vs 3

Have a look at these posters for Numeracy across Learning – a bright, colourful and very useful resource:

Numeracy-Across-the-Curriculum-Posters

This resource supports staff to develop knowledge and understanding about progression and standards in numeracy across the curriculum in the early years.  It helps to ensure that numeracy is at an appropriate level for learners, promotes challenge and cross curricular links and illustrates how staff can make connections in their planning through exploring clear and relevant links across the curriculum.  In particular this may be a model for further developments in learning and teaching across interdisciplinary areas of the curriculum such as STEM.

https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/staff/maths/Numeracy%20across%20learning/Professional%20Learning%20Resources/Numeracy%20Across%20Learning.pdf#search=numeracy%20across%20learning

This link will take you to an exemplar for a Numeracy audit that can be used across departments when you begin to plan as a school for Numeracy across Learning.  Please feel free to download and change to suit your own setting.  This audit has been set up for use at Third Level:

 Numeracy across learning audit for third level

In addition, we have created an example of a Third Level tracker example for teachers to use, as well as an example of a pupil log which again can be changed to suit your own purposes.  There is also an example of a holistic assesment from the Geography Department at Oban High School, which includes numeracy outcomes.

Tracking document for Numeracy across Learning    S1 pupil log book exemplar    S1 mapping holistic task

Below are links to a variety of websites that can support staff when planning for Numeracy across Learning:

https://drmaths.org

https://www.edfenergy.com/prettycurious

https://nrich.maths.org

https://www.ncetm.org.uk/resources

https://www.engagingplaces.org.uk

Number Talks and Mental Agility

Number Talks and Mental Agility

Below is a link to an electronic copy of the Mental Skills Progression Framework created by Argyll and Bute to help guide your planning, assessment and moderation.  This guidance on mental agility has been checked against the benchmarks, and details all of the skills pupils are expected to have as they progress through the Broad General Education.  To provide feedback and comment on this document please contact Pauline Inglis on Pauline.Inglis@argyll-bute.gov.uk or Maria McArthur on Maria.Mcarthur2@argyll-bute.gov.uk

guidance-on-mental-agility

Below is a link to the PowerPoint presentation that has been used to deliver Number Talks training in schools.  It does cover other aspects of Numeracy in Argyll and Bute, including Sumdog and the Mental Skills Progression Framework. Please feel free to edit and use it as you wish within your own schools if you are delivering training to other staff.  The video clips have been removed due to the size of the file but these are available on the Numeracy in Argyll and Bute Sharepoint page –

https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/grp-numeracyandmathsinargyllandbute/SitePages/Home.aspx

Do not hesitate to get in touch with Maria McArthur if there is anything you would like more information on or any way I can support you with developing this initiative within your schools.

Power point presentation on Numeracy-in-Argyll-and-Bute

These are planning exemplars for Number Talks which you can download and use within your establishments.  Please feel free to adjust and change to suit your own schools.  We would also be delighted to view different examples of how teachers are planning for Number Talks so feel free to get in touch!

Completed as a guide:  planning-for-number-talks

Blank for your own use:  planning-for-number-talks

Useful links for developing your skills with Number Talks:

https://nzmaths.co.nz/new-zealand-number-framework

http://www.sfusdmath.org/math-talks-resources.html

http://www.sfusdmath.org/uploads/2/4/0/9/24098802/effective_questioning_from_math_teaching_toolkit_2015-2016.pdf

http://learn.district196.org/course/view.php?id=1482

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RAug0wXbF_hDcelFn7jnKFjSvoIjcDuum7JzeEPXpUY/edit#slide=id.gc2f21ea9_125

Here is a fascinating article by Jo Boaler (Stansted University) which supports the use of Number Talks as a way of raising attainment and increasing pupil confidence in numeracy.  Enjoy!

fluency-without-fear-by-jo-boaler

This article focuses on Number Talks, how it can be used in the classroom, and the impact that it can have on pupils.  It is written by Sherry Parrish, the author of the Number Talks resource that has been purchased for all schools in Argyll and Bute Council.

http://www.mathsolutions.com/documents/NumberTalks_SParrish.pdf

Thinkboards

Fancy using thinkboards with your classes?  Here is a quick video guide on how to create one:

http://www.teachertube.com/video/maths-think-board-54406

If you have any completed examples you would like to share then send them in to Maria.Mcarthur2@argyll-bute.gov.uk or tweet them to @MariaMcArthur2

There are also a few examples of some thinkboards available. Click here to download and also send in some photos of completed thinkboards from your pupils!

Thinkboard                                                19thinkboard

blank thinkboard

Number and Number Processes

Number and the Number Processes

Well planned activities, incorporating Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy for Learning, are a useful tool for developing learners’ understanding and skills in numeracy and mathematics.  Below is a link to a Bloom’s Fan for Number and Number Processes, which can be used to provide plenary questions to promote higher order thinking in the numeracy and mathematics classroom.

number-and-number-processes-higher-order-thinking-skills

Guide for using a Rekenrek to support numeracy. 

rekenrek

The link below will take you to instructions for creating your own rekenrek for use in the classroom.  Children develop their technology skills at the same time making this a great cross-curricular activity.

http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/how-to-make-a-rekenrek.html

These superhero posters are good for supporting different mental addition and subtraction strategies for the lower levels in the primary school:

superhero-strategy-posters

ADDITION

mental-strategies-addition

SUBTRACTION

mental-strategies-subtraction

MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION

mental-strategies-multiplication-and-division

A link to a powerpoint going over some of the numeracy skills for multiplication, as highlighted by the SSLN results:

sslnp4multiplication_full_tcm4-690588