Category Archives: Professional Development

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

Continuous Lifelong Professional Learning (Numeracy)

Continuous Lifelong Professional Learning

Glow Link to the National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub

The National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub is a virtual learning environment for all practitioners, providing an innovative approach to career-long professional learning across all sectors.  It provides:

  • Professional learning in different aspects of numeracy with a focus on progression, numeracy and mathematics skills, numeracy across learning, assessment, 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

https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/PLC/numeracyhub/SitePages/Modules%20%26%20Sessions.aspx

National Numeracy and Mathematics Framework for Assessment

This resource has been produced to support staff in developing their understanding of progression within the experiences and outcomes.  It identifies within each organiser the key milestones and building blocks that learners should know before moving on to the next stage of learning. Numeracy and mathematics organisers are not taught in isolation from each other and knowledge in one organiser may be required to progress in other organisers.

national-numeracy-and-mathematics-progression-framework

Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy Report 2015

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/SSLN

Learning Together – Mathematics (HMI)

https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/staff/maths/Education%20Scotland%20Resources/Learning%20Together%20Mathematics.pdf#search=learning%20together

Assessing Progress and Achievement in Numeracy and Mathematics

https://glowscotland.sharepoint.com/sites/staff/maths/Assessment/Progression/Assessing%20progress%20and%20achievement%20in%20numeracy%20and%20mathematics.pdf#search=assessing%20progress%20and%20achievement

Mike Askew

Mike is the Adjunct Progessor of Education at Monash University, Melbourne.  We were delighted to welcome him to Argyll and Bute on the 26th September 2017, where he inspired a room full of enthusiastic practitioners with his teaching ideas and concepts around problem solving.  The pages below focus specifically on his work in Transforming Primary Maths.

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Mathswithmeaning.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Its%20all%20relative.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page4/files/EffectiveTeachersofNumeracy.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/LearningMultplicationFacts.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/LearningSubtraction.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Mathematicalfluency.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/NumberBondsto10.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Startingfromproblems.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/In%20good%20shape.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Additive%20reasoning.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Know%20your%20place.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Playing%20with%20patterns.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/Sound%20as%20a%20pound.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/The%20perfect%2010.pdf

http://mikeaskew.net/page3/page2/files/The%20perfect%2010.pdf

Further Reading

“Mathematical Mindsets” by Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematical Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education is a fantastic read for all practitioners.  It links closely with the work done by Carol Dweck on Growth Mindsets.  We have some copies available to give to schools so to request a copy please contact Maria McArthur or Pauline Inglis.

 

 

 

The Making Maths Count document published by the Scottish Government in September 2016  lays out the National priorities in raising
attainment in Mathematics.  This is an important document to use when planning your Numeracy development work in schools and highlights in particular the importance of creating a positive attitude towards Maths and Numeracy – and that’s where Jo Boaler comes in!  It also talks about how we can raise the profile of Maths with parents and across the country.

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to an article discussing the importance of Mathematics in the Work Place, which is particularly suitable for those working in our Secondary Schools:

http://www.maa.org/programs/faculty-and-departments/curriculum-department-guidelines-recommendations/teaching-and-learning/examining-how-mathematics-is-used-in-the-workplace

This paper, published by the Department of Education (England) reviews catch-up strategies and interventions which are intended for low-attaining pupils in literacy and/or numeracy at the end of Key Stage 2.  Whilst it is written for  the English school system, it makes interesting points about the demographics of pupils who are low-attaining and the similarity in trends, and also highlights the difficulties in finding effective numeracy strategies to close the gap for pupils once they have left primary school.  It is all about early intervention folks!

Literacy and Numeracy interventions effectiveness