On Monday, Primary 2 were given a word problem in maths to challenge their number knowledge and use of number strategies. They worked in mixed ability pairings and had a range of answers. Some children found this very challenging but were reluctant to give up. The resilience from the group was outstanding. One child even went home and thought about it, produced some written work to help her answer it and brought it into school the next day to further support her understanding. The work she did supported her group and offered valuable problem solving discussions. We eventually got a few accurate answers but more importantly identified that we need to use a range of skills and strategies to solve problems. The children also now know that it’s ok to come up with answers and if it doesn’t work then go back to the drawing board.
Strategy used – guess, check and improve and a range of adding strategies.