Approach to Teaching Maths

Our Vision for Maths

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The aim of our maths curriculum is to equip children with the ability to reason mathematically, appreciate the beauty and power of mathematics, develop a sense of enjoyment and curiosity about the subject  while developing a range of mathematical skills which allow them to thrive in the real world. 

 

Maths is essential to everyday life, critical to science, technology and engineering, and necessary for financial literacy and most forms of employment. Our children develop strong fluency in basic skills which then underpin reasoning and problem solving to prepare them for secondary education and beyond.

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How we Teach Maths at Chiltern

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We teach maths through the 'Mastery' approach. Mastering maths means pupils of all ages acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. The phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ describes the elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering maths. Achieving mastery means acquiring a solid enough understanding of the maths that’s been taught to enable pupils to move on to more advanced material.

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Our Philosophy - Teaching for Mastery

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• Teaching for mastery assumes everyone can learn and enjoy mathematics.

• Mathematical learning behaviours are developed such that pupils focus and engage fully as learners who reason and seek to make connections.

• Teachers continually develop their specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics, working collaboratively to refine and improve their teaching.

• Curriculum design ensures a coherent and detailed sequence of essential content to support sustained progression over time.

• Mastering maths means pupils of all ages acquiring a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject.

• The phrase ‘teaching for mastery’ describes the elements of classroom practice and school organisation that combine to give pupils the best chances of mastering maths.

• Achieving mastery means acquiring a solid enough understanding of the maths that’s been taught to enable pupils to move on to more advanced material.

 

What do lessons look like?

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• Lesson design links to prior learning to ensure all can access the new learning and identifies carefully sequenced steps in progression to build secure understanding.

• Examples, representations and models are carefully selected to expose the structure of mathematical concepts and emphasise connections, enabling pupils to develop a deep knowledge of mathematics.

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In the classroom

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• Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, enabling all to master the concepts necessary for the next part of the curriculum sequence.

• In a typical lesson, the teacher leads back and forth interaction, including questioning, short tasks, explanation, demonstration, and discussion, enabling pupils to think, reason and apply their knowledge to solve problems.

• Use of precise mathematical language enables all pupils to communicate their reasoning and thinking effectively.

• If a pupil fails to grasp a concept or procedure, this is identified quickly, and gaps in understanding are addressed systematically to prevent them falling behind.

• Significant time is spent developing deep understanding of the key ideas that are needed to underpin future learning.

• Key number facts are learnt to automaticity, and other key mathematical facts are learned deeply and practised regularly, to avoid cognitive overload in working memory and enable pupils to focus on new learning