L ELAORBNAI LN C G GI T I Z E N S H I P LEARNING
ASPIRATIONAL MATHEMATICS By Dr Scott Tooley, Head of Mathematics
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ne of the problems teachers had with teaching at a distance was making sure that the level of challenge was right for our students. Communication was significantly more difficult without students in the classroom, so it was imperative that resources were prepared appropriately to make sure that students were supported, not only when struggling, but also challenged if coasting. The collaborative approach to planning in Mathematics allows teachers the time to make sure that all these elements are included in every lesson. Whilst the topic of a lesson may be familiar, the height of the ceiling to which students can aspire within a task is certainly a big part of what teachers consider. Online lessons in Mathematics followed a format that included a starter for students to work on as they joined, the main learning intention broken down by success criteria that students should be aiming for, a teacher taught aspect to the lesson and main task, a form of support as required (often in video format) and finally an enrichment task. This allowed the students’
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• Bangkok Patana School
learning experience to be as close as possible to being in the classroom. Differentiation has been an important element of a teacher’s toolkit for many years now and remains a key factor in making sure that students are challenged within their lessons. Without a doubt, having a faculty full of teachers that teach all levels of Maths throughout all the Secondary Key Stages means that all students should feel that they are supported when they struggle and challenged to aspire further when they are successful. Experience tells us what students find difficult and what concepts will impact on future learning, so we support these learning challenges with planned strategies such as retrieval practice and formative assessment. All students can have success in Mathematics, and it is our job to make sure that they experience the joy of getting a question correct or finding the solution to a problem. When we are looking to deepen a student’s understanding of mathematics this does not need to be done by learning the subject faster. Spending time questioning why something works, how it is connected to something
