Maths No Problem
At Bushbury Lane Academy, we want to develop curious mathematicians who can spot patterns, make connections, whilst also being able to express their justifications. Therefore, we aim to equip all pupils with the skills and confidence to solve a range of problems through fluency with numbers and mathematical reasoning. The three aims of the National Curriculum (fluency, reasoning and problem solving) are addressed during every mathematics lesson through the practising, applying, reasoning and greater depth challenge system we use to develop mastery. Here at Bushbury, we utilise White Rose maths an approach that supports our Nursery and Reception children to develop their conceptual understanding of mathematics as well as Maths no problem that supports our KS1 and KS2 children with their mathematical thinking.
What is Maths no problem?
Maths – No Problem, is an approach to teaching maths developed in Singapore. Singapore established a new way of teaching maths following their poor performance in international league tables in the early 1980’s.The Singapore Ministry of Education, decided to take the best practice research findings from the West and applied them to the classroom with transformational results. The focus of maths no problem is not on rote procedures, rote memorisation or tedious calculations but on relational understanding. Pupils are encouraged to solve problems working with their core competencies, such as visualisation, generalisation and decision making.
In summary:
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It is a highly effective approach to teaching maths based on research and evidence.
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It builds students’ mathematical fluency without the need for rote learning.
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It introduces new concepts using Bruner’s Concrete Pictorial Abstract (CPA) approach.
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Pupils learn to think mathematically as opposed to reciting formulas they don’t understand.
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Teaches mental strategies to solve problems such as drawing a bar model.
When and how are maths lessons taught?
Maths lessons are taught daily and to a consistent standard across our school. A typical maths lesson includes three main parts:
In focus: A real life problem is presented to the class and pupils are given the opportunity to solve the problem independently, in pairs or in groups. During this part of the lesson, the teacher acts as a facilitator to learning as pupils explore different ways to solve the problem and are challenged in their thinking.
Guided practice: The next part of the lesson involves the children feeding back their understanding and the teacher building on this through explicit teaching and modelling. Within this part of the lesson, pupils may use concrete, pictorial and abstract representations to scaffold their learning. Teachers use this time to also address key misconceptions and allow pupils the time to practise before moving on to an independent task.
Independent activity: Following on from a practice, pupils are given the opportunity to work through the four levels of challenge: practicing, applying, reasoning and greater depth to ultimately achieve mastery. Depending on the formative assessment that has taken place within the lesson, children may have different starting points.
