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Fun with Basic Skills through ICT and Numeracy
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Developing Thinking Skills is a priority within the LEA. See the links below for information on the Mathematics Thinking Skills Programme available:
Let’s Think through Maths! (Year 1)
| www.nfer-nelson.co.uk/catalogue/catalogue_detail.asp?catid=83&id=1215 ‘Let’s Think Through Maths! ’ Year 1 Would you like to receive training in ‘Let’s Think Through Maths!’ for Year 1 pupils? If so, the following dates are available: Day 1 26.09.07 Quay Centre (W)
27.09.07 Quay Centre (E) Day 2
12.03.08 Quay Centre (W)
13.03.08 Quay Centre (E) Course Code:
FFP34 – For further details please see ‘Your Professional Development’ CD 2007-2008 ‘Let's Think through Maths!’ can be used to complement the original and highly popular Let's Think! (Previous training in ‘Let’s Think!’ is not essential.) It is a new resource for 5 and 6 year olds designed to develop their thinking, via maths-linked activities. ‘Let’s Think through Maths!’ helps pupils develop essential skills which feed into other curriculum subjects - improving the way they approach problems and deepening their understanding of tasks in general. |
Let’s Think through Maths! (Years 2 to 4)
| www.nfer-nelson.co.uk/catalogue/catalogue_detail.asp?catid=83&id=1255 As from September 2007, a group of 15 teachers will form a Network and will be trained in the ‘Let’s Think through Maths! 6-9. The pack is aimed towards pupils in Years 2 to 4 and contains 19 activities. These activities help you and the pupils focus on how they tackle problems and are an invaluable addition to your using and applying resources. Are you interested in being part of the ‘Let’s Think through Maths! 6-9’ Networking Group for 2008 – 2009? If so, please contact Carol Ayers, Associate School Improvement Officer for Numeracy CAAyers@carmarthenshire.gov.uk |
Primary CAME Thinking Maths File (Years 5 and 6)
| www.beam.co.uk/productdescription.asp?productid=169&agerange=0 Where are we now? - Cohort 1 (2005 – 2007)
| 9 Primary and 4 Secondary teachers have now completed their 12 day training. |
- Cohort 2 (2006 – 2008)
| 10 Primary and 4 Secondary teachers have now completed the first year of their training. |
- Cohort 3 (2007 – 2009)
| 11 Primary and 3 Secondary teachers will be starting their 12 day training in September. |
- Cohort 4 – 2008 – 2010
|
Thinking Maths Teacher File – new edition (Years 7, 8 and 9)
 | Raising achievement in maths
The rise in GCSE grades has been traced to Thinking Maths lessons in years 7 and 8, according to King’s College Professor Michael Shayer. All schools in the pilot cohort witnessed grade improvements, with the proportion of Maths grades A*-C doubling in a quarter of the schools. As from September 2007, a group of 12 Key Stage 3 teachers will form a Network and will be trained in the ‘Thinking Maths lessons. |
www.heinemann.co.uk/secondary/book.aspx?n=0&d=s&s=0&skey=3228&isbn=0435307800
Wales Curriculum 2008: Summary of the consultation proposals.
Mathematics
The programmes of study have been written in terms of Skills and Range with the following strands:
- Much of the Skills section is closely related to Using and applying mathematics, Attainment Target 1 in the current national curriculum mathematics Orders.
- References to probability, pie charts, translation, π and circumference of a circle, and order of rotational symmetry have been removed from the Key Stage 2 Programme of Study and added to the Key Stage 3 Programme of Study.
- References to higher-order polynomial equations, loci, lines of best fit, correlation, dimensions, inter-quartile range and calculation of probabilities of a combination of two events have been removed from the Key Stage 3 Programme of Study and placed in the Key Stage 4 Programme of Study.
- References to rational and irrational numbers, fitting functions to sets of data, vectors, standard deviation and sampling methods have been removed from the Key Stage 4 Programme of Study.
- Some of the detail has been removed (e.g. in the Key Stage 2 Programme of Study 'extend their understanding of the number system to negative numbers in context, and decimals with no more than two decimal places in the context of money, and three decimal places when working with metric units' has become 'use negative numbers in the context of temperature and decimals in the context of money and measures').
- Duplication between different sections has been removed; for example, references to mathematical language are included under 'Communicate mathematically' and so are not included under Number (four operations - use associated language) or Shape ('...developing precision in using related geometrical language').
- Some phrases have been amended to reflect the skills more clearly.
- Examples related to the twenty-first century and financial capability have been added.
- The 'Pupils should be given opportunities to...' statements at the beginning of each current strand have been incorporated into the programmes of study, either into the Skills section or the relevant context, for example, 'appreciate the approximate nature of measurement and apply their measuring skills in a range of contexts' (Shape, Space and Measures KS2) has been included (re-phrased) under Skills in 'Solve mathematical problems'.
- The level descriptions for each of the four current attainment targets have been combined, and written as one attainment target incorporating the Skills and the Range, giving a single paragraph for each level, with Levels 1 to 3 tying in with the proposed Foundation Phase outcomes. This means that teachers will need to consider only three separate consecutiveparagraphs, with no weighting, in order to determine a learner's best-fit level.
- Some of the current statements have been shortened, simplified or combined. For example:
Level 4: 'Pupils are developing their own strategies for solving problems and are using these strategies both in working within mathematics and in applying mathematics to practical contexts. They present information and results in a clear and organised way' has become 'Pupils develop strategies for solving problems, and present information and results systematically.'
Level 7: 'Pupils appreciate the imprecise nature of measurement and recognise that a measurement given to the nearest whole number may be inaccurate by up to one half in either direction' has become 'They appreciate the imprecision of measurement'.