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Home Posts tagged "Numeracy"

How to teach … times tables

Published on April 30, 2013,

The Guardian Teacher Network has published some great resources and ideas to help both teachers and parents assist times table learning…

One of the network’s star resource providers, maths teacher Mel Muldowney, explains: “Students coming to secondary without knowing their times tables often think they can’t do what they are learning in class. They might sit in class thinking they can’t do Pythagoras’ Theorem as they are not getting the right answer when multiplying, say, seven times seven – but it’s not the new work they aren’t grasping. What is letting them down is their basic numeracy, and specifically their times tables. It is really important that teachers explore why students are struggling with new work and be really explicit that it isn’t the new topics they can’t grasp, but the basic skills they need to practise.” Thanks to Mel for sharing her Moshi Monsters-inspired times tables top trumps, which can be used by primary pupils as well as secondary to grasp times tables. (more…)

 

Survey examines literacy levels in Scottish schools

Published on April 25, 2013,

A new survey of literacy has found pupils performing well in reading but having weaker results in listening and talking. This is from the BBC…

The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) looked at performance in school years P4, P7 and S2. (more…)

 

Primary maths plan threatens ‘too much too soon’

Published on April 16, 2013,

Plans to overhaul England’s primary maths teaching would be “too much too soon” and could leave many pupils “by the wayside”, a numeracy charity says. This is from the BBC…

National Numeracy says Michael Gove’s plans to make pupils learn times tables, long division and fractions earlier imposes a “superficial rigour”.

Pupils should instead be given time to gain a secure understanding of mathematical concepts, it adds.  (more…)

 

Pupils to be given chess lessons in school standards drive

Published on March 21, 2013,

Thousands of pupils from inner-city primary schools will be given lessons in chess amid claims that the game can boost children’s concentration levels and numeracy skills. This is from the Telegraph…

Some 6,000 children will receive specially-structured classes as part of a £700,000 taxpayer-funded programme designed to raise standards in poor areas, it emerged. (more…)

 

If numeracy is more important in the job market than literacy, what conclusions should we draw?

Published on March 11, 2013,

Hamish McRae reflects on the research published last week that suggests primary school children who are good at maths go on to earn more money later in life. This is from the Independent…

An important, if troubling, bit of research has just been published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, backed with some government money. (more…)

 

Poll suggests 95% of parents are stumped by sums for their kids

Published on January 24, 2013,

Just one in 20 parents are able to do maths intended for children aged eight to 12 amid confusion over ‘new-fangled methods of teaching the subject’. Only 5 per cent of 2,000 volunteers correctly answered ten questions which tested maths typically taught to junior school pupils. This is from the Daily Mail…

Nearly two-thirds of the parents who took part said they were reluctant to get involved with maths homework for fear of confusing their children due to new methods used to teach the subject.
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Educational establishment ‘blocking progress in maths’

Published on December 8, 2012,

Long division and times tables risk becoming taboo subjects in primary schools because of “resistance” to traditional teaching methods, a former education minister has warned. This is from the Telegraph…

Pupils are struggling to develop a fluency in mathematics after being denied the chance to practice basic sums at a young age, it has been claimed. (more…)

 

Children get bored with maths because too many primary teachers don’t understand it

Published on December 4, 2012,

Professor David Burghes warned that revamping secondary school maths is simply “putting a sticking plaster on the cracks” and that changes need to be made in primary schools. He said that too many primary school teachers have only studied maths to GCSE, and do not have a good enough understanding of the subject. This is from the Telegraph…

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Poorest pupils ‘weaker at maths’ but tutoring scheme can result in strong improvements

Published on November 23, 2012,

The poorest children are twice as likely to struggle at maths early on at primary school, research suggests. But a study found a short but intense tutoring scheme enables struggling children to make strong gains. This is from the BBC…

The report on 47,237 children with weak numeracy levels in England’s Every Child Counts scheme found 73% went on to meet average levels. The analysis was for the scheme’s annual report (more…)

 

Summer-born children ‘struggling with maths’

Published on November 23, 2012,

Pupils with birthdays between May and August are around a third more likely to require intensive tuition in numeracy to bring them up to speed, it emerged.Research found that large numbers of summer-born children were lagging 13 months behind in terms of maths compared with the average for their year group at the start of primary education. This is from the Telegraph…

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Education Minister Elizabeth Truss calls for a renaissance in maths

Published on November 10, 2012,

Speaking at the National Education Trust, Education Minister Elizabeth Truss called for a renaissance in maths to help meet the demand of UK employers. As widely reported, she also announced the removal of calculators from Key Stage 2 tests. Here’s an extract of her speech from the DfE website…

It’s no exaggeration to say this is a make or break period in the history of maths in this country. (more…)

 

Government bans calculators from primary school maths tests

Published on November 9, 2012,

The government says calculators will be banned in primary school maths tests for 11-year-olds in England from 2014 in an attempt to improve standards in mental arithmetic. Education and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss said pupils should only use them once they were confident in basic mathematical skills. This is from the BBC…

The move follows a government review of calculator use in primary schools. (more…)

 

‘If our teachers can’t do basic maths, how can we expect our children to?’

Published on October 27, 2012,

Sally Coates, chair of the panel which has proposed toughening tests for trainee teachers, explains why she is concerned about standards of literacy and numeracy among new teachers. This is from the Telegraph…

Teaching is once again becoming a coveted profession with some of the country’s best graduates now choosing this rewarding career. And as a headteacher I know we already have fantastic teachers in our classrooms. (more…)

 

Professor Jo Boaler: ‘Stop telling children maths isn’t for them’

Published on October 22, 2012,

Birmingham-raised Jo Boaler is professor of maths education at Stanford University and author of ‘The Elephant in the Classroom’, a book that sets out to dispel the notion that ability in maths is a gift only the few are lucky to share. This is an extract from a profile in the telegraph where she discusses her ideas, thoughts on the national curriculum and misunderstandings of what happens in other countries…

Jo Boaler’s first teaching job in the mid Eighties was at Ed Miliband’s alma mater, Haverstock Comprehensive in north London. “As the new arrival, I was given the bottom set in maths and found myself in front of 22 pupils who had already been told they had been put there because they were no good at maths,” she recalls. (more…)

 

Workplace maths challenge aims to boost numeracy as millions have only primary school maths skills

Published on October 22, 2012,

Employers are being asked to help workers boost their numeracy skills amid fears that poor maths is blighting Britain’s economic performance. Figures show 17 million people who are working in England today have only primary level maths skills. This is from the BBC…

The charity, National Numeracy, plans to reach a million adults over a five-year period, starting in the workplace. (more…)

 

‘Statistical illiteracy’ leaves Britons at risk of being duped, warns British Academy

Published on October 19, 2012,

A crippling fear of numbers has left large swathes of the British population virtually incapable of seeing through what politicians, officials and even salesmen tell them, some of the country’s leading thinkers have warned. This is from the Telegraph…

The British Academy warned of a virtual epidemic of “statistical illiteracy” affecting businesses, schools, universities, and civil service. (more…)

 

Numeracy plan to boost pupils’ maths skills in Wales after results show pupils are half a year behind

Published on September 27, 2012,

Poor results which showed pupils in Wales falling behind other countries have led to the launch of a national numeracy programme. Education Minister Leighton Andrews says he wants to change the view that being poor with numbers is acceptable. Numeracy tests will be held in classes from Years 2 to 9. This is from the BBC…

Results showed pupils in Wales are the equivalent of half an academic year behind others for mathematical literacy. (more…)

 
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