Category Archives: Tools

Scary report cards

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In case you missed it, Understood has a great article on how to help your child with their anxieties over the scary report card.

Report cards can be a big deal for both parents and kids, especially at the end of the school year. For struggling students, getting a report card can feel like a make-or-break moment. They may dread seeing the report card comments.

Read about their solutions HERE

Boosting Engagement by Taking Math Outdoors

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Boosting Engagement by Taking Math Outdoors. Looking for a way to motivate elementary math students? Take it outside: Moving math instruction outdoors can recharge both teachers and students with strategies for capitalizing on using outdoor spaces to design engaging math instruction.

Read all about it HERE

Avoid  the TRAP of Algorithms!

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It is not our usual habit to run commercials or advertisements, but this is exactly what we have been talking about with our students and the teachers we train. Great book:

Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms illuminates a hierarchy of mathematical reasoning to help teachers guide students through various domains of math development, from basic counting and adding to more complex proportional and functional reasoning.

Get the book HERE

Download and use Pirate math

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Rigorous evaluations of all four iterations of Pirate Math Equation Quest indicated that third- and fourth-grade students experiencing mathematics difficulty demonstrated improved word-problem performance with Pirate Math Equation Quest compared to students who did not participate in the intervention

See all their wonderful tools HERE

Use manipulatives

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So much fantastic work has been done on using manipulatives within maths lessons. For example, counters in ten frames can be used to model addition calculations that border ten. This highlights efficient mental strategies, helping children to move beyond counting strategies. Similarly, place value counters can be used to conceptually understand a column subtraction, modelling the process of regrouping. In these instances, the manipulatives can bring to life the key mathematical ideas, leading children to a deeper understanding.

Often, though, manipulatives can be used less frequently as children move through KS2. Also, their use can be primarily in developing number fluency, rather than being used as a tool for problem-solving.

How, then, can manipulatives be used in KS2 for all children, to develop a deep understanding of more complex mathematical ideas?

Read the whole article HERE