After I started posting on my Instagram about using different techniques in Maths lessons, I decided to write more about it in hope to give someone some ideas to ‘bridge the gap’ for some of your children in Maths.
Though these ideas are relative and applicable to all subjects, it may be especially helpful to those who are looking for new inspiration in engaging the different types of learners in Maths.
As teachers, we have one of the toughest jobs in the world. We’re expected to teach a specific concept to a class full of children, with a wide range of different needs. These needs can range from behavioral to learning to emotional to language, each with their own subcategories, stemming into more needs. When teaching something new, we need to ensure that each child can access the material. We become an octopus essentially, juggling different strategies and resources trying to teach the one thing to 30 children of the same age and more often than not, different abilities.
I’m no expert at teaching Maths, but here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way that allow each child to access the lesson, while providing challenge simultaneously.
Using Physical Representation alongside teaching a new concept
From one of the first experiences of Maths at school, we’re taught to learn through objects. Be it blocks, cubes, fancy colored pegs, whatever, we’re taught through “things” (for want of a better word). A common misconception we have is that children are “too old” to be using practical resources for Maths.
No matter what the ability, I aim to start each new Maths concept with practical resources/ physical representation. It’ll surprise you which children need to see/feel/make it to understand it.
I know for a fact that some of my children know that 6×3=18. But when asked to represent it, they didn’t put 3 rows of 6 or 6 rows of 3- they just put out 18 cubes in any old way. While their answer is correct, they haven’t understood what the multiplication concept is. For your higher achievers that you KNOW know this inside out and back the front, you can challenge them to represent this is a multiplication and check their answer using division. Using practical resources really can cement some children’s understanding and can be the difference between them achieving the objects or not.
Some resources you can use to teach certain maths concepts:
Place Value; Addition; Subtraction: Diennes or cubes
Graphs: Make a human size pictogram on the floor for all to see and unpick!
Shape: physical shapes and real objects of that shape e.g. tin of beans for a cylinder.
Fractions: cupcakes, smarties, cubes, pizzas.
Decimals: (see below) or follow this link to buy!
Don’t underestimate the value of practical resources and don’t feel the need to whip them away from children during the activity. If they need resources to help them achieve the outcome, so be it! It all ties into differentiation by support anyways!
Challenge each level of ability, not just your higher achievers
As an NQT, my mentor shared a quote with me that has stuck with me since that day:
“30 fleas were put into a tin. They jumped up high to try and get out of the tin and could do so as they had the space to reach as high as they wanted. One day, someone put a lid on this tin. The fleas continued to jump up, trying to get out, however this time they just bounced off the lid. The next day, the person took the lid off the tin and the fleas continued to jump only as high as the lid’s place, as that’s how far they now believed they could only go”.
A bit of a wacky way to explain differentiation to me, but in hindsight he wanted me to know that if I tell my lower and middle ability learners what they can do, that’s as far as they will achieve. But, if you give them the room and the choice to progress, they will.
Through this, he taught me how to differentiate by application. Each lesson, I had 4 levels of challenge:
- Challenge 1
- Challenge 2
- Challenge 3
- Super Challenge
- From this, children were encouraged to choose their own level of comfort. They could choose which level they wanted to try. If they could complete 3 questions in that challenge, they knew that had to move on to the next level, therefore constantly showing progression and challenge! Now sometimes, you’ll have those children that want to take a back seat and do challenge 1, even when they’re capable of challenge 3. Or similarly, an ambitious soul who jumps straight for super-challenge, when really they should be starting at challenge 1. But LET them attempt it! Let them realize their own capabilities and if they can’t do the challenge they chose, they can simply try the one before it!
It’s not a prize winning idea, and doesn’t always work, but when the children are taught how to use it, it does. Give it a try, it may work with your little ones!
Okay, here I used Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum but you get the idea!
See this resource here: Short Multiplication Activity
Start each lesson with mental maths
Be it recalling number bonds, timetables, place value, money, children need to keep their mental maths skills fresh! Spending 5 minutes at the start of each Maths lesson can get children in the zone for Maths too! Make it fun, competitive and purposeful!
For example, in groups of 4, order these decimal numbers from lowest to highest. It creates maths discussion, reasoning and justification, while keeping their skills fresh also!
They don’t need to be complicated or time consuming to plan for, they just need to be purposeful!
Topmarks in particular is one of my favorites. It has a range of games for a range of ages!
Often I use this Power Point too, which I update anytime I use it so that I have it complete for my class next year.
Or for practice with the times tables, see this resource here!
Where possible, make it relevant and fun
For the Maths haters of this world, they’ll look for the reason they’re learning certain concepts. I’m sure at some stage, we’ve all heard something along the likes of “but why do we need to know how to do X, Y or Z”.
This isn’t always possible but when it is, make it relevant. When learning about money, being in receipts. When learning about graphs, take data from the students and turn it into a graph. You get my gist!
Sometimes, we may feel constricted to solving Maths questions in the books, but maths can be answered in so many different ways. Even once a week, abandon the books and be creative, if it’s fun for you, it’s fun for them.
I could keep this post going for days, but I’ll cut it now before I start waffling! Some of the links to products are AF links, where I earn a small % of any purchases on these products. I do/have used any that I have linked for the past few years and stand over them- they’re great!
I hope some of these tips are useful to you and as always, feel free to DM me on my Instagram or email me at rebecca.the.irish.teacher@gmail.com.
