PRIMARY TEACHING FOR MASTERY
Representation & Structure
Teachers provide access to the mathematics through carefully selected representations.
Representations expose mathematical structure.
Procedural Variation
Calculations are connected and pupils use the relationships to make connections.
Conceptual Variation
Representing the same concepts in different ways to draw out essential features.
Making connections between the different representations is important.
Mathematical Thinking
Children and teachers need to think mathematically. This means to:
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look for pattern,
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make connections,
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and reason about relationships.
Fluency
Having instant recall of number bonds to ten and within ten and being able to apply these to multiples
40 + 20 = 60 and bridging ten 8 + 5 = 8 + 2 + 3 = 13 is crucial for mastery of the curriculum.
Learn the facts so that the mind is freed up to think about concepts.
Coherence
The NCETM have produced PD material with exemplified small steps mapped out from Year 1 to Year 6.
They have split the curriculum up into a small number of areas called ‘spines’ –
Spine 1: Number, Addition and Subtraction,
Spine 2: Multiplication and Division and
Spine 3: Fractions.
Each spine is composed of a number of segments, and a recommended teaching sequence for segments across the three spines.
An explanation of the structure of these materials, with guidance on how teachers can use them, is contained in a Getting Started video.