Figures of fun

If you count a successful maths lesson as one in which no one falls asleep, it could be time to try some of Ian Loynd’s eye-opening activities...

As a primary school governor, I hold primary teachers in the highest regard. Not only do you have the most important job in the world but, at a time when expectations and accountability are at an all-time high, delivering excellence in the classroom has never been more difficult. And this is true no more so than for primary maths lessons. The unique demands of the subject make it tough to apply some aspects of research on teaching and learning and even the best practitioners can, at times, become cynical about their job. Maligned in the press, scrutinised by headteachers and often lacking training in maths education, no wonder great primary teachers fear lessons about fractions, factors and Fibonacci.

The ‘perfect maths lesson’ is my remedy to the above! Rather than being a subject described as boring, irrelevant and hard, outstanding primary teachers combine their passion with pragmatism to ensure that maths is intriguing, relevant and delightfully baffling. And if you’re wondering what this might look like in practice, here are a few hints and tips that can help make the difference between success and failure in the primary mathematics classroom:

Perfect starters

If this is the answer, what is the question?

The teacher provides the answer and students think of as many questions as possible. For example, if the answer is 5 metres, what is the question? Half of 10 metres? Double 250 centimetres? A tenth of 50 metres? The approximate height of a tree? The length of a square with area 25 metres squared? The length 4.78 metres correct to one significant figure? The possibilities are endless! The aim of this activity is to reward good thinking as opposed to simply listing the most questions.

Taboo

Students attempt to describe a focus word without reading aloud any of the ‘taboo’ words given. For example, a pupil might be asked to describe ‘square’ without using the words ‘equal’, ‘four’, ‘right angle’ or ‘polygon’. As a follow-on, pupils can write a formal definition for the focus word using all of the taboo words listed (e.g. ‘A square is a polygon with four equal sides and four right angles’).

Perfect independent learning

Question generator

Ask students to generate as many questions as they can think of on the given topic, first by thinking on their own and then by refining questions in pairs or small groups. By using sticky notes, each group can stick their questions to the board (or a dedicated ‘wonder wall’) ranking them in order of interest. The remainder of the lesson (or series of lessons) is built around these questions.

Speed dating

Students sit in pairs, facing one another. They are each provided with a question on a card linked to the learning objectives, which are discussed, in turn, for a fixed (and normally brief) period of time. Partners are then swapped and the process repeated. For example, one partner may have a card with an improper fraction that must be changed into a mixed number, the other a mixed number that must be changed to an improper fraction. If anybody becomes stuck, their partner demonstrates how to solve the problem.

Perfect progress assessment

Coin toss

Students prepare for a test in pairs, supporting and challenging one another to ensure that they both understand the topic as fully as possible. After, say, 15 minutes of preparation time each pair flips a coin. The ‘loser’ has to sit the test, but both pupils share the mark!

Call my bluff

Three students are selected to each read aloud a statement linked to the learning objectives of the lesson. Only one of these pupils is reading a correct statement and the rest of the class must determine who the truth-teller is. For example:

• The area of a circle is given by pi times diameter

• The area off a circle is given by pi times diameter squared

• The area of a circle is given by pi times radius squared

About the author

Ian Loynd, a maths teacher, governor, author, educational consultant and trainer is also assistant headteacher at a large comprehensive school in Cardiff.