Mathematical Reasoning at KS3 National Collaborative Project
Cohort 1 – Year 2 (Information and Expression of Interest)
Developing departmental practice and culture to improve teachers’ confidence when addressing the reasoning component of the new secondary maths curriculum.
Firstly, we would like to thank all the teachers involved in the 2015/16 KS3 Mathematical Reasoning National Collaborative Project and in particular to the departments and subject leaders who supported the work of the project.
The quality of the feedback and the Work Group school reports completed by the project teachers and their subject leaders demonstrated the impact of the project and the potential for sustained gains to be made by both pupils and teachers, if given the opportunity to embed practice further.
As a result all Maths Hubs have received further funding to allow those schools involved in the first year of the project to continue into a second year.
This second year will be much more flexible in order to allow schools to embed further that practice identified from the first year of the project that they feel is most effective and relevant to their own needs.
This will be achieved through the completion early in the project by each participating department of a basic department plan for how mathematical reasoning will be taken forward by the department. This may be based on the areas identified in the Work Group school report completed at the end of this year’s project.
A similar model of collaboration at workshops will be used to support the work of participant teachers to reflect the needs identified in their department plan. The particular nature of the support offered at workshops and gap tasks will be negotiated between the participant teachers (and hence their departments) and the Work Group Lead. A variety of central resources and approaches may be offered to reflect some of the areas chosen.
Training appropriate to the leadership of this Cohort 1 Work Group will be available and this includes any member of the group who wishes to step forward as the Work Group Lead or who wishes to support a current Work Group Lead.
As a National Collaboration Project, comprehensive evaluation opportunities will be available to ensure effectiveness and impact but also to spread any lessons learnt and the emerging best practice,
The aims of the Cohort 1 continuing Work Group:
- To further deepen understanding of the subject knowledge and pedagogy related to the teaching and learning of mathematical reasoning for teachers and their departments.
- To support the embedding of effective practice in order to sustain impact on teaching and learning in relation to mathematical reasoning.
- To further develop the Professional development leadership skills of attending teachers in order to support their work with the wider department.
- To share any lessons learnt and any emerging best practice
- To establish a national resource of expertise with regard to the teaching and learning of mathematical reasoning through participant teachers, departments, workgroup leads and other partners such as HEI’s.
Schools who have participated in the first year have looked at a variety of ways of developing mathematical reasoning as part of their teaching. In Year 2 schools will have more freedom to select further ideas, to look more deeply into one idea or to look more deeply at a particular area of the curriculum.
Expectations
- Cohort 1 schools will continue to work on developing their students, teachers and departments in mathematical reasoning.
- As before, each cohort 1 school will nominate two maths teachers from the department (ideally this should be the same two teachers who participated in the Work Group in Year 1) who will attend all workshop sessions
- Cohort 1 schools will be supported at the start of the Work Group to produce a plan based on their WGS report to outline their mathematical reasoning focus for the year including actions and milestones across the department
- Cohort 1 schools will attend four meetings led by the Work Group Lead to share their practice and work collaboratively.
- The nominated teachers will be fully supported by middle and senior leadership as they lead further developments in the department.
- The project Work Group Lead and / or the HEI partner representative will be welcome to visit the school and observe mathematics lessons in which gap task activities are being used in the classroom.
To continue into the second year, please complete and return the expression of interest.
