Visual learn

ing?

Extra workload?

Ofsted requirement?

Filling the gaps?

Differentiation?

Repetition?

Deeper understanding?

Visual learn

ing?

Extra workload?Filling the gaps?

Differentiation?

Repetition?

Deeper understanding?

EDUCATION

THE 2017 WHIZZ INSIGHTS · PART 1

What does maths mastery really mean?

THE 2017 WHIZZ INSIGHTS ·  PART 1 · What does maths mastery really mean?

2

Introduction Whether you’re for it or against it, excited, angry or new to the whole debate, one thing’s for certain: maths mastery is happening.

With support from Ofsted, the DfE and a range of new organisations, hundreds of UK schools are moving toward the maths mastery approach. Among the changes, myths and continuing arguments, Part I of the 2017 Whizz Insights asks:

What does maths mastery really mean? And, more importantly, how can we make it work in the classroom?

What is maths mastery?To start, let’s dispel some myths about mastery.

Most teachers have heard the big one: that there is a single meaning of ‘mastery’ which everyone agrees on. Next are the myths that there is just one teaching approach which is ‘the’ mastery approach, a special curriculum which is ‘the’ mastery curriculum, or new textbooks which are ‘the’ mastery textbooks.

But even once you get past these myths, it can still be a struggle to work out what maths mastery is.

Academics like Benjamin Bloom (famous for his taxonomy) and Carol Dweck (famous for her growth mindset) have their own ideas, like ‘mastery goal orientation’.

For most teachers, maths mastery is one of the teaching models championed by organisations like the NCETM and MathsHubs. The models try to build on the incredible success of maths teaching in Singapore and Shanghai, but often vary in their approach to meeting the expectations of the 2014 National Curriculum.

As complicated as this might seem, there is actually a simple, positive idea behind it all.

Maths mastery is built on the belief that - given the right amount of time and the right kind of attention - every child can succeed. Every child can access the whole curriculum, every child can develop a deep, conceptual understanding, and they can enjoy themselves while they do it.

Whizz Education welcome mastery approaches. This simple, positive idea – whether or not anyone calls it ‘mastery’ – has always been at the heart of what we do.

As complicated as mastery might seem, there is actually a simple, positive idea behind it

THE 2017 WHIZZ INSIGHTS ·  PART 1 · What does maths mastery really mean?

3

Why teach maths mastery?In one sense, many UK teachers have to teach maths mastery. The 2014 National Curriculum expectations encourage the approach, Ofsted supports it and the DfE is giving out £41 million for primary schools to adopt it.

But there are much better reasons to teach mastery.

Every primary school maths teacher has struggled, at some point, with teaching new material to a child who isn’t ready. If a student doesn’t fully grasp the basics of Division, then trying to teach them Fractions will always be an uphill struggle. Later, that student will need to learn Probability, which will be even harder again.

These struggles happen all the time in maths teaching. They happen because every maths topic is linked to others, and new knowledge and skills have to be built on top of previous learning. Real confidence and success as a mathematician come from having the right foundations, then understanding how the structure fits together.

At Whizz, we’re enthusiastic about mastery because it helps students to achieve this success. A true mastery approach is about giving every child a deep, secure understanding of every part of the curriculum. That means that students won’t go beyond Division until they are confident, and teachers won’t have to try and teach Fractions to students who aren’t ready.

Every primary school maths teacher has struggled, at some point, with teaching new material to a child who isn’t ready

THE 2017 WHIZZ INSIGHTS ·  PART 1 · What does maths mastery really mean?

4

Five ways to teach maths mastery• Moving toward mastery means that students fully grasp topics

before progressing to new material. Students must be confident and competent, with a good understanding of the concepts involved, to be judged ready (an 80% assessment is frequently – and ambitiously - suggested as proof).

• Mastery approaches often make the whole class move at the same pace. Students who learn faster stay on the same content while others catch up, being stretched with rich, complex problems that challenge them to consolidate their understanding.

• Despite what some people seem to suggest, mastery approaches should and do involve differentiation. The difference is that, in a mastery framework, teachers differentiate the time and support they provide for students, not content. In fact, mastery can only be achieved with strong, effective interventions for individuals within the class.

• To develop fluency and understanding of concepts, students have to practice applying them. But this has to be more than basic repetition, with students performing the same tasks over and over again. Students need ‘intelligent’ practice, with variation in the way they apply their learning to new situations, helping them to see the mathematical structures used.

• We often hear that high-quality teaching resources and the use of pictorial representations are important for mastery teaching. While this is true, it is also true that these things are important for all good teaching. It is equally important that teachers have the freedom to teach in the best way they can, without relying on just one resource.

Despite what some people seem to think, mastery approaches should and do involve differentiation

THE 2017 WHIZZ INSIGHTS ·  PART 1 · What does maths mastery really mean?

5

Want to read more?

Benjamin Bloom (1968) – ‘Learning for Mastery’ Bloom was the first to formally propose ‘mastery’ in this influential academic paper.

NAMA – ‘Five Myths of Mastery of Mathematics’ The National Association of Mathematics Advisors (NAMA) deal with five of the biggest myths about maths mastery.

Charlie Stripp – ‘Maths Mastery: What it is and Why We Should Do it’ The Director of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) gives his own views on maths mastery, with links to official NCETM papers.

Mark McCourt – ‘Teaching for Mastery’ Spread across two parts, this colossal 20,000-word blog piece offers an interesting read for the true education geeks among us.

www.whizz.com/what-is-maths-mastery