What is Teaching for Mastery?
The West Yorkshire Maths Hub team believe that all children can become fluent, reasoning and problem-solving mathematicians. We want children to engage in mathematical thinking that will allow them to develop a connected conceptual understanding of the subject. The teachers we work with are developing their practice in a range of ways including:
- Making use of concrete manipulatives and pictorial representations that help learners to uncover and articulate mathematical structure.
- Crafting lessons so that mathematical talk is encouraged
- Using the principles of intelligent practice when choosing or writing questions
- Promoting a positive can-do mindset that expects to learn from mistakes
- Providing enjoyable and engaging tasks that build skills and allow misconceptions to be diagnosed
Find out more:
The NCETM has a great deal of information about teaching for mastery on their website including videos of teachers using this approach, case studies, and teaching materials. They use a diagram in their national training that describes the key ideas.