Spring Term 2019 Newsletter 6 March 2019

News from our Maths Hub Lead, Abha Miller:

Dear All, Feeling very positive and full of the joys of Spring after the Love Maths Conference on the 14th February. All teachers seem to have enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate and share ideas and I have posted some of the feedback below. In this newsletter we have even more opportunities for you get involved with the Maths Hub programme especially with the Primary and Secondary Mastery Teacher Research workgroups. Also it is great that leading Universities are supporting Core Maths and Further Mathematics in their offers to students. Please get in touch with me if you wish to find out more. I encourage you to sign up to World Maths Day and wish you a very Happy Pi Day !

Join the BBO Maths Hub by emailing [email protected] Follow us on Twitter @BBOMathsHub Maths Hub Lead - Abha Miller at [email protected] Administrators - Ruth Long [email protected] & Moira Hulme at [email protected] Page 2

Secondary Mastery News from our Assistant Maths Hub Lead and Secondary Mastery Lead : Jo Walker

Solent Maths Hub hosted the Secondary Mastery Showcase at Mayfield Sec- ondary School in Portsmouth after Tracey Williams (Mayfield) and Andrea Wickham (The Oxford Academy) visited Shanghai to learn and see in practice how Mathematics is taught. The two teachers from Shanghai, Lei Zhu and Yifu Zhu, taught a Year 7 and a Year 8 class about ratios. Imagine teaching a lesson totally in a foreign language, responding to the students questions and contributions, to a group of students you will only ever teach for 5 lessons! The lessons were inspiring because of the complexity of questions which the students were able to solve by the end of the lesson and the way that they could explain their reasoning behind the solutions they created. The teachers developed this depth of understanding through very carefully crafted lessons, developing concepts in small steps and explicitly making use of small changes and the impact they have on the thought processes required.

The pace of the lessons seem slow but this is partly because the teachers allow students the time to think through questions, truly understand why the mathematics they are using works, and explore alternative methods. This allows students to adapt the core understanding to a wide range of questions without explicitly being told what to do.

To give you a flavour, consider the following questions. Students were given one question at a time and each was reviewed as a class before the next was considered. The only prompt given by the teacher before asking students to work it out was ‘What has changed?’

1. Josie and Emily won £24 of Love to shop vouchers in a maths competition. They want to share the vouchers in the ratio 1 : 2 (Josie to Emily). How many pounds will Josie get? What about Emily? 2. Josie, Emily and Ray won £24 of Love to shop vouchers in a maths competition. They want to share the vouchers in the ratio 1 : 3 : 4 (Josie to Emily to Ray). How many pounds will Josie get? What about Emily and Ray? 3. Josie, Emily and Ray won £24 of Love to shop vouchers in a maths competition. They want to share the vouchers. The ratio of Josie’s vouchers to Emily’s vouchers is 2 : 3. The ratio of Emily’s vouchers to Ray’s vouchers is 1 : 1. How many pounds will Josie get? What about Emily and Ray? 4. Josie and Emily won some Love to shop vouchers in a maths competition. They want to share the vouchers in the ratio 2 : 3 (Josie to Emily). And Emily gets £24. How many pounds did they win in this maths competition in total? 5. Josie and Emily won some Love to shop vouchers in a maths competition. They want to share the vouchers in the ratio 1 : 5 (Josie to Emily). And Emily gets £24 more than Josie. How many pounds did they win in this competition in total? 6. Josie and Emily won some Love to shop vouchers in a maths competition. They want to share the vouchers in the ratio 1 : 5 (Josie to Emily). When Emily gives £24 to Josie, they will have the same number of pounds each. How many pounds did they win in this maths competition in total?

This is a superb example of variation theory in action.

Join the BBO Maths Hub by emailing [email protected] Page 3 XX March

Secondary Opportunities

We have funded opportunities available now for you and your department to get involved in the Secondary Teaching for Mastery Programme 2019/20

Be part of a locally-based work group, where teachers meet regularly to develop professional knowledge and expertise. Thefully funded programme enables you and another teacher from your school to become ‘Mastery Advocates’. Initially you will be part of a Work Group for a year. You will also get in-school support from a Mastery Specialist. Beyond this, you will continue to work with your local Maths Hub and take part in a Work Group as you embed mastery across your department.

In a Teaching for Mastery Work Group you will:

 Collaborate with colleagues from other local schools to share best practice  Take away ideas to help your students become more confident mathematicians, ready to tackle GCSEs and A levels  Introduce and embed teaching for mastery in your classroom and department  Get input and guidance from a local leader of maths education (LLME)

This opportunity is suitable for all maths teachers, from NQTs to Heads of Department. It requires the support of your headteacher/a member of SLT.

For further information, testimonials and application form:

https://www.ncetm.org.uk/resources/52199

Secondary Mastery Open Sessions & Taster Days

Wanting to find out more about Teaching for Mastery? BBO Maths Hub is hosting a number of open mornings across our region for secondary school teachers wishing to explore the Teaching for Mastery approach.

 Baylis Court School, Slough SL1 3AH  The Oxford Academy OX4 6JZ  Wycombe High School, HP11 1TB  Tring School HP23 5JD

The Open Mornings are based around a lesson observation and then Q&A with our Mastery Specialist. The next date is Thursday 21st March at Wycombe High School and also at Baylis Court School. For a list of all available dates and venues, visit www.BBOMathsHub.org.uk

Secondary Mastery Taster Days will take place at The Oxford Academy on the 20th May and at Baylis Court School on the 18th June.

Secondary Work Groups

 Challenging Topics at GCSE: The Trouble with Fractions, Slough This work group will be led by Dr. Fiona Curtis from Reading University and will focus on fractions; the issues, the misconceptions and how these might be addressed. The work group comprises 4 afternoon sessions, 1-4pm and is based at Burnham Park Hall and meets Friday 5th April. Places can be booked via our website.

 Yr5– 8 Continuity, Oxford Lucy Sayce-Browne will be leading this work group with the aim of developing common approaches within Primary and Secondary teaching to support students in their transition to Secondary School. Based at Unipart House in Oxford, the work group is meeting on Friday 22 March & Friday 14 June and booking is via bbomathshub.org.uk

 Core Maths, Oxon The Core Maths Work Group is next meeting on Thursday 28th March at Wheatley Park School, Oxon. This project, run collaboratively by the Maths Hubs Network and the AMSP, will contribute to the wider national effort to grow and embed Core Maths confidence and culture within school and college maths departments. Sign up via our website.

Variation Theory– dispelling the myths, Geoff Wake and Lucy Rycroft-Smith Hosted by NRICH Tuesday March 19 2019 4.30-6.00 (doors open at 4pm) Venue: Centre of Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA For further info: [email protected]

AMSP Core Maths: A Fresh Approach to Teaching Mathematics Area Coordinator organised day, Prospect School, Reading, RG30 4EX Friday 22 March Further information and booking: https://amsp.org.uk/events/details/5519

AMSP: AS Compulsory Further Pure Revision Day Thursday 11th April, 10-4pm Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Andrew Wiles Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, OX2 6GG For further information: https://amsp.org.uk/events/details/5681

AMSP: A level Further Mathematics Compulsory Pure Revision Day

Thursday 11th April, 10-4pm Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Andrew Wiles Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, OX2 6GG For further information: https://amsp.org.uk/events/details/5682

Join the BBO Maths Hub by emailing [email protected] Page 5

Primary Opportunities

Participate in a Maths Hub Primary Teaching for Mastery Work Group 19/20 Are you a primary teacher interested in developing confident mathematicians in your class? Do you want to take part in high-quality, collaborative CPD which benefits you and your school? During the 2019/20 school year, Maths Hubs across England will work with thousands of primary schools to continue the spread of teaching for mastery across England. The Teaching for Mastery Programme is a professional development opportunity designed to support teachers like you to develop best practice in maths in your school. It is suitable for schools interested in implementing a teaching for mastery approach to maths. Places are available for state-funded primary schools in England to become part of this programme from September 2019. Two teachers from each participant school will attend six half-day meetings during the school year, and lead teaching for mastery development in their own school. There is no charge for participation in the programme and schools receive £1000 as a contribution to cover costs. They are also eligible to claim financial help towards the cost of buying maths textbooks. The application form can be found at www.bbomathshub.org.uk or by emailing [email protected]

 Primary Twilights, High Wycombe and Reading It’s World Maths Day on the 14th March and Rachel Walters will be exploring new resources to enthuse your students! Wycombe High School, Thursday 14 March , 4.30-5.30pm The next Primary Twilight at the Kendrick School in Reading will take place on the Thursday 9 May 4.15-5.15pm. Please book a place for these sessions at: www.bbomathshub.org.uk

 Yr5-8 Continuity Work Group : Multiplicative Reasoning, Oxford Teachers from different phases work together to improve communication between Key Stages 2 and 3, with the overall aim of improving continuity of learning by pupils in the four years between Years 5 and 8. Participants will focus on multiplicative reasoning and develop a consistent approach to it through discussion, joint lesson design and delivery, observation and the development of documentation to support continuity. Friday 22 March & Friday 14 June

 EYFS Work Group, Bracknell Forest Back by popular demand! Nathan Crook will be running a third cohort of this popular work group, focusing on key concepts in Early Years development and effective pedagogies that support EY mathematics learning. The work group will be based at Uplands Primary School, Sandhurst and starts Monday 13 May 2019. More information and booking: www.bbomathshub.org.uk

 Primary Subject Knowledge Enhancement, Reading and Bracknell The Primary SKE Work Group develops primary teachers’ mathematical subject knowledge so they can understand, teach and support pupils effectively. A key focus is on improving the teacher’s ability to ‘do’ mathematics but also to ensure teachers have the appropriate pedagogical knowledge to teach their pupils well. Four morning sessions in Bracknell starting Tuesday 14 May

Schools in the 17/18 Primary Mastery Programme: Submit your textbook match-funding claim by Friday 5th July!