Notes on Pupil Chat 1/05/09 (Maths)

Introduction
Richard Savage and Anne Marie Impey, two of the school’s governors were invited to join Mrs Opalko on her Friday, meet the pupils’ chat, to learn about how maths was being taught in the school.

Key Stage 1:
The infants are enjoying their numeracy lessons and listed various activities they enjoy taking part in while learning maths. Examples given were lots of games and use of the interactive white board. They think learning about numbers and shapes is fun and that they can use various tools. They also understand the connection of Numeracy to their everyday lives and gave examples of using and counting money and the teacher adding up how many children wanted school lunches. They recalled measuring items and writing the answers on their small whiteboards.
They use number lines and grids number squares and their fingers to help with Numeracy.
When asked how to improve their learning in Maths they were at a loss except to be given work that they thought was challenging.

Key Stage 2:
The juniors were represented by 15 pupils, 10 of the 15 claim that Maths was their favourite subject!

The general discussion was that maths could be fun with lots of warm up games, puzzles such as Suduko and work on the interactive whiteboards. The pupils liked the independence they were given once they had learned a few strategies and that they were allowed to use the strategy that they understood best, they seemed confident that something could start out difficult but be learned.
They were also happy that they knew what level they were in maths in relation to others in the groups and the expected Levels for their age, through teacher comments, stickers and assessment. They explained that they liked to know where they were and that the teacher only read your mark out if you were happy for them to do so.
They find Targets and tests useful and like to know the WALT (we are learning today) and achieve the LO (learning objective).
When asked what helps them to learn they stated the teacher, tables, chanting, doubling, number lines and partitioning.