Understand Current National and Organisational Frameworks for Mathematics Essay Example

national curriculum framework for mathematics including age related expectations of learners relevant to the setting Children who are in Reception classes (aged 40-60+ months) are taught by teachers using the Foundation Stage Curriculum for mathematics. The Foundation Stage shows that numeracy is to be broken down into two areas of learning. 1, numbers. 2, shape, space and measures. Children’s early learning goals, which are at the end of Foundation Stage, are the expectations for the majority of the children to be at.

For example, in the case on numbers: 1. Be able to count and recognise numbers up to 20. 2. To know one more and one less than a given number 3. To use resources, such as cubes, to add or subtract two single digit numbers. 4. To be able to double, halve and share. England and Wales follow the National Primary Numeracy Framework. This includes the seven strands of learning and covers the whole of primary age children, including foundation. The seven strands of learning are:

• 1. Using and applying mathematics
• 2. Counting and understanding numbers
• 3. Knowing and using number facts
• 4. Calculating
• 5. Understanding shape
• 6. Measuring
• 7. Handling data.

(Source: Primary Numeracy Framework, Standards site: http://nationalstrategies. standards. dcsf. gov. uk/node/110240) As I am currently working in year 4 and have done so for a few years, attached are the seven strands of learning in numeracy from the above website specifically breaking it down for year 4. (See 2 attached sheets). Scotland does not follow the Primary Framework.

They have divided numeracy into 3

main areas:

• 1. Information Handling
• 2. Number, money and measurement
• 3. Shape, position and movement

Northern Ireland phased in the curriculum and divided the following areas into Key stage 1 and 2:

• 1. Processes in mathematics
• 2. Number
• 3. Measures
• 4. Shape and space
• 5. Handling data.

1. 3 Summarise the organisations policy and curriculum framework for mathematics. During the Foundation Phase, children develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of mathematics through oral, practical and play activities. They enjoy using and applying mathematics in practical tasks in eal-life problems, and within mathematics itself. They use a variety of ICT resources as tools for exploring number, for obtaining real-life data and for presenting their findings. Much of their work will be oral. They develop their use and understanding of mathematical language in context, through communicating/talking about their work. They ask and respond to questions, and explore alternative ideas. They use appropriate mathematical language to explain their thinking and the methods they use to support the development of their reasoning.

They develop a range of flexible methods for working mentally with number, in order to solve problems from a variety of contexts, checking their answers in different ways, moving on to using more formal methods of working and recording when they are developmentally ready. They explore, estimate and solve real-life problems in both the indoor and outdoor environment. They develop their understanding of measures, investigate the properties of shape and develop early ideas of position and movement through practical experiences.

They sort, match, sequence and compare objects and events,

explore and create simple patterns and relationships, and present their work in a variety of ways At Key Stages, learners build on the skills, knowledge and understanding they have already acquired during the Foundation Phase. They continue to develop positive attitudes towards mathematics and extend their mathematical thinking by solving Mathematical problems, communicating and reasoning mathematically using contexts from across the whole range of mathematics, across the curriculum and as applied to real-life problems.

They extend their use of the number system, moving from counting reliably to calculating fluently with all four number operations, including in the context of money, in order to solve numerical problems. They try to tackle a problem with a mental method before using any other approach and use written methods of calculation appropriate to their level of understanding. They develop estimation strategies and apply these to check calculations, both written and by calculator.

They explore a wide variety of shapes and their properties and, in the context of measures, use a range of units and practical equipment with increasing accuracy. They collect, represent and interpret data for a variety of purposes. They select, discuss, explain and present their methods and reasoning sing an increasing range of mathematical language, diagrams and charts. (Resources from: Aims and Objectives from a Primary numeracy policy) My Schools Numeracy policy follows the National Primary Numeracy Framework.

The school is striving to reach age related expectations as our pupils’ actual achievement is below this. All the adults in our school have been having extensive training and observations to better understand how to use resources in our setting, such as numicon and to make

sure that the teaching is of a high standard. My job is to be clear as to what the success criteria is to be for each lesson before the lesson starts and to ensure my group have all the resources available to them. At the end of the lesson I am to feed back to the teacher the children’s understanding from the group I worked with. . 4 Explain the teachers programme and plans for mathematics teaching and learning My teacher and I always have a discussion prior to all classes as to what the children will be learning and what the success criteria is. The plans will also show the levels of ability for groups of children so that each group has work that is differentiated according to their strengths. Also in the plans will show which group I am to work with that day and how I am to support them. Weekly plans are given to me on a Monday morning and they are also displayed in the classroom.

In some schools teaching assistants are involved with lesson planning, but this is not the case in mine. If I feel that a different resource or an approach to showing children a method is needed, then I have authority do this, as my school believes that I know my group better than anyone else. Each year group has a list of key objectives which is from the seven strands of learning.

Examples of some skills needed in Reception are:

• 1. Find one more or less than a number from one to ten
• 2. Use language such as ‘circle’
  

or ‘bigger’ to describe the shape and size of solids and flat shapes.

By year 6, these examples change to:

• 1. Express one quantity as a percentage of another; find equivalent percentages, decimals and fractions
• 2. Visualise and draw on grids of different types where a shape will be after reflection, after translations, or after rotation through 90 degrees or 180 degrees about its centre or one of its vertices.
• 3. Solve problems by collecting, selecting, processing, presenting and interpreting data, using ICT where appropriate: draw conclusions and identify further questions to ask.

Source: Primary Framework for Mathematics: Learning Objectives. )

Teachers refer to the Primary Framework for Mathematics when planning their lessons. The Framework sets out areas in to blocks. For instance, handling data and measures will be studied during the year in three two-week blocks. As numeracy and literacy are our core subjects, and subjects that we must improve on, they are taught every day, usually in the morning when children are more alert. (See attached a past weekly numeracy plan in which I have annotated. Planned by my year 4 teacher).