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Maths: Strategies

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Children Playing with Colourful Blocks

Strategies

  • Explore other areas which might be affecting maths learning.
  • Use SEND Services checklist.
  • Helpful strategies and approaches include Understanding Working Memory: A Classroom Guide [Size: 367 KB, File: PDF].
  • Check Processing speed. This can be formally assessed using PhAB 2.
  • Understanding of language: use blank levels
  • Self-concept and self-efficacy: ‘Understanding mathematics anxiety.’
  • This could look like a daily pre-teach intervention ran before the session, or a weekly pre-teach session providing key information ahead (such as introducing the vocabulary needed for the upcoming topic, shape or measurement).
  • It could also be a ‘window into the week ahead’ sent home to parents who could support children in practising key skills. Ideally in an activity sent home, it needs to be fun and practical. For example, measuring five objects in your house.
  • Think carefully about the next steps and ensure they are linked with the CYP's development. Dependent on the child’s current levels, this might not be in keeping with their age-related curriculum expectations. Link the next steps to APDR targets if appropriate
  • Use resources to support memory, for example, number bond strips, multiplication tables, and number operation cards; ensure the CYP knows how to access these resources and have them readily available.
  • Always start with concrete or practical examples before moving on to pictorial and then abstract instruction. Give concrete resources and manipulatives to support learning (Numicon, counters, magnetic numbers). Ensure manipulatives are purposefully and appropriately and relate to the task.
  • Relate learning to CYP’s interest to encourage motivation to learn.
  • Provide specific meaningful praise and feedback. Feedback can relate both to attitude and skill.
  • As far as possible work with CYP’s families around ways to support their skills and confidence with maths at home.

More Strategies

The Education Endowment Foundation provides a comprehensive list of recommendations linked to current research:

Use learning disabilities ‘(LDs) in Mathematics: Evidence-Based Interventions, Strategies, and Resources’:

Use technology such as talking tins or Chromebooks to store instructions, information, or sentences.

Check the CYP's understanding of language and simplify it if necessary:

  • Use number stampers to enable children to be successful in maths where number formation is being worked upon.
  • Give clear and simple instructions, breaking down longer instructions and giving one at a time. Allow the pupil to make jottings to support their memory.
  • Use visuals: visual planners, visual cues, and prompts, for example, objects, pictures, photos, symbols, choice boards, etc.
  • Give time to process information before a response is needed. Give time to process the information and then time to complete the task.
  • Build opportunities to practice key skills during the start of the lesson.
  • Provide alternative methods of recording, magnetic numbers, wooden numbers, whiteboard.
  • Avoid unnecessary copying off the board or into books. Provide printouts or stamps.
  • Write out or stick in learning objective and date
  • Model use of open-ended simple statements such as “I wonder,” or “What if,” rather than questions.
  • Give options for answers to develop a CYP’s confidence in answering. For example, “Do you think it could be 4 or 8 counters?” Move on to asking, ‘How do you know?’
  • Support CYP to understand how interventions are connected to whole class instruction.
  • Use the principle of little and often to develop the fluency of number facts.
  • Include appropriate questions aimed at the CYP’s attainment level so they can be included in whole class discussions.
  • Provide an aide-memoire of examples so that CYP can refer to previous teaching and learning.

Glossary

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