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Putting Fun Back into Maths with Jo Skelton and Ruth Merttens
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How we can bring purpose, autonomy and joy into our maths lessons? - ask Professor Ruth Merttens, creator of the Hamilton Maths Scheme, and Jo Skelton, a Mathematics Education lecturer. Through their conversation about the future of mathematics education within the UK curriculum, Ruth and Jo discuss the importance of understanding the 'why' behind mathematical concepts and the need for teachers to have autonomy in their teaching methods. The conversation culminates with ideas on how teachers can regain control of their classrooms and boost their confidence in teaching maths.
- (00:45) - Ruth and Jo discuss the aspects of maths education that they are seeing in classrooms that make their hearts sing
- (05:20) - Jo discusses international perspectives on Maths education, to understand how the challenges we face in British schools are confronted overseas
- (16:24) - Ruth and Jo take an optimistic view of the future of Maths education and uncover the changes that can be made to improve the landscape over the next five years, including the benefits of a curriculum reform
- (38:17) - Jo and Ruth now consider what could be done now, with a particular focus on how we can empower both teachers and students to improve the quality of Maths education across the board.
About our guest
Ruth passionately believes that Primary Maths and English in the UK are well-taught by dedicated professionals, and that we have and should value our own distinct ethos, based on creative learning, inspirational teaching and critical thinking. Ruth provides practical, in-service training on creative teaching in mathematics and English, with particular expertise in Early Years. She is the author of many books and has written Planning Guidance for DFE and the NNS. She was on the NC Maths Advisory Group at DfE. She contributes regularly to professional journals and magazines and was Lead Author of Abacus Maths (Pearson).
Jo is a senior lecturer in primary mathematics at Oxford Brookes University, where she works with pre-service and in-service teachers in the UK and internationally. She is passionate about helping to make mathematics accessible to all, through building confidence and enjoyment of the subject. Jo’s research interests include maths anxiety in teachers and the role of language in mathematics learning. Her current research projects focus upon how multilingual learners use their languages to build conceptual understanding, particularly when they are learning mathematics in a bilingual context.
Key takeaways
- Consider the needs of your students first and foremost when teaching maths. Reflect on their current understanding and think about their next steps in learning.
- Use more models and images to help students understand complex concepts. Make use of resources such as those available on the Hamilton-Brookes website to highlight common misunderstandings.
- Reflect on your own attitudes towards maths and seek to build your confidence in the subject. Consider attending courses or training to improve your skills and confidence in teaching maths.
- Take a step back from prescribed teaching methods and take control of your classroom. Use teaching resources as a guide, but don't be afraid to adapt and tailor your teaching to your student's needs.
- Slow down the teaching process to ensure students have a deep understanding of fundamental concepts, rather than rushing through a large amount of content.
Quotes
"The thing that makes my heart sing is when I see children really enjoying and engaging in their mathematical learning." - Jo Skelton
"Our maths curriculum has space for creativity, for problem-solving, for exploration and to really develop the fundamentals of mathematical thinking." - Jo Skelton
"Teaching is a creative process and [...] learning is a creative process and if you do not feel like you're in charge of your classroom, it's very difficult to get that space for creativity." - Ruth Merttens
Resource recommendations
Hamilton Brookes Maths resources, available through the Hamilton Brookes website: https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/maths/
Hamilton Brookes Models and Calculation Strategies, also available through the Hamilton Brookes website: https://mcusercontent.com/cd59817652a3ad7ab0723c8d8/files/dba2aec2-034a-bb94-69a9-091db8d9d823/Hamilton_Brookes_Linear_non_linear.pdf
Quotitive division in the bilingual classroom: Exploring structure to support the development of conceptual understanding with primary aged multilingual learners - by Jo Skelton https://hal.science/hal-04406826
Primary teaching tips from Professor Ruth Merttens - YouTube playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6WSEV4uNJJ2zTMtxni4Fubq8N8OtsP5E
Why are we blindly following the Chinese approach to teaching maths - by Ruth Merttens
https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/feb/10/chinese-teaching-primary-maths
What will you take away?
Download the Hamilton Brookes' Primary Pledge card to continue the conversation with your teaching community. Share your pledge card by tagging Hamilton Brookes on your preferred social platform.
Hamilton Brookes
Primary Futures is brought to you by Hamilton Brookes, your loved and trusted place for quality lesson plans, materials and resources that you can use in your classroom.
To find resources that work for you and your pupils, go to the Hamilton Brookes website and browse ideas for English, maths, science and cross-curricular topics. You can find more information here.
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