Numeracy is too a significant area of the curriculum, for it is used by students not only in the classroom, but also in their everyday lives, for the rest of their life. Being able to equip them with a solid foundation in the world of numeracy will increase their ability to tackle mathematics in the world around them.
This is how I teach numeracy in my classroom:
I always aim to provide my students with hands-on stimuli to add a physical element, which assists in their learning. In my numeracy lessons I provide concrete materials such as unifix, MAB blocks, counters, etc. and this allows students to experiment and engage in hands-on learning. I feel that this really benefits students in increasing their understanding of mathematical concepts.
I make use of a range of groupings within a lesson to keep the class interesting and support student learning in a range of ways.
Usually I will start a class as a whole group, revising the previous lessons concepts, doing some quick mental mathematics, singing a maths related song, or conducting a quick maths game. These short activities allow the students to get in the correct mindset for their numeracy lesson, and then we can move onto investigating the mathematical concept for that lesson. The class then follows with any combination of individual work, ability based group work, mixed ability group work or teacher focus group work, depending on what is appropriate for that lesson.
I also love creating open-ended questions in numeracy lessons to prompt mathematical thinking in my students and ensure all students in my class, no matter what ability, can work on the task. Each student is different and will tackle a problem in their own way, so using open-ended tasks allows them to do this and also to collaborate with their peers and explore different ways of thinking. The use of real-world problems allows students to make the connection between mathematics and everyday life, and can provide for a more engaging lesson for the class.
Usually I will start a class as a whole group, revising the previous lessons concepts, doing some quick mental mathematics, singing a maths related song, or conducting a quick maths game. These short activities allow the students to get in the correct mindset for their numeracy lesson, and then we can move onto investigating the mathematical concept for that lesson. The class then follows with any combination of individual work, ability based group work, mixed ability group work or teacher focus group work, depending on what is appropriate for that lesson.
I also love creating open-ended questions in numeracy lessons to prompt mathematical thinking in my students and ensure all students in my class, no matter what ability, can work on the task. Each student is different and will tackle a problem in their own way, so using open-ended tasks allows them to do this and also to collaborate with their peers and explore different ways of thinking. The use of real-world problems allows students to make the connection between mathematics and everyday life, and can provide for a more engaging lesson for the class.
ICT: I often use ICT in my numeracy lessons as it assists me in improving my teaching and also provides an enhanced experience for students. It allows me to build on the curriculum being implemented and expand the opportunities for student learning. The IWB (Interactive Whiteboard) is a tool that I use in a number of ways, whether it be to complete a task or game as a whole class, to start off the lesson in a fun and interactive way, to use it in numeracy rotations, or to display the curriculum content in an interesting way that compliments my explanation of the content. I also utilise computers in the classroom so that students can complete individual work or engage in interactive activities on various programs or websites, such as Mathletics.