Getting a good balance between teacher and pupil talk during maths lessons is always a high priority for practitioners. There are times where a ping-pong approach of asking questions, listening carefully to answers is necessary. At other times, richer, more extended mathematical discussions between peers are more appropriate. Ensuring children have the chance to contribute equally to these conversations is also crucial.
But there are also times when adults need to spend an extended amount of time modelling their own mathematical thinking within a lesson, to support pupils in developing strategies that will support them when tackling complex mathematical problems independently.
This has been a key area of focus for the teachers at Wise Academies, as Laura-Jo Cavner (Trust Maths Lead for Wise Academies) explains:
“As a Trust, our teachers have been working hard to model their own thinking in maths.
Teachers explicitly talk through their own thinking aloud, step-by-step, offering an insight into how they, the expert, tackle a mathematical problem. The teacher might model how they choose a strategy, how they might change their strategy part way through or how they draw upon previously learned skills to help them solve a problem. We also use worked examples when required to support in this explicit modelling.
When teachers model their own thinking it’s a perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate their own motivation, confidence and enjoyment in maths.”
You can see this ‘modelling of thinking’ in action in this new Clip from the Classroom.
Watch now: Modelling mathematical motivation and… | Research Schools Network
As you are watching, you may want to consider the following questions:
- Was the teacher explicit and detailed enough with her own thinking?
- Was there anything that she could have included?
- By modelling her own thinking, what else did the teacher demonstrate?
- How did the teacher’s modelling influence what the children did/said?
Seeing examples of practice in action can be really valuable for teachers, helping us to review and reflect upon our approach. We hope this video helps you to think about what is working well for the pupils that you teach, and areas you might want to further develop.
Further reading:
Recommendation 5 of our ‘Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3’ guidance report states the importance of adults modelling strategies and behaviours to encourage pupils to develop their independence and motivation towards learning maths.