Blog by Nigel Bufton.
Mathematics Lesson Study in Camden Schools
A group of Camden’s primary schools have been carrying out Lesson Study to find out more about how children learn mathematics. The schools have focused on children in Years 2 to 4 and analysed learning in aspects of number, problem solving and their use of mathematical language.
A junior school focused on place value, the partitioning of numbers and the recall of number facts in Year 4. Securing this basic core of mathematics learning has meant that children are now “much more able to apply themselves to solving problems.”
Solving problems is a skill in mathematics that needs teaching and practice. One primary school noted that the “more open-ended questions would often be skipped or attempted half-heartedly” by children. The Year 4 teachers were interested to learn how to organise the lesson to ensure children become more confident and assured problem solvers. They structured opportunities for the children to collaborate in problem solving. The result has been that children now show a “greater willingness to ‘attack’ a new problem and try out an approach.”
One primary school has looked at the role of language in mathematics. They observed that their Year 2 children had a “limited language frame for structuring their thinking.” Teachers now provide vocabulary and sentence structures for children and this has extended ‘the range and sophistication of their explanations’ in lessons.
All the teachers involved in the project have said that through the lesson study they have had an opportunity to “look in detail at children’s learning and find out what the children really understand rather than what they appear to understand.” This has resulted in surprises and a greater awareness that learning can be less secure than it first seems.
One teacher reported: “we found some startling gaps in some children’s understanding of place value which was impacting on their ability to perform calculations, and therefore limiting their progress. We identified children whose progress may suffer as a result of these misconceptions and developed action points to address this.”
Over time, teachers have come up with solutions and alternative approaches that they have shared with staff in their schools. This way the practices they have implemented have been introduced and developed more widely. Lesson study has proved to be an approach where “the deeper you look the more likely it is that the learning you acquire will be sustained.” As one teacher put it, it’s good to learn more about “the effectiveness of what I do when I teach.”
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