firstfederation
Teaching for Mastery
Here at Gatehouse, we have looked to implement a mastery curriculum within mathematics. We believe that the principles of a mastery curriculum enable Gatehouse to achieve the aims of the 2014 National Curriculum. The key principles to our approach consist of:
Believing that all children can learn all mathematical content through a coherently sequenced curriculum which enables children appropriate time to for mathematical concepts to mature.
Understanding concepts deeply, recognising that there is no limit to the depth of knowledge a pupil can learn about a concept.
Knowing and ensuring children have a secure understanding of pre-requisite knowledge before moving on to later concepts.
Allowing children to make connections within and across year group content.
Pupils recognising that their own effort matters.
Our 'Mastery' approach is built upon the foundational beliefs that we are being mathematical and not just doing maths..
- A pupil does not have a fixed ability.
- All pupils can learn all of the content if their learning is coherently sequenced and given the right amount of time – learning at pace.
- Assessment plays an important role in ensuring that all children are exposed to the right level of mathematics, with opportunities to go ‘deeper’ into a concept for those who have grasped the initial structure of a concept.
- There is no limit to the depth of reasoning one can have around a concept so understanding can be seen as infinite (quite often in mathematics, great new insight comes from attention to an area of mathematics that one is already fluent in).
- The belief that one’s own efforts matter is imperative for all pupils to learn mathematics.
We regard a mathematician as someone who:
Is curious in all aspects of life
Enjoys the state of not yet knowing the resolution
Ask their own questions
Can spot patterns
Can generalise
Can reflect and notice
Tries to disprove ideas
Argues with their own thinking
This is BEING MATHEMATICAL not simply doing maths