garethmetcalfe Maths ideas

I See Problem-Solving for LKS2 and KS1 – update 1!

After completing I See Problem-Solving – UKS2, I spent some time before Christmas extending my free resources for Early Number Sense and creating some free resources for visualising multiplication. Now it’s time for the next big project – writing I See Problem-Solving – LKS2 and I See Problem-Solving – KS1!

I’ve decided to write both resources simultaneously. Trialling the tasks takes so long, I thought was better to get going on both resources now. This will mean I can keep sending out sample resources to be trialled, keep making improvements to both and hopefully, overall, complete the I See Problem-Solving trilogy sooner! So far I have come up with loads of draft ideas for both resources in each curriculum area:

Soon I will start creating the tasks themselves. I’m going to start with tasks in addition and subtraction, multiplication and fractions. The idea is that the pre-task steps will help children to learn the sub-skills for answering the main task, making the activities accessible for all. Then there will be reasoning tasks and extensions for deepening learning. Expect lots of visual, thought-provoking mathematics!

Example tasks will be sent for trialling to people on my trial resources list for KS1 and LKS2: expect the first email mid-February. It helps so much when people tell me what they like about the sample tasks and what can be improved. I’m still very busy with my teaching and training commitments, so if I’m a bit delayed that’s why!

Once all the trialling is done, hopefully the finished product will help teachers to do something that I always found hard: systematically teach problem-solving skills to children. I’m mega-excited about what can be achieved.

I See Reasoning – KS1 and I See Reasoning – LKS2 are designed to help teachers build reasoning into daily maths lessons.

garethmetcalfe Maths ideas

I See Reasoning – LKS2

I am delighted to announce that I See Reasoning – LKS2 is now on sale! It will arm teachers with a range of visual and thought-provoking tasks for interweaving reasoning within day-to-day maths lessons.

I See Reasoning – LKS2, the little sister of the hit resource I See Reasoning – UKS2, is a PDF file received as a digital download. It is comprised of 240 questions for deepening mathematical thinking and encouraging purposeful peer discussions. It is a go-to resource for prompts that build understanding and tasks that allow for extended investigations. This blog showcases what to expect from the resource by looking at three typical example questions.

Prompts that show concepts visually

There are a wide range of questions that use visual representations to help children to make connections and develop a conceptual understanding of core concepts. There are lots of ‘read the picture’ examples like the one above, ideas are often represented with bar models and many other images are used.

Prompts that generate discussion around key ideas

There are lots of examples that get children talking about key concepts and identify likely misconceptions. In this example, will children recognise that the size of the angle is represented by the amount of turn rather than the length of the lines? There are thought-provoking images from right across the LKS2 curriculum.

Opportunities for extended exploration

Many of the questions will ask children to calculate in different ways or find multiple solutions. This means challenge is added by getting children to explore the same type of question in more depth, working systematically and flexibly to find all possible answers.

It’s my belief that teachers generally agree on the principles of great maths teaching. However, time-pressured teachers need great resources at their fingertips. That’s what I attribute the unbelievable success of I See Reasoning – UKS2 to. It is ever-increasingly popular and has sold in 12 countries!

I have been so touched by the very many positive messages I have received in recent months. It’s my great pleasure to help teachers create meaningful and engaging maths lessons. I hope I See Reasoning – LKS2 is another piece of this jigsaw.

I See Reasoning – LKS2 is on sale via Etsy here. Information about the resource, plus the free multiplication section, can be accessed on this page.

For further information about training and resources, visit www.iseemaths.com