The programme
The fairytale context of the programme provides lots of opportunities for students to get maths on its feet and lower their anxiety about giving the wrong answer as they are encouraged to approach maths through an investigative method.
The programme incorporates homework tasks and supporting literacy activities to offer teachers opportunities to embed the programme into other areas of their teaching.
The final day for each class incorporates a sharing session where the participating children bring their achievements to life for their families or other classes in the school.
The schedule
This programme can run over a term or just a few workshops to support the curriculum delivery of maths outside the classroom environment. The programme, wherever possible, has teacher input from the outset to ensure the sessions are tailored to the needs of the participating children.
Topics include:
- Perimeter
- Coordinates
- Angles
- Volume
Impact Measurement Results
At the start of the project, 44% of children felt excited about new maths learning ‘all of the time’ but by the end of the project this had increased to 67% of children. At the start of the programme 24% of children ‘never’ or ‘hardly ever’ felt excited but by the end this was only 12% of children. At the start of the project, 34% of children felt confident ‘all of the time’ about using maths at home. This had increased to 59% of the children by the end of the project.
Feedback from Teachers
“Every session was engaging and creative. The project has had a positive and a memorable impact on the children’s maths learning.”
“The children enjoyed working in different groups and all completing the same task. The practical lessons were really fun! It has inspired them to be more confident in themselves. The project was very inclusive. The key concepts were explained really well and the activities/challenges linked to them were practical, fun and accessible for all abilities. I have used some of the practical ideas in my lessons – adapting the skills and questions to suit the more able mathematicians in the class.”