PGCE Primary and a Mastery approach

…the journey so far

v.lloyd@staffs.ac.uk

Our context:• Our Primary Award has run for 3 years and offers a PGCE with QTS

• Our provision started with a cohort of 20, then rose to 32 and last year was at 47

• The Award started with one full time staff member and now has 2 full time members of staff.

• Our remit involves all aspects of provision on the course – recruitment, placements, placement supervision, partnership support, growing school direct provision, teaching sessions, tutorial support, marking etc.

• Last year the University grew it’s involvement at a primary level with it’s MAT and we provide the class based support and training for 2 primary academies.

• As a small award we are able to make adaptations as we have a full overview of the programme and not dependent on other team members / cohesion across large teams

The structure of the award:

- After the first year of the award where we tried to cover maths and literacy on an ongoing basis the decision was taken to move towards more of a block provision so that trainees had a working knowledge before entering school.

- We start at the beginning of September and have 2 full weeks focusing on literacy and mathematics

- We then pick up on other relevant aspects over the year i.e. Guided Reasoning, Problem Solving, Working Walls, Effective environments etc.

- The maths sessions follow the key themes of mathematics in terms of mathematical areas i.e.:

- Early counting skills, Place value, Mental Strategies, Calculations, Fractions, Data Handling, Shape, Space and Measures

What do we mean by mastery? • Teachers reinforce an expectation that all pupils are

capable of achieving high standards in mathematics.

• The large majority of pupils progress through the curriculum content at the same pace. Differentiation is achieved by emphasising deep knowledge and through individual support and intervention.

• Teaching is underpinned by methodical curriculum design and supported by carefully crafted lessons and resources to foster deep conceptual and procedural knowledge.

• Practice and consolidation play a central role. Carefully designed variation within this builds fluency and understanding of underlying mathematical concepts in tandem.

• Teachers use precise questioning in class to test conceptual and procedural knowledge, and assess pupils regularly to identify those requiring intervention so that all pupils keep up.

Many elements outside a trainees control

Our journey towards mastery:In leading the provision my journey…

2013/2014 - New Currciulum not just about increased expectations engaging in reading / reflection / discussion with colleagues in consultancy / OFSTED/Headteachers

- 2014/2015: Working in MATs –reading around NCETM, OFSTED, Singaporian Principles. Looking at primary practice and how the pedagogy and emphasis needed to shift from an objective based approach to a concept based approach.

- Supporting MATs with developing pedagogy based on structured apparatus, reducing the spread of abilities, more active engagement, planning from a more concept driven curriculum, planning a curriculum that enabled more specific focus and greater time to embed

- Already a high focus on the use of concrete resources

- More focus on trainees teaching sequences of lessons

- With trainees – sharing NCETM articles , discussing the shift in practice (NB not evident in the schools they were working in)

- With NQTS – returners conference on a Mastery approach – utilsing NCETM and discussing practice and approach

- A deep focus on Progress of learners through Personal Improvement Planning and Lesson observations (TS 2)

Our journey towards mastery:

- 2015/2016: A review of the maths sessions – more emphasis on structured use of apparatus including Numicon, place value counters

- Tweaking sessions to discuss how depth is obtained and can be shown. Further developing the links to some co-operative learning structures to open up activities to promote mathematical dialogue

- Including in the sessions the NCETM report to review and discuss / reflect on in light of pedagogical approaches seen in school

- Tasks to support the focus on differentiation by resource not be scale of numbers

- Increased emphasis in all sessions on C - V - A

- Independent reading on bar method

- Additional sessions in partnership with local Maths hub and primary teachers who are on the mastery approach

- PGCE EYTS started and leading on literacy and numeracy aspects for these employed practitioners

- Continued school based support MAT

- Discussions with partner schools whilst out on tutor visits

Our continued developments:

- 2016 onwards…

- Increase number of days / sessions with maths focus

- More focus on early number concepts – number sense / counting etc. as many later errors are due to misconceptions formed at this stage

- Increase liaison and involvement with local hubs

- Lead more training for in school staff

- Depth of questioning

The challenges

- Ensuring school based practitioners are having the same discussions / open to this approach

- Depth of subject knowledge of trainees /depth of questioning