From the Head of Secondary 25.05.19
Bridging The Bridge (in Maths)
Too excited and impatient to wait for the Y6 to Y7 transition days to come later this term, I have been spending a couple of hours a week working with 6K, 6S, their teachers and their TLAs.
There have been two distinct but related aspects to the work we have engaged with. The first, driven by the Y6 team, has involved the notion of problem-solving. We have many very able students, with all the right mathematical skills and knowledge, but they don’t always “get” what a question is really asking for. To overcome this takes practice, as well as adopting an appropriate mind-set – one that champions the careful reading of a problem, the breaking of the problem into its component parts, the willingness to “get one’s hands dirty” in doing the necessary calculations, and the ability to check a final answer.
The second aspect, this time driven by the Y7 team, relates to mathematical investigation. Structured mathematical investigations actually form part of every term’s assessment in KS3 so in October or thereabouts our Y6 students will be facing their first secondary school investigation, with grades like A* (hopefully) up for grabs. In this part of our work we are on the hunt for patterns. And if patterns don’t emerge, how can we arrange and manipulate our data so that they do? In a very real sense this is the essence of what mathematics is about.
If you have read this far, I’m guessing that you’ll be itching for an example to try for yourself! To illustrate the importance of careful reading, consider these two superficially similar questions (which have different answers):
- In California, a bottle of orange juice costs $3, but when you return the empty bottle you get $2 back. What is the largest number of bottles of juice you can buy if you only have $10?
- In California, a bottle of orange juice costs $3, but when you return the empty bottle you get $2 back. What is the largest number of bottles of juice you can buy if you only want to spend $10?
On a personal note, I have to say that the sessions we have had so far have been extremely enjoyable, and that I am looking forward very much to seeing the Y6 students build on all their great work as they enter Secondary school in September.
Mr Davis
Head of Secondary Maths
