Mathematics

Power Maths at Fleetdown

What is Power Maths?

New to this academic year, at Fleetdown Primary Academy we are adopting a maths scheme called Power Maths to support our teaching of maths from Reception to Year 6. Fully aligned with the new National Curriculum and recommended by the Department of Education, Power Maths is a whole-class, textbook-based mastery resource that empowers every child to understand and succeed.

Children are encouraged to solve problems each day through the use of concrete, pictorial, abstract approach. Pupils are first introduced to an idea or skill by acting it out with real objects/equipment. They then relate the ‘hands on’ representations to a picture or diagram of the problem. Finally, pupils represent problems using mathematical notations.

What does a lesson look like?

Every lesson is divided into sections that involve plenty of discovery, sharing, collaboration, practice and reflection.

There are different elements, informed by research into best practice in maths teaching, that bring the lessons to life:

· Discover – each lesson begins with a problem to solve, often a real-life example, sometimes a puzzle or a game. These are engaging and fun, and designed to get all children thinking.

· Share – the class shares their ideas and compares different ways to solve the problem, explaining their reasoning with hands-on resources and drawings to make their ideas clear. Children are able to develop their understanding of the concept with input from the teacher.

· Think together – the next part of the lesson is a journey through the concept, digging deeper and deeper so that each child builds on secure foundations while being challenged to apply their understanding in different ways and with increasing independence.

· Practice – now children practice individually or in small groups, rehearsing and developing their skills to build fluency, understanding of the concept and confidence.

· Reflect – finally, children are prompted to reflect on and record their learning from each session and show how they have grasped the concept explored in the lesson.

What if my child needs a confidence boost, or wants to be challenged further?

Power Maths Power enables children to build number fluency, confidence and understanding, step by step. This means that the concepts are broken down so that your child can master one idea without feeling over-whelmed. There are a range of fluency, reasoning and problem solving questions in each lesson that are designed to support the different needs and confidence levels within a class, while at the same time fostering a spirit of working and learning together. Each lesson includes challenge questions for those children who can delve deeper into a concept.

Growth Mindset.

At the core of this programme is the notion that all children can achieve and become successful mathematicians with the right growth mindset. Power Maths promotes five child friendly characters (Ash, Flo, Dexter, Astrid and Sparks), each with their own positive skillset, to inspire and motivate children in every lesson. These characters are: