At Springfield Primary School the Maths Curriculum teaches the Western Australian Curriculum Content Strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Integral to each Content Strands are the proficiencies – Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning. The proficiencies reinforce the significance of working mathematically within content and describe how the content is explored and developed.
Our teaching and learning programs ensure children develop strong understanding of the mathematical concepts and how and when to apply this knowledge. There is a strong focus on basic facts teaching so that the children can problem solve and reason efficiently.
Back2Front Maths is incorporated across the whole school as a program which supports students ‘thinking hard’ about Maths and exploring new concepts before the teacher gives formal explanations. This helps to build connections in the brain, as well as making Maths more engaging. Back2Front Maths allows teachers to identify and explore misconceptions and explicitly teach a series of lessons to address these misconceptions. Students then explore new ideas and connect them to more familiar maths.
In a daily numeracy block at Springfield children are engaged in hands on, fast paced, practical warm-ups, where previously learnt content is reinforced and applied, before moving into a lesson which models new thinking, supports children’s understanding before giving the children an opportunity for independent application of the new knowledge.
Problem Solving strategies are taught explicitly to assist children in identifying the maths involved and which operations are required to solve a problem. To assist students’ in developing deep Maths understanding teachers utilise Dr Paul Swan’s Maths Milestones planning documents, strategies and resources, as well as his My Word Book: Mathematics to develop Maths Vocabulary.