Mathematics is a subject that many people struggle with, particularly when they are at a young age. There will always be children who are naturally mathematically minded but many children require a practical approach that helps them to visualise exactly what is happening and relate it to real life situations. This is particularly important at the primary school age.
Studies have shown that a class of children will respond well to a lesson that incorporates a variety of activities and teaching methods. It is important to take into consideration the attention span of your students and the length of time they can absorb information using any one particular teaching method. Naturally this length of time will be less for younger children. Through using a mixture of techniques that are aimed at the entire class, individual or group learning you will ensure that you keep all students engaged in the lesson and therefore maintain their interest in learning.
As mentioned many students respond well to visual aids when learning new mathematical concepts. In the classroom you can use a variety of tools to help with this including images, video, audio, objects and shapes. Take advantage of the technology available and set group computer activities or even games via an interactive whiteboard. This type of learning approach will create a more informal and fun environment in the classroom where students can ask questions and spark up debates between teachers and friends.
If you are looking for some inspiration to help you create classroom activities there are literally hundreds of tried and tested ideas you can use online. You will find free and low cost resources that are aimed specifically at your class Key Stage level and suitable for a range of teaching styles.
Some teaching resources offer a blog or forum for teachers to share tips and ideas so this can be another great place to pick up some new techniques and lesson ideas. Since most online resources are free or require a low cost subscription fee you can make your budget stretch further and provide more resources to your class than you would otherwise be able to using traditional hard copy teaching resources. In addition you can access these resources at any time either through your laptop or interactive whiteboard.
Remember when teaching primary school maths you will achieve positive results if you have a varied lesson plan that encompasses a variety of teaching styles and activities to engage pupils. Seek new ideas online and make the most of the modern resources available to create an exciting and fun classroom environment.
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