Developing Mental Fluency through Number Talks – Primary

What is a Number Talk?

Number Talks are an approach to developing facility with computation that engages children in thinking about numbers and allows them to add, subtract, multiply and divide using the mathematics that is meaningful to them.

The typical steps for a number talk are:

• Teacher presents an expression or problem for pupils to solve mentally.
• Allow adequate “wait time” for most students to come up with an answer. pupils can signal with a thumbs up when they have solved the expression.
• Initially, invite pupils to share their answers only, not their solutions.
• Then ask for pupil volunteers to share how they solved the problem.
• For each pupil who shares their solution strategy, chart their thinking on the board. Make sure to accurately record their thinking; do not shape or correct their response.
• Have several pupils who used different strategies share their thinking with the class.
• Invite pupils to question each other about their strategies, compare and contrast the strategies, and ask for clarification about strategies that are confusing.

However, Jean would like to test the model further to support retrieval (reviewing past explored strategies) and application at speed in a time limited situation.

What does the project involve?

The project will involve a half-day day of training on Zoom (including planning for the first lesson study), followed by six half-days;

• x4 half day lesson studies (a.m. – initially through zoom and monitoring the COVID situation for F2F meetings if the situation changes)
• x1 half day follow up sharing, refining and dissemination approaches to the wider school and TAs as a SL (p.m.)
• x1 half day workgroup Presentation to Schools (a.m.)

Sessions will take place across the Autumn 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021.  Between sessions there will be gap tasks involving trialling the use of the approaches explored in the training, discussions and lesson studies.  The workgroup lead will offer support in designing the sequences, demonstrating teaching and orchestrating the lesson study discussions. Participating teachers are expected to work collaboratively, teach a whole class or small group in their own schools, reflect critically on pupils’ learning and their own professional learning.

In the event schools can resume visits, some participants will be expected to host a learning study in their school for the workgroup. This requires allocating a space for the workgroup to gather and for the group teaching sessions to take place.

Refreshments will be provided (for any non-Zoom sessions that may take place) tea/coffee refreshments provided by the host school/s will be reimbursed).

The project’s aims involve four key areas:

• Professional Learning – Participating teachers understand the content, purpose and potential of a number talk, be aware of their role and the role of their pupils and consider its benefits with mental fluency.
• Practice Development – Participating teachers will become increasingly skilled at having a toolbox of strategies and lesson ideas to explore number talks, including scaffolds to support the teacher role and the role of pupils when building a successful number talk.
• Materials development – Exemplar materials will be developed and shared across the Hub in the form of case studies and some practical materials. A PADLET will be created that participants could share with their schools and across the hub (sorted into Key Stages and Topics).
• Whole school/departmental policies and approaches – Exemplar materials and guidance will be developed and shared across the Hub. In particular, these will be shared with subject leaders to inform their whole school development of establishing good practice in optimal learning environments for a number talk, teacher questioning, strategies and a considered application to a tested curriculum.

Schools can choose to send up two members of staff – Ideally, there would be the Mathematics Subject Leader/Team representative and another teacher from KS1 and KS2.