to be worried about how my DC are being taught in Maths?

[GraduationBear]

The school are following the SEAL approach (Scotland) and it seems to be The Big Thing.

My concerns are

• they don't seem to be doing any actual work
  
• there is very little actual teaching involved
  

In more detail, DD says that they do games to start their lesson, and then start to work in small groups or on their own. She says that the teacher barely ever does a lesson. Instead the teacher works with the small groups or individuals, but she hasn't worked with DD for ages. I asked for clarification before Christmas and got a very sharp reply that the children are supposed to explore numbers on their own.

Which is all very well and good, but producing endless posters of ten frames really isn't teaching my DD anything.

AIBU?

[GraduationBear]

I know it came from East Lothian and is being put into Glasgow.

[GraduationBear]

Can't you make an appointment to discuss it at school?

I will, we don't go back to Wednesday and I was idly pondering if I was BU or not.

[lostInTheWash]

I was even pondering the dreaded Kumon.

Not heard good thing about that.

We did maths factor - but there really are loads out there for maths at the moment.

[Sallyhasleftthebuilding]

There ahould be a assesment sheet - dependa on year group- but looks like this -
I can partion 2 number up to 30
I know adding is the opposite off subtraction
I can add three number in my head
I can estimate that x object is heavier than Y
I can compare 3 lenghts using worda like - bigger heavier, wider etc
Same with shape - i can name a square triange etc
I think you get the picture.
Each one needs proof work book, project photo, etc
Im with you, maths needs teaching.
I would put money on the teacher sitting with the lower group!

[GraduationBear]

No, I was very reluctant to even entertain the concept of Kumon.

Sally I have never seen anything like that- do you mean sent home?

[Groovee]

My friend has done the seal training over a year! She had to implement it and does hands on stuff with all her groups. But I know her job share is all about worksheets. She doesn't like new interactive ways of teaching at all.

We do it in nursery and we do a lot of number work without the children realising what we are doing.

If you don't understand it then do speak to the senior management team.

[GraceKellysLeftArm]

I don't know if it's called seal but I'm unhappy with my 5 yo maths in Scotland. I did four years if maths at uni and I think they're massively over-complicating basic logic.

I'm looking at the carol vorderman app - apparently she likes it simple.

[Needtobebetter]

The problem with a lot of these methods are not the fundamentals themselves, but the perception of them by the teacher delivering them. So, a school adopts a particular approach and a key group of staff is chosen to trial the approach. On paper, most theories make sense but once they are taken into the classroom if the teacher hasn't mapped out exactly where it's going, or actually sat and thought about exactly what 'success' using the approach looks like then you end up with what is happening in your DD's class.

Unfortunately, some teachers think that just using a method is enough when it isn't. They're meant to be used in conjunction with the teacher's own teaching style and not as a replacement. Have you enquired about how her progress matches up with the objectives for the end of the year? I know most schools are stepping away from levels now but there has to be some formalised assessment to map progress.

Don't leave it, if she doesn't have the basics then she'll really struggle. Ask the school if there is the option to withdraw from this teaching method as it sounds like an experiment or a performance management target for the teacher if I'm honest.

[GraduationBear]

Thanks all. It was the classroom teacher I spoke to before- would you speak to her again or ask to speak to someone more senior?

[TheNewStatesman]

This type of approach to maths has been tried out maaaany, many times before. In all kinds of education systems.

It is usually introduced with a big fanfare involving lots of exciting buzzwords about "inquiry led" and "21st century learning" and all that. Which makes it difficult to oppose, because who wants to sound as though they are saying that inquiry is a bad thing, or as if they would rather their kids learned a 20th century or 19th century way?

Then, little by little, a gentle rustling starts among all the middle-class parents as people start shamefacedly swapping the names of tutors and tutoring centers, or workbooks for doing maths with their kids at home. Because the parents can't help noticing that, inspiring and exciting though the school approach sounds, their kids don't seem to be able to actually, you know, do very much maths.

If you are a child with poor and poorly educated parents who are not able to have you tutored or do extra work at home with you, then of course you are screwed.

[Sallyhasleftthebuilding]

It should be in school as a cobtinual assesment - from reception -
Some schools send theae targets home - so parents can reinforce at home - talk about time or make cakes - look at money - pay in shops - compare prices - what ever really.
I lkie it as it gives you an idea of things you may miss or not thought about doing at home.
I have I think a full list. Ill see if i can photo it.

[Sallyhasleftthebuilding]

How old is DD

[GraduationBear]

We're not in England Sally- things are so different up here. DD is 8.

[ForeverLivingMyArse]

I have 2 boys in an East Lothian primary school and they don't do this! It's not county wide. Might well just be that teachers method.

[HotterWok]

Excellent post TheNewStatesman, I think that this happened on the Simpsons where Lisa had to sneak into the boys class to learn

[mathanxiety]

Take a look around and see if you can access a Russian maths curriculum. (Vygotsky / Davydov)

www.russianschool.com/why-rsm/why-russian This one appears to be in the US.

Hear hear, TheNewStatesman.

[Littleallovertheshop]

Speak to the classroom teacher again, any teacher should be open to discussing work done in class

[Bluetrews25]

First thoughts after reading the OP were
'are forever living doing a maths thing now?'
and
'sounds like Emperor's New Clothes'
Sorry, I know this must be worrying for you and I have been massively unhelpful. Hope you are able to find a way through this.

[TheApprentice]

Hi. I'm a teacher in Scotland and have done SEAL training. If implemented properly it should be very effective, but schools need lots of resources and probably a lot more help in terms of structure/lesson ideas than I expect most of them are getting. That's certainly true for where I teach. A lot of the basic principles are very sound but the whole point is that children are supposed to be regularly assessed to see which SEAL level they are currently at and then moved up if appropriate to more challenging activities. Its not a teaching method and should not take the place of one - rather it is a structure which outlines where a child is developmentally (as opposed to what the child has been taught and learnt). It should be used as a tool to help children's numeracy develop (and yes, group tasks are appropriate but every child should have some teacher led input each time), not as a teaching method. When I was in Primary 1 we did Seal type activities once a week and still used other schemes/methods the rest of the time.

[lostInTheWash]

Well I'd try speaking to the teacher again.

However I found that didn't make much difference and that was across different years and teachers.

It was very much as TheNewStatesman describes.

[GraduationBear]

'are forever living doing a maths thing now?'

That would be the Curriculum for Excellence in a nutshell, yes.

[Noofly]

Speak to the school, but if you are really worried do reinforce maths teaching at home. I've done it twice now. We're in West Lothian and I quite often can't make head nor tail of DD's maths progress. She recently applied to her brother's Edinburgh private school for P7 and to get her through the entrance exam, I had to teach her how to multiply double digit numbers by a single number (e.g. 27x4), how to do perimeter and area of squares/rectangles and other fairly basic activities for a 10 year old. not sure why I was surprised by this as had gone through it three years before!

[PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange]

Does your child go on IXL.

Mine are told to do 10 minutes a day on there and it's also done in schools

[PiperIsTerrysChoclateOrange]

uk.ixl.com/math/

[SquinkiesRule]

I'd go and try academy
Dd has been using it for 4 years now as she was struggling with maths. The video tutorials explain everything in language kids can understand and make it all clear. Even though she is just above standard now, she continues with a video and skills check after school each day. Takes about 20 minutes for her.