Should I ask to move maths set?

[SurvivalGuide]

DS's teacher says his maths is much improved this year. He gets it all right, finishes early and then helps the others in his set to fill the time. Should I ask for him to move up a maths set? What's the best way to talk to the teacher? Worried DS is not being sufficiently challenged.

Ok so how does personalised learning actually work practically? Do they work at different levels of ability in it or not?

How does whole class teaching work when you have one end of the class learning to count to 10 and a-a-ants on your arm, and the other end learning times tables and reading chapter books. The same teaching content just isn't appropriate for both is it?

In practice a child could be working at level 6 in calculation but still be level 5 in algebra or geometry, while another level 6 could be strong in arithmetic but struggle with problem solving. It's the teachers job to see each are given what they need to progress.
So instead of working with groups of children the teacher supports each individual.

<a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/00844-2008DOM-EN.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/00844-2008DOM-EN.pdf

Right, so in practice does each child just get taught separately? So if it's say algebra you're teaching one child the basic concept and another simultaneous equations and everything between at the same time? Well maybe not the exact same time but going round one by one with perhaps some ta's, is that what you mean?

So groups but flexible by topic?

More flexible than that, catkind. More like by lesson objective than topic. Even within a broad topic, children might have different strengths and weaknesses. So you could take your objective, differentiate it 3/4 ways with different tasks, and then match children to the task based on prior attainment. Or as some on this thread do allow the children to choose which of the tasks they think is the right one. You can then adjust/support if children are finding the task too easy/hard.

Whole class teaching has always happened in mixed classes with ability groups anyway. It isn't something unique to mixed ability classes without groups, so it doesn't really change from what was already happening.

That makes sense rafals I think what's throwing me is mrsz saying there's no differentiation or groups.

sometimes "the groups" can be just one child so at those times the child is being taught separately at points in the lessons

We work differently as often we don't have a single objective differentiated 3/4 ways. There can be different objectives and in a class of 30, 30 different tasks at other times there can be one task with many objectives.

True, there are other ways to teach a mixed class as well. And you may well have the same child working at different levels during the same lesson depending on their needs and what you are trying to teach.

The important thing is that you don't have set groups that only change on an infrequent basis and plan an activity for the 'red' group or 'blue,' group. Especially if you insist on 5 groups of 6 to make working with a group easier. They won't be a homogenous group and you might find that the bottom of the top group has more in common with the top of the next than it does with the top of the grouo they are in.

It avoids placing a ceiling on children's learning as well.

www.ncetm.org.uk/public/files/23305653/Mastery_Assessment_Y6_Low_Res.pdf