Lesson Study in Mathematics

1. Camden School Improvement Success for all Lesson Study in Mathematics Nigel Bufton Anna Middleton Rachel Fort

2. Context Camden School Improvement Success for all • Camden sought to develop Lesson Study approach across primary schools • Keen to improve progress in mathematics across Years 2, 3 and 4 • Invited group of 7 schools to participate • Importance of head teachers’ involvement • Schools meet half-termly, self funded • Develop case studies to share practice

3. Progress Camden School Improvement Success for all • First meeting with heads and teachers • Schools identified focus on learning from • Core Skills of Number • Language, dialogue • Problem Solving • Ongoing input of ideas to explore • Updates on learning and practices • Focus on writing case study • Phase 2 schools about to be invited

4. Camden School Improvement Success for all How Lesson Study has helped to improve learning in mathematics

5. Beckford Primary School Inner-city school 453 pupils on roll 42% eligible for FSM/ Pupil Premium 67% of pupils do not have English as a first language 19% of pupils are on the SEND register Attainment low on entry Progress over KS2 is improving

6. Focus and Aims for lesson studyTalk in Mathematics Our aims were that our children would be able to: • talk confidently about learning and explain thinking. • make links across learning and derive new facts from know secure facts. We wanted to use the project to: • generate resources and ideas that best supported children with EAL. • explore the way pupils learn, thorough discussion and explanation of their mathematical thinking and reasoning.

7. Our lesson study format was flexible to suit our needs and focus Who? Maths Subject Leader/Year 2 class teacher, parallel class teacher What? Lessons with different foci but planned for maximum maths talk and explanations Where? Year 2, observing children from parallel class When? 3 lesson cycle, over a 2 month period Why? A need to identify barriers to embedded learning How? Class teacher cover made easier with supportive Leadership team and available GTP student

8. Lesson outlines Lesson 1– Mental Maths session – Odd and Even • star words for key vocabulary to include in explanations • Sentence prompts ‘I know…..because’ ‘I know…so…’ ‘…is not…’ Conclusion:Lack of structure to children’s explanations – prompts needed. Without the frames find it difficult to structure thinking. With frames, the thinking is modelled. Was excellent way to assess true understanding of the concept e.g. ‘It’s a little bit odd!’ Lesson 2– Reasoning about number, finding possibilities • Envelope challenge to find hidden numbers with differentiated clues, clues given sequentially and then reasoned as to which numbers can be eliminated • Sentence prompts ‘I know…..because’ ‘I know…so…’ ‘…is not…’ • Developing resilience in approaching a problem Conclusion:Children could answer questions like “How do you know that?” or “Can you explain your answer?” using the frames as starting point. Developed possibilities. Lesson 3– Division • Contextualised examples involving making into groups and the link main back with earlier x learning. Use of “I know ... so…” prompts, oral rehearsal alongside practical solving Conclusion:Using context that children understand and beginning practically whilst developing language alongside meant a quicker move to using abstract symbols than with previous Year 2 class. Oral rehearsal gives children confidence very useful AFL.

9. What has worked for us? • Speaking prompts we used • “I know…so ...” • “I know…because...” • “...is not…” • “...is not but...is...because...” • Set high expectations through • - Framing explanations • - Full sentence responses • Accurate vocabulary, explanations • Star words – to be included in explanations • Allowing sufficient thinking time

10. What has worked for us? • Talk rich activities planned e.g. More opening ended/using and applying activities/supportive grouping • Greater ownership of assessing own learning and next steps • Shared language - Speaking prompts used throughout school now and in other curriculum areas e.g. Explanationsof character “I know…because…” • Emphasis on inverse relationships and links to known facts • Maths opportunities beyond the maths lesson

11. Impact? • Greater confidence in approaching and talking about maths • More accurate assessment of children’s understanding • More secure with inverse relationships, use of known facts to derive new facts • Increasingly making links across mathematics • Talk prompts adopted as whole school focus - noticeable improvement from Summer group of children to Autumn term group increasing confidence and articulation with introduction into Year 1 • Whole school use of shared language • Whole school use of tested activities What next? Lesson study extended to other year groups as a key to identifying gaps in children’s understanding and barriers to learning.

12. Carlton Primary School Inner-city school 400 pupils on roll, 79% eligible for FSM/ Pupil Premium, 75% of pupils do not have English as a first language 35% of pupils are on the SEND register 79%Historically low but rising attainment Significant progress KS1 to 2 last year

13. Focus and Aims for lesson study We wanted to use the project to: identify barriers in number for those ‘stuck’ children identify why some children were having so much difficulty in using a number line Our aims were that our children: could overcome the barriers that were holding them back

14. How our lesson study operated Who? Maths Subject Leader, experienced Year 3 teacher, NQT Year 4 teacher What? Lessons with a focus on calculation and place value Why? Support core group of children struggling with calculation and not making progress, a ‘dip’ in Year 3 that follows some children through to Year 6 Where? Year 3 class, taught by class teacher and subject leader When? 3 lesson cycle, over 2 terms

15. Lesson outlines Lesson 1– Calculating with TU numbers Offered children a range of models, images to represent 2-digit numbers and use for calculations with 2-digit numbers Wanted to investigate exactly what the difficulties were Conclusion: our focus group had some shocking gaps in their understanding and basic skills - we didn’t know what they didn’t know! Lesson 2– Breaking down skills needed for calculating, splitting class according to need Two mini lessons – first adding multiples of 10, second adding units to multiples of 10 Wanted to go back to basics with focus children where understanding was muddled Conclusion: ‘stuck’ children need precision teaching; splitting according to their needs worked well NB Before Lesson 3, focus children had additional intervention from subject leader Lesson 3– Applying skills to data handling - Children calculated with 2 digit numbers through interpreting a bar chart; question language Wanted to investigate impact of intervention on focus children Conclusion: improved recall of number facts made huge difference, more competent calculating – improved understanding of place value?

16. What worked? • Time and space • Lesson study gave us the time and space to really observe the children and unpick their difficulties • Breaking down skills • Required careful thought about number of separate skills needed for a ‘simple’ calculation – each part needs to be mastered • Intervention group • Children most at risk of not making progress given opportunity to catch up – put them in a much stronger position • Matching teaching effectively to gaps • Teaching more needs led; different groups can go ‘off objective’ if that’s what they need to support learning

17. Wider impact Key skills Identified importance of key skills such as number facts and place value, to ensure children make genuine progress throughout school Progression Dialogue with current Year 2 teachers on how to avoid same difficulties being repeated Wider professional development Lesson Study rolled out across school – every teacher involved in some Lesson Study focus

18. Camden School ImprovementSuccess for all What factors contributed to a successful lesson study group? • Supportive Leadership team • Two-form entry school was useful in having a partner from the same year group. • Cover to allow observation (e.g. GTP student) • Time to feedback the same day • PPA time used to reflect on findings • Continued focus/theme through lessons, allowing it to develop • Trying something new that wouldn’t be done in ‘normal’ practice • After school staff meeting time given to group meetings for review, sharing and further planning • Working with same class for consistency • Subject leader able to share findings beyond year group

19. Camden School ImprovementSuccess for all What to avoid? • Going alone without the support of senior staff • Having too many people involved at once • Not providing participants with sufficient explanation about or background to the purpose of Lesson Study • Treating the process as separate learning sessions – needs continuation between lessons to see development over time • Not sharing the responsibility for planning and delivering the lesson as the process unfolds • Focusing planning on the teaching rather than expected learning • Observing teaching and not learning of children • Delaying post-lesson discussions and review • Being too cautious