'Speaking and listening' - the key to developing children’s mathematical skills?

A new approach to the teaching of maths in secondary schools - challenging traditional, hierarchical ways of teaching maths and encouraging teachers to develop speaking and listening as an regular and integral part of their practice - is about to be introduced to teachers across the UK.

Details of the approach are contained in 'Many Right Answers' - a new report, DVD and supporting materials - produced by the Basic Skills Agency and written by Dr Els De Geest, researcher in mathematics education at the University of Oxford.

Developed with the support of representatives of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of the Mathematics (NCETM), the Secondary National Strategy, HMI, and Prof Celia Hoyles OBE, the Government Chief Adviser on Mathematics in schools, the ideas in the report are set to influence how KS3 maths is taught in schools across England. Local Authority mathematics consultants have recently been briefed about Many Right Answers and are about to start work with Heads of Maths in their areas to cascade the ideas in the report.

Providing a pragmatic but scholarly, evidence-based approach Many Right Answers focuses on tackling low achievement and encouraging teachers to use speaking and listening as part of their continuing professional development.

In the report teachers are asked to:

• Challenge traditional ideas about the hierarchical nature of learning in maths - some low attaining pupils may benefit from skipping a level and going back to the lower levels later.
• Avoid the over simplification of mathematics - to give students more experience of real mathematical thinking.
• Question the basic belief that there is always a 'best' answer and way of working in mathematics - by encouraging speaking and listening during lessons students can reflect more, vocalise what they are thinking and become more actively involved in lessons.

Author Dr Els De Geest comments: 'The report is based on work with a group of maths teachers who were willing to review and develop their current practice - and to be filmed throughout the process. As a group we began by reviewing current philosophical thinking on the teaching of mathematics. Each teacher then came up with an idea to improve their practice which they were willing to try out in the classroom. In the final session we came back together to review the teachers' findings.'

Els continues: 'The teachers found that - compared to traditional written question and answer tasks - the speaking and listening tasks offered greater engagement between pupils and between pupil and teacher. This approach allows teachers to make a more detailed assessment of their students' level of understanding and to adopt a more personalised approach to their teaching.'

Although originally produced with KS3 in mind, the approaches to teaching mathematics explored in Many Right Answers apply in all phases. As Jane Imrie, Executive Director of NCETM says: 'We intend to disseminate the Many Right Answers materials through NCETM's post-16 networks as well as to schools. Many Right Answers provides strong messages for every teacher - in any phase or sector - about effective teaching and learning. We are really excited by the ideas in the report and by the model adopted to engage teachers directly with the research into speaking and listening.'

Prof Celia Hoyles OBE also endorses the report's approach: 'Teachers are highly trained and reflective professionals. Rather than adopting a prescriptive approach, Many Right Answers provides practical tools to help teachers to try out new ideas and build their expertise over time, using the existing - and fine - practice currently out there.'

Carol Taylor, Joint Director of the Basic Skills Agency, comments: 'The teachers who took part really made this work come alive. Their honesty, eagerness to learn and their professionalism were inspirational. To be willing to discuss what they saw as "areas for development" in their own practice and to be filmed "warts and all" filled us with admiration.'

For further information, or to arrange an interview, contact the Basic Skills Agency Press Office. Telephone 020 7440 7788, mobile: 07979 240936, email: valeriem@basic-skills.co.uk.

To arrange an interview please contact the Basic Skills Agency press office. Interviewees include: Els De Geest, the author of the report; Carol Taylor, Joint Director of the Basic Skills Agency, and Brenda Ainsley, Senior Assistant Director at the Agency.

'Many Right Answers: Learning in Mathematics Through Speaking and Listening' and the accompanying DVD are available (price £20) from the Basic Skills Agency's distributor. To order call Prolog on 0870 600 2400 quoting A2208 or visit the Agency's online resource section.

Further tools for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) are available on the Agency's website at http://www.basic-skills.co.uk/ouractivities/many_right_answers/.

The tools include copies of:

• A learning Journal
• Questions and prompts to kick-start discussions in maths departments
• Ideas from research and theories - sent to all participating teachers.

The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has made short sections of the Many Right Answers DVD available on its website at www.ncetm.org.uk. NCETM has also set up a discussion forum on this publication to gather teachers' views on the ideas contained in the report and on developing practice.