Recently, I was asked by a few teachers to describe some main elements of Effective Mathematics Instruction. I reflected on my teacher practice and classroom programme, referred to the literature and identified the following main components of Effective mathematics instruction:
Developing positive norms: growth mindset, mistakes are great, productive struggle etc - developing positive mathematics learner identities.
Systematic and explicit teaching of new concepts
Use of different best-suited visual representations (manipulatives and/or digital tools)
Developing mathematical discourse and reasoning (Number talk using Talk moves, problem-solving)
Problem-solving in flexible learning environments: groups, mixed-ability, pairs or individual work
Teacher and peer feedback
Creating opportunities and allowing time for deliberate practice in order to develop students’ ability to transfer their knowledge and skills and be able to apply them in different contexts
Student agency - teaching students to use choice boards and maths matrices to set up maths goals, self-reflect and practise
Integrated maths activities, developing creativity in maths
This list might be overwhelming for some teachers, especially if they are at the beginning of their educational journey. Let's start with 3 steps:
1. I suggest beginning with establishing positive norms and developing positive mathematical identities. Why? Because your learners have to feel confident to make mistakes and learn from them - mistakes are part of maths! Here is a great website to teach your students about Growth Mindset: https://ideas.classdojo.com/b/growth-mindset
2. Plan at least 1 hour for learning Maths every day four or five times a week. Maths is better to learn in the 1st or 2nd block; however, you can still do some integrated activities in the afternoon (measurements, tesselations, etc)
3. Use various manipulatives and visual representations to teach mathematics. Use digital tools to make maths visual.
Remember, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. I wish you all the best on your teaching journey!
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