Mrs Rowntree

Teach. Grow. Inspire.

Category: Differentiation

  • Before the Formula: Why Hands-On Maths Still Matters | Building Trust in Maths

    In many classrooms, mathematics quickly becomes all about getting the right answer. How often do students come to you to simply ask “Did I get it right?” If yes, they are ecstatic, if no they can often give up on the spot! But what if we thought about the process: before students can confidently apply…

  • Maintaining Wellbeing in Maths

    In a maths professional development one day, I remember the instructor discussing assessments and data with classroom teachers and I raised my hand to ask “What about student wellbeing?” My question was quickly shut down and dismissed. With much maths anxiety existing in our classrooms and the prevalence of maths anxiety being well researched, I…

  • Juggling Curriculum, Responsive Teaching and Intervention

    It’s Week 10, and you glance at the untouched strand of the curriculum, you realise time is running out! At the conclusion of Term 3, the feedback from teachers was that they must move on with their maths curriculum content. They struggle with knowing that their students need responsive teaching and consolidation, but how to…

  • To Reason or Not to Reason

    You’ve all heard it: “I don’t know how I got the answer, I just know”! You know the moment – that moment when a student is adamant they just know, but they can’t explain their thinking. I’ve had this many times, so I began producing anchor charts with children to be really explicit about what…

  • Intervention Made Easy!

    You’ve taught a great lesson, but some of your students still require more practise. You want to organise some maths intervention tasks, yet you have to meet with that parent tonight, organise an assembly piece, or organise a Father’s Day gift. Sound familiar? To have something ready-to-go that doesn’t require much prep or communication is…

  • Let’s Go!

    It’s so difficult to cater to the huge difference in learning abilities that exist in each classroom. To plan for and develop all the differentiation and the tools required takes up so much teacher time, but it’s so important. This is so much of the reason why I set upon this little project to develop…