HARNESSING THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING
Technology can be a good ally for teachers and students alike if it’s used creatively and imaginatively to keep maths learners motivated. By Eddie Playfair
T
he use of digital technologies refers to computing devices such as laptops, notebooks and smart phones as well as calculators.
It also includes software, such as graphical and spreadsheet applications. Technology can be used to visualise mathematical relationships, plot changes quickly, and automate and speed up mathematical processes. This can help students understand underlying patterns and relationships more easily. Technology can also help ‘do the maths’, e.g. perform calculations or plot graphs. It can be harnessed and used in
creative, imaginative ways to help engage and motivate students and sustain their interest in maths. It can support access to well-designed interactive resources in and out of class and support blended learning. Technology also allows for more active student involvement in the learning process, with software packages that support the assessment of their understanding and provide rapid and formative feedback. This allows for a more personalised approach and can help build student confidence and fluency. Our evaluation of any new approach needs to include student feedback on their experiences. The Centres for Excellence in Maths
programme will be making use of the Eedi cloud-based platform which offers automated formative assessment mapped to the GCSE maths specification. Diagnostic questions help to identify misconceptions, can provide real-time insights for teachers and policy makers, and support students to progress independently. Quizzes are used immediately after teaching a topic to identify misconceptions and then, three weeks later, to measure retention. A provider’s ability to collect, aggregate
and analyse data about student characteristics and performance is much enhanced by technology and can provide a very rich information base to inform teaching. But we need to be conscious of data
overload and to ‘see the wood for the trees’. Data needs intelligent, careful analysis. The technology-focused research of the CfEM programme will focus on: • Using technologies to give students direct experience of maths that is new to them and provide a more dynamic access to ideas and structures that are explored in a few carefully chosen areas.
• The use of technologies, for instance using ‘flipped classroom’ approaches, to release classroom time for more social learning and development of mastery.
• Using technology to provide initial and continuous diagnostic data to inform formative assessment; for instance, using packages which help identify and address student misconceptions. Technological approaches have much
to offer good practice in teaching GCSE maths retake students. Our aim is to ground our use of technology in excellent pedagogy and not rush to technological solutions simply for their novelty value. We must also take into account the variability in teacher confidence and expertise and ensure approaches are as intuitive as possible.
MEET YOUR REGIONAL MATHS LEADS
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has appointed three regional maths leads (RMLs) to support the 21 Centres for Excellence in Maths in their regions with action planning, action research and national trial work. The RMLs are the first point of contact for the Centres and are there to challenge, support and mentor the Centres across England in the North, Midlands and South.
Shobhna Fletcher West Midlands and South West
Shobhna has a BSc Hons in mathematics and worked in investment banking, IT and as a project manager for a FTSE 250 company before retraining as a maths teacher and gaining a PGCE Cert Ed. Shobhna successfully led a college maths team and has a keen interest in how maths education impacts on social mobility in the post-16 and FE sector. She is also keen to find out why so many students come to FE from school without the necessary maths skills up to Level 2.
shobhna.fletcher@etfoundation.co.uk
Richard Kirtlan The North Richard is an experienced FE lecturer and manager with 15 years experience in the sector, working with difficult-to-engage learners in challenging regional areas. As a maths skills specialist for three merged colleges and, more recently, group senior lead for mathematics for two merged colleges, his interests lie in what motivates learners to succeed. He is FE representative on the Strategic Advisory Board for the South Yorkshire Maths Hub.
richard.kirtlan@
etfoundation.co.uk
Eddie Playfair is senior policy manager at the Association of Colleges (AoC) and is the former principal of Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc). This piece is based on an original article by Marie Joubert, University of Nottingham.
Steve Pardoe East Midlands and South East Steve has more than 20 years’ experience of teaching and managing maths provision across colleges, adult education and offender learning. For the past 11 years he has led the development and delivery of maths specialist teacher training and CPD for the University of Warwick, while also leading and contributing to external projects relating to maths (and sometimes English) in the FE sector.
steve.pardoe@
etfoundation.co.uk
InTUITIONMATHS • AUTUMN 2019 11
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