Successful Mathematics Workshop Inspired DCSZ Parent Community

- Mr David Cairns, Deputy Head of JuniorSchool (Academics)

How is Mathematics taught at Dulwich College Suzhou? What is bar modeling? What is meant by Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract pedagogical approaches? What materials can I access to develop a better understanding of how to support my child? How do we assess a students' maths capabilities? How could parents support students' maths learning at home?

These are the crucial questions that all parents care about in their children's learning of mathematics. Mathematics is essential, and also a fundamental part of our daily lives and it was wonderful to share with parents the engaging approach to maths learning we take at DCSZ.

In the parent academy organised by Mr David Cairns, Deputy Head of School and Mrs Georgina Gray, Head of School, together with several members of the Junior School Leadership Team, we involved parents in break-out sessions so that parents had the opportunity to learn maths items like their children, and we even conducted a role play of the types of conversations that could occur at home to support with further development of students having agency for their learning!

How do I treat maths?

As a child, I always found abstract methods of learning maths quite complicated. I would relish my English, History and Geography lessons at school, but would sometimes fear heading to the Mathematics classroom in my Senior School in the North East of England. Seeing equations on the whiteboard, with an abundance of numbers staring back at me left me worried that I wouldn’t be successful. I feared the word test, and I never really knew how to improve. The ticks and crosses in my books were all I would focus on at the start and end of each lesson.

Fast forward twenty-something years and I love teaching Mathematics. I love the excitement that greets me every time I step foot into the classroom. I love having the opportunity to explain why an answer is the way it is and encouraging the students to go deeper with their understanding. The answer to a question in Mathematics can be very simple, but when you go deeper with your explanation as to ‘why’, that is when one truly develops a deepened understanding of this wonderful subject!

At the start of the Parent Academy, I spoke about the fact that numbers as we know them today are an abstract construct. The number 2, 3, 5 and 7 did not exist as we know them today at some point. Initially, we had objects, drawings and – well, things… We did not have the written form of numbers that we recognize today and this is why the concrete, pictorial and abstract approach of teaching Mathematics is so integral to a child’s development and understanding of this core curricular area. 

Having children physically construct amounts using concrete objects is so important and beneficial for children, especially those in Junior School. Transition from the physical object to pictorial representations is also a vital step. Once a student has mastered and developed confidence with this area, they are ready to work with the abstract numbers and solve complex problems.

In the Junior School, we appreciate the fact that our community is diverse, and parents need more information to know what is going on in the classes. Our Junior school has a total of thirty nationalities within its student body, which means students come into school having been taught different methods of how to solve an equation or a problem. Our passion is to enhance a child’s understanding of how Mathematics works and equip them with the necessary skills required to solve maths related problems regardless of where they eventually put their mathematical knowledge into practice.

What is the Live Report?

As explained to our parents at the academy session, we do assessment at the end of each unit. We then provide Live Report to each student. Research has suggested a direct correlation between parental engagement and student success at school; meaning, the more engaged a parent is with their child’s studies, the more successful the child could be with their learning. 

It is also suggested that when a child is actively involved with their own ‘next steps’ and ‘learning goals’, they are more likely to achieve them. That is why, last year, we had a big push on the development of Live Time Reporting documentation to support students and families in discussions around their Mathematics and English learning; consider Live Time Reporting to be an opportunity for students to reflect on their successes, areas of strength and engage in meaningful, positive conversations with their parents. We currently have over 90% engagement with our Live Time Reporting.