MASTERY MATHEMATICS AT THE EDRON ACADEMY

When we speak of mastery, we refer to a justified confidence in one’s own ability that gives one the tools and the freedom to solve problems within a given discipline on their own terms. Mastery refers to a constant process of learning, in which the master builds, upon a solid foundation of understanding, an ever-growing edifice of knowledge, investigation and adaptation.

Mathematics is one of the few disciplines in life that can provide us with a priori, definite truths. If we put four and four together, we get eight. The product of five and three will always be fifteen. And no matter how much the world may change around us, the square root of eighty-one will never cease to be nine.

It is tempting, then, to see a master of mathematics as one who has aced the rote learning of number facts, which stand resolute amid the shifting tides of our modern world. In this approach, maths is a means to material ends: to check you received the correct change at the supermarket; to fill out your tax forms accurately; to calculate your monthly mortgage payments.

These practical considerations have value: it is crucial that we are numerate in order to face many of the challenges of daily life in the adult world. However, the role of mathematics in a school is far more profound and has a much wider impact than the purely financial aspect.

At The Edron Academy, we believe that mathematics gives children a range of invaluable life skills that are applicable in all kinds of situations and environments. From abstract thinking through to resilience by way of innovation and imagination, the core thinking and reasoning skills at the heart of a good maths curriculum serve as the foundations upon which so much of our intellect is constructed (DfE, 2013). A master mathematician is a critical thinker who challenges assumptions, recognises flaws in their own reasoning, and is unafraid to tackle difficult challenges or chart new, unfamiliar territory. A master mathematician is not someone born with an innate ability to do maths, but a confident learner who has engaged with a fun, immersive curriculum that gives them the tools to overcome whatever obstacles they face. Furthermore, a master has a growth mindset, never resting on their laurels, always seeking to practise and to learn.

In order to create such mathematicians, we focus on five pillars of mathematical mastery, as laid out by the UK’s National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics: coherence, fluency, representation and structure, mathematical thinking and variation (NCETM, 2016).

To be continued.

James Hughes, Head of Primary