I have worked in several schools both physically and virtually in the last month. The same questions come up regardless of the curriculum being used. Here is a classic:
“How can we maximise our mathematics learning time in an overcrowded timetable?”
Triage, as they do when treating patients in emergency.
What is vital and what is less vital? See Quick Curriculum Guide Stars (currently available for AC9)
Can you let go of something?
How many graphs do students need to draw?
Don’t waste the time you have.
- Keep Warm Ups or Reviews short 8 – 10 min
- Develop and apply routines
- Avoid overtalking or drifting off topic. This will require clear focus – stated at the beginning of the lesson. Often lesson content is too broad. e.g., “Children will learn their tables” is way too broad. Which one or ones are you focussing on? Is the lesson a teaching (Instruct lesson) a Practise lesson or an Application lesson?
- Some content simply requires more time than other content.
- Consider the sequencing of topics; e.g., fractions (of a circle) before teaching time on an analogue clock.
Consider the law of diminishing returns.
Does the extra time you spend on a topic make a difference? Would the time be better spent on another maths topic?
A lot of a little.
Some topics need to be revisited on a regular basis rather than taught in one big block.
A little daunting!
This comes up in every school I visit, so you’re not alone if you’re working on it – even after 40 years I’m still trying to work it out! As mentioned, one place to start might be the Quick Curriculum Guide for AC9 Stars. These starred items are in our opinion the super-important topics, and we’ve tried to give a bit of a rough indication of the time you may need to cover the material.
