Strategies
Progression
Mental Strategies - At the Heart of MAP
MAP aims to help teachers - to help their children – to
identify and understand a range of mental strategies,
enabling them to choose, name and utilise the most
efficient ones for any given mental calculation.
The Mathematics National Curriculum says that pupils
should develop efficient written and mental methods for any
given calculation.
The issue is the majority of teachers don’t actually know
what these mental methods are or how to teach them effectively.
The focus on mental strategies is at the very heart of MAP.
Strategies
Progression
Mental Strategies - At the Heart of MAP
MAP aims to help teachers - to help their children – to identify and understand a range of mental strategies, enabling them to choose, name and utilise the most efficient ones for any given mental calculation.
The Mathematics National Curriculum says that pupils should develop efficient written and mental methods for any given calculation.
The issue is the majority of teachers don’t actually know what these mental methods are or how to teach them effectively.
The focus on mental strategies is at the very heart of MAP.
MAP uses story, story characters, catchphrases and animations
to help children master mental strategies
MAP uses a unique combination of tools to help children learn each mental strategy. The Number Fun Videos help children learn and practice a strategy in a story context. Egan (1986) wrote about how children ‘readily understand abstract concepts when organised in story form’.
Each mental strategy has a dedicated story character. For the Round and Adjust strategy, Roana is the key character. She runs a rowing school, and her strategy is understood in the way she organises her life jackets. In the Double and Adjust strategy, the Doubling Twins Amir and Amira, use doubling facts to help them calculate.
Each character has a catchphrase. The parrot’s catchphrase is, ‘Manipulate the Calculation for a sneaky variation’!
These characters are influencers. Instead of children constantly using a single default strategy, the characters equip them to successfully work with a range of strategies. One teacher, who watched a lesson using the parrot, wrote: “I really liked the fact that the children engaged with the song and characters and that they copied what the parrot did rather than become stuck on their own strategy.”
When a ‘MAP’ child sees 25 + 28, we want them thinking, ‘What would the parrot do? What would Roana do? What would Papa Titioning do? What would the kangaroo do? How would Amir and Amira tackle this? Or is this a calculation for the Sneaky Criminals? Each character would tackle this calculation differently! We can then ask, ‘Which is the most efficient strategy?’
With MAP, children gain regular exposure to the characters and stories, supported by gameplay and activity, developing their ability to choose and use from a well-rehearsed range of mental strategies. They can name each one and identify the most efficient method for each given calculation – which is exactly what they need to do!
Here is a guidance document with
more information about the MAP
characters.
There are several display materials
available to support the use of
these story characters.
Strategy Progressions
Click on the thumbnails to access the full progressions within the EuHu Organiser.
Key Strategy Resources
The Number Fun Characters help bring Mental Strategies to life in this set of videos. Each video combines the power of story, visualisation, animation, song and humour. For the Addition and Subtraction strategies there are either year group or phase specific videos. Have fun!
Alongside the use of video, story, characters and catchphrases, we have a set of games and activities to help children develop their skills through game play. The games, ‘Round About’ and ‘19 or Halve’, for example, are great board and small group games for helping children develop their use of Round and Adjust.
Also available, is an extensive set of Assessment materials for use at the end of each term. These downloadable year group documents will help you keep a clear track of your children’s progress with their mental strategies and support your future planning.
