Based on Singapore Maths and world’s best practice
PRIME: The Six Success Factors in PR1ME
Christine Vale
Head of Education, Scholastic Australia
BA DipEd GradDip MA MBA
CONTACT US at 1800 649 408 or
[email protected]
The SIX Success Factors
PRIME is based mainly on the content and approach used in the Primary
Mathematics Project used in Singapore.
So what are the factors that make this approach so successful?
1.
Deep dive into concept development
2.
Consistent pedagogy and use of the Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach
3.
Develops metacognition
4.
Problem solving is central – including using the ‘bar model’
5.
Continuous assessment to check learning readiness and effectiveness
6.
Professional learning combining ‘what to teach’ and ‘how to teach’.
SUCCESS FACTOR 1:
Deep dive into concept
development
Tight scaffolding and sequenced concept development
Each chapter in PRIME
focuses on one topic.
These three chapters in
Coursebook 3A build on
one another.
In Chapter 1 students learn
about numeration and
place value up to 10000.
In Chapter 2 they apply
what they learnt to adding
and subtracting 4-digit
numbers.
Then in Chapter 3 they
apply it to multiplying and
dividing.
Scaffolding within a chapter
Coursebook: 3A
In this chapter, in Lesson 1 students learn to understand the relationship and terminology for
‘sum’ and ‘difference’.
In Lesson 2 they learn to add 4-digit numbers and in Lesson 3 to subtract them.
As with this chapter, often the final Lesson in a PRIME chapter is Problem Solving. This
provides students with the opportunity to apply what they’ve learnt.
Scaffolding within a PRIME Lesson
In this Lesson about
adding 4-digit numbers,
first students learn to add
with regrouping once…
Scaffolding within a PRIME Lesson
Then students
learn to regroup
twice…
Scaffolding within a PRIME Lesson
Coursebook: 3A
Then finally, to
regroup three
times.
Scaffolding with in a PRIME Lesson
Coursebook: 3A
After students
have mastered
addition of 4-digit
numbers, they
apply this
understanding to
problem solving.
PRIME “deep-dive” compared to the Australian
Curriculum: Mathematics
The deep-dive
into concept
development in
PRIME means
that at many year
levels, the
concepts taught
go beyond the
expectations of
the Australian
A separate, detail curriculum alignment is available.
maths curriculum.
SUCCESS FACTOR 2:
Consistent pedagogy –
including the ConcretePictorial-Abstract Approach
Consistent pedagogy – predictable
structure
Teaching-learning sequence
• Reviews and assesses readiness
• Teaches new skills, concepts and
mathematical terminology
• Guided practice and formative
assessment
• Consolidation and mastery of
concepts and skills and formative
assessment
Beginning of chapter – review learning
Let’s Remember reviews concepts taught previously to
assess readiness for new learning.
New learning – models explicit concept
development
Let’s Learn is the start of a new teaching-learning cycle. These
Lessons from Coursebook 3A, are teaching multiplication and
division.
Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach
The Concrete-Pictorial- Coursebook 3A
Abstract (CPA) approach
is essential to concept
development in PRIME.
Concrete:
What is critical is that
concrete or pictorial
learning experiences
are ALWAYS linked with
Pictorial:
the abstract
mathematical language
in the same lesson.
Abstract:
Differentiated practice and mastery
In Let’s Do, students are given guided support to demonstrate their immediate understanding.
This is reinforced with tasks in the Practice Book for students to demonstrate mastery and
teachers to use as formative assessment.
Multiple teaching-learning cycles in each
Lesson
In one PRIME Lessons there is multiple cycles of Let’s
Learn – Let’s Do – Practice. Each cycle scaffolds from the
previous one.
Multiple learning cycles in one PRIME Lesson
One “PRIME Lesson” may take several days. A single
teaching-learning cycle may be about a day’s lesson.
SUCCESS FACTOR 3:
Develops metacognition
Develops metacognition
Coursebook 2A, Chapter 5
Each lesson begins with student
learning objectives for so students
know what they are learning about.
Thought and speech bubbles are used
to explain mathematical thinking.
Develops metacognition
Coursebook 2A, Chapter 8
Thought and speech bubbles are used
to model mathematical thinking and
strategies.
Express mathematical opinions
In Think About It, students are expected to compare
two ways of thinking about a mathematical situation
and express their opinion about which is correct.
Coursebook 2A
SUCCESS FACTOR: 4
Explicitly teaches problem
solving
Explicit teaching of problems solving
process and strategies
The Process
The Strategies/Heuristics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Draw a diagram
Make a list
Choose an operation
Guess and check
Look for patterns
Make suppositions
Act it out
Work backwards
Before-after concept
Simplify the problem
Solve part of the problem
Problem solving process is modelled
Coursebook 1A
Process is modelled
Mathematical
thinking
modelled
Strategy or heuristic is identified
Solution to problem is modelled
Coursebook 1A
Process is modelled
Mathematical
thinking
modelled
Also uses C-P-A
Problem Solving: The Bar
Model Method
Problem solving: the bar model
Coursebook 2A
The bar model
represents number
relationships
pictorially.
In this example,
students represent
red and blue plates
with bars and mark
them with what they
know and need to
find out.
Problem solving: the bar model
Coursebook 2A
The number
relationship of more
red plates than blue
plates is shown.
Linked to the pictorial
representation is the
number sentence and
algorithm or abstract.
Another CPA example!
SUCCESS FACTOR 5:
Continuous assessment
Continuous assessment – formative and
summative
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Check for prerequisites
• Guided practice
• Differentiated tasks for mastery
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Consolidation and mastery of
concepts and skills
• Periodic reviews
SUCCESS FACTOR 6:
Professional learning
Coursebook models lessons
Coursebook 2A
The Coursebook provides carefully
crafted model lessons. The samples in
the Coursebook are a starting point
and it is expected that teachers would
replicate several similar examples in a
lesson.
These lessons combine the “what to
teach” of the concepts from the
curriculum with “how to teach” using
proven pedagogy.
Coursebook models lessons
Coursebook 2A
The Teacher’s Guide
provides practical
support for all lessons
including:
• Objectives
• Materials needed
• Prompt questions
• Cross-referencing
of concepts and
skills taught
• Background
information
• Answers and more.
PRIME Components
Program Components
Scholastic
PR1ME
Mathematics
Coursebooks
Y1-Y6
Practice
Books
Teacher’s
Guides
Technology
Resources
Y1-Y6
Y1-Y6
Y1-Y6
The books are available
in an interactive
whiteboard format.
Subscriptions are
available through
Scholastic Learning Zone.
SIX SUCCESS FACTORS
1. Deep dive into concept development
2. Consistent pedagogy and use of the concrete–
pictorial–abstract approach
3. Develops metacognition
4. Problem solving is central – including using the
‘bar model’
5. Continuous formative assessment to check
learning readiness and effectiveness
6. Professional learning based on world’s best
practice
QUESTIONS ABOUT PRIME
Contact [email protected]
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
For further information or questions contact pricing and availability of stock,
call 1800 021 233 or email [email protected]
OTHER TEACHER SUPPORT
For other online presentations, webinars and workshops, go to the Professional Learning
page on the Scholastic Australia website:
http://www.scholastic.com.au/corporate/PL/index.asp