Guided group work is about providing opportunity for extended talk, with groups of children selected for a particular purpose.

GUIDED GROUP WORK IN MATHEMATICS

Guided group work is about providing opportunity for extended talk, with

groups of children selected for a particular purpose

Guided group workIs integral to quality-first teachingIs informed by detailed assessment of particular

children’s learning with opportunities for further assessment

Involves grouping children with a shared and current learning need.

Has a very clear teacher role in scaffolding and supporting learning

Involves the giving of clear feedback to children on the focus of learning and the progress made

‘Working with a group can provide assessment information that is more difficult to capture in the whole-class context; it provides an opportunity to discuss the mathematics in more detail with individuals in the group. The focused attention given to a group helps to inform future planning and teaching. It also gives children who are not active contributors in the whole class the opportunity to participate more directly, share their ideas and extend their learning within a small group of peers.’ (P67)

Williams Review – June 2008

Guided Group Work

Why have guided sessions?Focus on a concept, skill or strategy that

assessment shows a group have not learntPre-teachingAcceleration of slow moving childrenChallenge more ableAssessment (APP)Discussion with ‘hidden’ childrenDevelop reasoning skills and mathematical

language

How do I identify these children?

Day to day assessment for learning e.g. plenary discussions, marking, self and peer assessment etc.

Following a planned assessment activityPeriodic assessment shows underperforming

groups Feedback from TAFollowing up previous guided group sessionsAbility groups (flexible)

What strategies should I use?This depends on the purpose of the session,but will probably include:Share LO, and ensure children know what

they have learnt, linking to whole class workScaffold (provide support) if necessary and

guide discussions, but reduce as children’s confidence grows

Observe and challenge using probing questions

Focus on language and reasoning – aim for a high percentage of children talk

Involve all children – paired, individual and group work

Encourage risk taking

Pyramids

Pyramids excel spreadsheet

Guided Maths Video

What should we see in a Guided Group session?Exploring the Mathematics Collaborative workEffective ListeningScaffoldingBuilding ConfidenceInclusion

Guided group work in mathematics provides focused opportunities to:

Develop children’s use of mathematical languageEngage selected children in sustained dialogue

and mental mathematicsUse models and imagesIntroduce and apply new notation and symbols to

support recordingPromote a ‘can do’ approachReview the presentation, accuracy and efficiency

of methods avoiding any sense a method is right or wrong

Potential ObstaclesWork produced could be of a low standardPupils mis-understand what is required of

themSome pupils struggle to work independentlyCertain pupils display off-task behaviour Small number of pupils do not complete the

task set‘Stuck’ pupils unsure what to do next…..

Practical ways to deal with potential obstacles

High expectations of standards of learning and behaviour

Making learning intentions clearThe learning environment ( how can it be

used to support independent learning?)Strategies to develop and support pupils

working independently

Developing independence Stop Think Use Clues KidsModel ‘stuckness’Talk partners, special thinkerDifferentiationResilienceWe only learn when we make mistakesTrial and improvement

Guided Maths Booklet

Recording guided maths

Key ActionsTeach a guided group dailyUse your day to day assessment to inform

your guided sessionsDon’t forget to show on your planning your

guided groupsUse the guided sessions to inform your

assessments of your pupilsHave a range of activities for guided –

knowledge, skills and problem solving!!!