Handling data

Maths

Primary

How games can help with teaching data handling to Years 3 and 4

Explore these innovative Key Stage 2 lesson-planning ideas for getting Year 3 and Year 4 children immersed into maths by using fun, physical games to teach data handling. A Year 3 class turn data about their favourite school meals into a human bar graph. Tall children become the X and Y axes, and the information gathered about the different foods is represented by other children at Cuffley School, Hertfordshire. Year 4 children do Olympic Maths at the Wroxham School, Hertfordshire. They measure and record long jumps, high jumps and target practice using a beanbag. They then turn their data into Venn diagrams and graphs for analysis to find their Olympic Maths Champions. Meanwhile, Year 3 pupils collect data about time, using a Tardis in their classroom. They enter the Tardis to estimate when 30 seconds has elapsed. At the end of the lesson the data is turned into a graph on the interactive whiteboard.

Data Handling

A Year 2 teacher beats her ICT phobia by teaching data handling

See a Year 2 teacher overcome her own fear of ICT while improving her teaching of data handling at Key Stage 1 by using the advice of a fellow teacher. Data handling is often conducted using traditional pen and paper methods in the classroom, but ICT offers an effective and simple way to teach data handling at all levels. Lynne Hall spends time with a fellow primary teacher Chris Thomas and discovers the benefits of using ICT to reduce the data handling workload. After observing Chris, who confidently uses ICT in data handling, Lynne returns to her school and creates an engaging lesson for her KS1 pupils using her new pedagogy.

Data Handling in the Classroom

Three ICT resources to help teach primary maths

In this episode we highlight three resources for primary maths. Lynne McClure, chair of the Primary Group of the Mathematical Association recommends: <ul> <li>mathsinsight 9 - a range of paper and interactive activities</li> <li>2Investigate - a CD Rom database package</li> <li>Furbles - a probability and statistics whiteboard application</li> </ul> McClure joins presenter Hermione Cockburn in the studio, along with panelists Jared Brading, deputy headteacher at St Mary of The Angels RC School in Bayswater, and Colin Hynson, a freelance education consultant.

ICT Special: Primary Maths 2

Bullseye: improve mental calculation with a game of darts

When Philip New, the head of Year 6 at Woodland Middle School, set up a darts club, he noticed a significant change in their attitude to maths and their ability to do it. In this programme Philip explores darts as a vehicle for teaching different areas of KS2 maths. First, he gives his pupils a breakdown of the dart board followed by quick-fire questions to develop their mental calculation skills. From this, Philip moves to the interactive white board and asks the children to calculate his scores and share how they do their calculations. He also develops a range of other activities based on collecting and recording data and adapts the dart board to tailor lessons according to objectives, abilities and the time available. Celebrity darts player, Bobby George, shares a few tips with the pupils and demonstrates his own mental arithmetic skills. Phil feels that using darts has brought a new dimension to his maths teaching and is pleased to see the children smiling and enjoying what they're doing.

KS2 Maths - Darts

A school uses bird feeding to teach maths at Key Stage 2

Key Stage 2 pupils at Barming Primary School study birds' eating habits, turning their findings into graphs and charts. Teachers at the school noticed that the pupils have a real interest in nature and wildlife. They decided to use their playground and playing fields as a great resource for collecting data on birds. Pupils weigh bird feeders each day and carry out surveys of the type of birds they can spot on the school grounds. Teachers say the project has sparked a new enthusiasm for maths among pupils of all levels. The work inspires lower level pupils and allows gifted and talented pupils to think and work independently.

Maths in Nature

Using ICT to explore data handling

This programme observes a Year 4 class at a Bristol primary school where teacher Simon Mills uses the problem of the distribution of colours in a jar of sweets to explore the challenge of understanding frequency and interpreting and presenting data. The class works in the school's ICT suite over three lessons to initially build a frequency table in Excel, then moved on to constructing a bar chart from these tables. In the final session, the pupils labelled and titled their charts and discussed the best ways to represent their results. Key points: The challenge in teaching maths is in the language ICT allows students to see results quickly - they can access the maths and not worry about presentation Good literacy on the technical aspects of the suite is crucial for lesson success

Primary ICT - Numeracy - Handling Data

The use of ICT in a Year 4 maths class is assessed

The opportunities and problems involved in using ICT to teach data handling in KS2 maths courses are explored by professors Rosamund Sutherland and Jan Winter of the University of Bristol. Rosamund and Jan scrutinise three lessons taught by Year 4 teacher Simon Mills. They look closely at the ICT suite and Simon's use of the hardware, including the interactive whiteboard. The two experts discuss the merits of using "grown up" software in lessons and at the strategies Simon uses to facilitate peer learning.

Primary ICT - Numeracy - Interpreting Data

Perfect Pairs and CensusAtSchool for primary maths

In this programme, Resource Review experts recommend top resources, which teachers then put through their paces in the classroom. Wendy Fortescue Hubbard, a member of the Royal Institution Advisory Group, introduces three new resources for teaching primary maths: <ul> <li>Perfect Pairs, a new maths game from School Gallery Ltd</li> <li>The free CensusAtSchool website</li> <li>The Negator from Sum Dials Ltd</li> </ul> We took Perfect Pairs along to deputy head Jan Staff at Bawburgh Primary School in Norwich, to see how it faired in the classroom. She also explored the CensusAtSchool website. Back in the studio, presenter Hermione Cockburn discusses the resources with Wendy, who is also the TES's Mathagony Aunt, and the Resource Review panel of professor David Burghes from the School of Mathematics Education and Adrienne Jones, a freelance education consultant.

Primary Maths

Watch a primary teacher's initial lesson under observation

See uncut footage of a primary teacher delivering his initial lesson under observation from top inspector Claire Gillies, as he seeks to improve from good to outstanding teaching, in this pedagogy and CPD resource . James' teaching at Southwold Primary School, London, is rated as good. Watch his 50-minute Year 3/4 lesson on data handling, featuring a starter, whole class work, group and pair work and plenary discussion.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Subjects

> Primary Maths

> Handling data