Workshop Dates

Workshop 1 - Friday 20th October 2023 - 0915-1515 - Wolverhampton University, Science Park

Workshop 2 - Tuesday 14th November 2023 - 0915-1515 - Wolverhampton University, Science Park

Workshop 3 - Tuesday 30th January 2024 - 0915-1515 - Wolverhampton University, Science Park

Workshop 4 - Tuesday 16th April 2024 - 0915-1515 - Wolverhampton University, Science Park

When booking, please note the dates and times in your diary, and submit your cover request in school.

This initiative addresses the critical need for a specialised program aimed at empowering teaching assistants with the requisite knowledge and skills to work more effectively in the mathematics classroom. Aligned with the overarching Teaching for Mastery Programme, designed to elevate mathematics instruction in educational institutions, this program caters specifically to teaching assistants whose schools are already actively engaged with a Teaching for Mastery approach.

At the heart of the Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (SKTM) Programme lie its core materials, meticulously developed, rigorously trialled, and refined during the Research and Innovation Work Group (RIWG) sessions conducted in 2022/23. The SKTM Programme is structured around four comprehensive days, each dedicated to a specific aspect of mathematics:

1. Day 1: Addition and Subtraction
2. Day 2: Multiplication and Division
3. Day 3: Ratio
4. Day 4: Fractions

Crucially, our Cohort Leads play a pivotal role in bringing these core materials to life during the program, and they actively tailor the content to address the unique needs of their local context. Cohort Leads will devise supplementary tasks that facilitate the transfer of acquired knowledge and skills into real classroom practice. To ensure the optimal development and evaluation of adaptations, participants are encouraged to engage with the program throughout the year.

During the four sessions, participants will focus on honing their specialist knowledge, emphasising the use of precise mathematical language, representations, and reasoning. In addition to session attendance, participants will be entrusted with follow-up tasks within their respective schools, enabling them to translate their newfound expertise into tangible classroom improvements.

This program represents a pivotal step towards enhancing the capabilities of teaching assistants in the realm of mathematics education. By dedicating themselves to this program, participants and contribute to the ongoing transformation of mathematics instruction in their schools, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to excel in this critical subject.

Who will be leading the group?

Joe Cooper

Joe is an Assistant Maths Hub Lead (Secondary) for SHaW Maths Hub. He is an NCETM accredited Professional Development Lead and School Development Lead with a postgraduate qualification in embedding teaching for mastery practices. Joe leads Work Groups as a Teaching for Mastery Specialist in the Developing and Embedding phases of Teaching for Mastery and works to help coordinate the secondary aspects of the Local Leaders of Mathematics Education programme at SHaW.

Who is it for?

The programme is designed for teaching assistants who predominantly work with students in Key Stage 3 (KS3) mathematics classrooms or lead intervention sessions for student groups.

The participants’ schools should already be engaged with a Teaching for Mastery approach, and this programme will complement this provision.

What are the intended outcomes?

Student outcomes

Students will:

• demonstrate a positive attitude towards the learning of maths
• think, reason and discuss their maths in order to deepen their understanding.

Practice development

Participants will:

• review their practice as a result of the sessions and make specific adaptations to support the students they are working with
• use appropriate mathematical language and representations with confidence.

Professional learning

Participants will:

• work towards developing their understanding of how to suitably adapt resources to meet the needs of their students
• develop an understanding of how algebra relates to the generalisation of number.  
• enhance their maths specialist knowledge with a particular focus on mathematical structures and representations in each of the following topic areas:
  • Addition and subtraction (extending to negative numbers)
  • Multiplication and division (extending to negative numbers)
  • Ratio
  • Fractions

What will it involve?

The programmes will be run over the equivalent of 4 days and the participants must commit to attending all sessions. Participants will develop their specialist knowledge with a focus on using precise mathematical language, representations, and reasoning within each of the topics: addition and subtraction; multiplication and division; ratio; and fractions. In addition to attendance at these sessions, participants will be asked to carry out follow-up tasks in their schools to enable practice transfer to the classroom.

What is the cost?

Funded by DfE so participation is free for schools