What is SPEAR Maths?

 

SPEAR Maths is a simple but effective framework which promotes the development of primary Maths problem solving and investigational skills and helps pupils to become independent learners. Based on a brain-friendly philosophy of education, SPEAR will help teachers and pupils to become effective and enthusiastic Maths problem-solvers.

Fully resourced with a range of tools for pupils and teachers and completely updated for the 2014 National Curriculum, together with a collection of over 550 new and familiar problems, SPEAR is the Maths resource that primary schools and teachers of lower ability KS3 pupils have been waiting for.

 

 

SPEAR Maths:

 

SPEAR Maths uses a five-step framework:

 

 

Each stage is supported by a range of pupil and teacher materials to ensure that children develop the problem-solving skills they need to succeed.  

 

 

SPEAR Maths is based on the educational philosophy of Sternberg and Vygostky. 

Sternberg maintains that ‘intelligence’ is not fixed in any individual but is fundamentally the ability to solve problems. This ability can be improved by giving learners appropriate experiential learning, by embedding the learning in relevant contexts and by explicitly teaching tools and strategies for solving problems. In teaching our pupils problem solving, we have the opportunity to increase their intelligence.

We can dynamically improve learners’ capacities for ‘learning how to learn’ by presenting aspects of the curriculum as problems to be solved, rather than (simply) bodies of knowledge to be learned.

In Vygotsky's 'zone of proximal development' the role of the teacher is to structure learning opportunities to enable learners to acquire new knowledge and understanding for themselves.