Thinking Deeply about Primary Education Teaching Through Comparison: What Works and When?
Apr 5, 2025
John Jackson and Emma Lindley-Thompson, both maths experts, explore how comparing solution methods can boost students' conceptual and procedural knowledge in mathematics. They discuss a landmark study that reveals the benefits and challenges of this teaching approach. The conversation delves into the balance between direct instruction and student exploration, urging teachers to leverage structured strategies while supporting independent learning. They also emphasize the importance of adapting these findings for the primary classroom to enhance student understanding.
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Comparison Boosts Procedural Skills
- Comparing different solution methods improves procedural knowledge and flexibility without harming conceptual knowledge.
- This is most effective when prompts encourage comparison rather than isolated study of individual methods.
Comparison Is Core to Learning
- Comparison is fundamental to human thought and significantly alters knowledge.
- Simply exposing pupils to multiple methods is insufficient; careful implementation of comparison is necessary.
Explicit Compare and Explain Methods
- Explicitly teach and compare multiple solution methods using structured prompts.
- Encourage pupils to explain their choice to develop procedural flexibility and deeper understanding.