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What was the teaching like?
The big question about what the teaching was like will be answered in two main sections. Firstly, what the teachers said; then, what we saw in observation and videos. This grid shows how these two sources complement each other. From the combination we can learn about the available range of lesson types within the project; the available range of ways of engaging students with mathematics; and we can identify aspects of mathematics teaching that might make a difference to students' learning. In particular we identify methods of teaching that differ from the reported 'norms' for PLAS, i.e. repetitive procedural exercises, low level questions, lack of discussion.
| What we cannot know | What we can know | |
|---|---|---|
| What teachers said | What they actually did; how it was seen by students; frequency of different things mentioned | Intentions for individual lessons and for establishment of habits over time; beliefs about best practice; assumptions about what we wanted to hear; knowledge of what is possible |
| What we observed | Intentions; what is special and what is normal; how classroom habits build up over time; how this lesson relates to those before and after; what students perceive | What happened in lessons when we were there; diverse practice across the project; assumptions about what we wanted to see |
