Curriculum for Wales

What do our learners need to learn and why?

The aim of this workshop is to support you to select learning as you develop your Mathematics and Numeracy curriculum in your school. It is created to follow our previous workshop on creating a shared vision for learning in this Area.

It will consider:

Curriculum for Wales as a purpose-led curriculum

the shift from content to learning
how to use your vision to select learning
how to select learning from the statements of what matters and the five proficiencies
your next steps as a team

Curriculum for Wales as a purpose-led curriculum

Curriculum for Wales is led by the four purposes. This means that the emphasis is moving from what learners know to the people they will grow up to be. All learning in Curriculum for Wales should therefore enable learners to progress towards these four purposes.

The Curriculum for Wales framework provides practitioners with the autonomy to select learning for their learners and this workshop suggests how you could go about deciding what your learners need to learn.

The shift from content to learning

In Curriculum for Wales, the focus on learning replaces the current focus on content and coverage. Therefore, when designing a curriculum, schools need to ask themselves, 'What do our learners need to learn?' and 'Why is this learning important?'

These two questions will lead to a better understanding of what really matters in learning in order to design a curriculum which enables learners to realise the four purposes.

'All curriculum development should have a clear purpose in mind. A clear understanding of the purpose of learning and why specific knowledge, skills and experiences are important helps focus the planning of progress and learning and teaching.'

The Journey to curriculum roll-out 2021

Let's consider what is meant by the shift from content to learning by taking the activity in the picture as an example. The learners here are visiting the local supermarket to buy food for the class picnic. If we ask what is really being learned here, we might conclude that the learners are learning to improve their communication skills, develop their financial capability, solve problems with numbers, reflect on healthy eating or develop independence, to name just a few.

This is learning which can't take place in a one-off task or a single activity. It is learning which is broad in scope, which needs to be transferred and enhanced over a period of time in several contexts. This is the kind of learning required to realise the four purposes in Curriculum for Wales, and so our focus when planning for learning will need to shift from the content to the learning itself.

Response and reflection

This is a photograph of two learners who have been given a problem involving prime numbers. This might be used as a stimulus for learning in Mathematics and Numeracy.

Consider the following questions:

What is the learning here?
Why is this learning important for our learners?
Does it enable them to progress towards the four purposes?

The aim of the three question above is to move our focus from content to learning. They are useful to determine the 'what' and the 'why' of learning. The answers should lead you to the vision of Curriculum for Wales and your own vision for learning.

How to use your vision to select learning

Now that we have a better understanding of the kind of learning required in Curriculum for Wales, the next question to ask is, How do we decide what our learners need to learn? In the last workshop, we suggested that you write, together, a statement of vision which captures what you want for your learners in Mathematics and Numeracy.

In order to do this, we suggested that you:

seek inspiration from the four purposes and their characteristics,
gain a deeper understanding of the vision of Mathematics and Numeracy
understand what is new in the guidance: the five proficiencies
consider the needs and attitudes of your learners' and their communities to mathematics
and consider the societal developments that will have implications for learning in this Area.

If you have developed a shared vision for learning in this Area, it can be a starting point for selecting learning for your Mathematics and Numeracy curriculum. Consider what your learners need to learn in order to realise the aspirations you have set out for them and discuss why this learning is important.

Response and reflection

This is a created example. Use the questions below to guide you.

What is a mathematical thinker?
Why do they need to be a mathematical thinker?
What do they need to learn to become a mathematical thinker?

Our vision for our learners of Mathematics and Numeracy is for each individual to become a mathematical thinker who is excited by the beauty of Mathematics. Our learners will develop a confident sense of number and a computational fluency through seeking patterns, making connections and being curious as they solve problems and learn to understand the importance of numeracy in their daily lives. We want our learners to be mathematical explorers who embrace uncertainty and take risks as they find creative solutions to problems.

Our learners will become numerate which will enable them to confidently make informed decisions which impact on their physical, mental, social and financial well-being.

During these discussions, the learning for your curriculum will begin to emerge. You can use the same or similar questions to delve deeper into other ambitions you have outlined in your vision,
e.g. What does it mean to find creative solutions to problems? Why is this important for your learners? Which opportunities do they need to become creative and curious in Mathematics and Numeracy?

How to select learning from the statements of what matters

Every statement of what matters includes a rationale that lies beneath its headline 'title' and it is here that the learning for that statement is expressed. These statements of what matters are statutory in Curriculum for Wales.Together they contribute to supporting the learners to realise the four purposes of the curriculum.

'The statements of what matters set out the key understanding learners must develop.'

The Journey to curriculum roll-out 2021

The number system is used to represent and compare relationships between numbers and quantities.

Algebra uses symbol systems to express the structure of mathematical relationships.

Geometry focuses on relationships involving shape, space and position, and measurement focuses on quantifying phenomena in the physical world.

Statistics represent data, probability models chance, and both support informed inferences and decisions.

The four statements in this Area refer to number, algebra, geometry and measures and statistics. They should be considered holistically when designing your curriculum. They are highly interconnected with each one supporting the development of the other three.

'Algebra, geometry and statistics cannot be understood without a prior understanding of number and consistent reference to numbers, calculations and the number system.'

Curriculum for Wales.

The integrated nature of the learning in Curriculum for Wales should also mean that aspects of statements from other Areas may be addressed and this is where transference and deeper, connected learning will occur. When planning for learning we would encourage you to consider all 27 statements of what matters.

Response and reflection

Learning within the number system permeates all learning in this Area, and is therefore a good place to start when selecting learning in Mathematics and Numeracy. Reflect on the learning required within this statement, using the questions below to guide your thinking.

What do our learners need to know and understand?

Which skills, attitudes and values do they need to develop?

The number system is used to represent and compare relationships between numbers and quantities.

Numbers are the symbol system for describing and comparing quantities. This will be the first abstract concept that learners meet in mathematics, and it helps to establish the principles of logical reasoning. In mathematics the number system provides learners with a basis for algebraic, statistical, probabilistic and geometrical reasoning, as well as for financial calculation and decision-making.

Knowledge of, and competence in, number and quantities are fundamental to learners’ confident participation in the world, and provide a foundation for further study and for employment. Computational fluency is essential for problem-solving and progressing in all areas of learning and experience. Fluency is developed through using the four basic arithmetic operations and acquiring an understanding of the relationship between them. This leads to preparing the way for using algebraic symbolisation successfully.

Repeat the process with the other statements of what matters, and you are sure to see commonalities between them, which is a reflection of how interconnected they are.

Learning through the five proficiencies

The five connected and interdependent proficiencies provide a new approach to learning in Mathematics and Numeracy. It will be important to explore these new proficiencies and consider the learning required to develop a deep understanding of the key concepts identified in the statements of what matters.

Response and reflection

Read the description of strategic competence from the guidance, and consider what learning is required to develop strategic competence in Mathematics and Numeracy. Repeat the process for conceptual understanding, logical reasoning, communication using symbols and fluency. They must be seen together to develop deep transferable learning.

Strategic competence

Learners should become increasingly independent in recognising and applying the underlying mathematical structures and ideas within a problem, in order to develop strategies to be able to solve them.

Recognising mathematical structure within a problem and formulating problems mathematically in order to be able to solve them relies on an understanding of the ideas and disciplines within areas of learning and experience alongside a depth of knowledge. It also supports making connections and transferring learning into new contexts and developing increasing effectiveness as a learner. The recognition of the power of mathematics in enabling the representation of situations should lead to a growing appreciation of the usefulness of mathematics.

It is important that you invest time together as teams to select learning from the statements of what matters and the five proficiencies in Mathematics and Numeracy and agree on the knowledge, skills and experiences required to progress in this Area.

Your next steps as a team

We suggest the following:

Revisit your AoLE vision
Select learning from your AoLE vision
Select learning from each of the statement of what matters and the five proficiencies
Discuss the best way to record and represent the learning that you have selected.
Share your learning with other AoLEs.

You are likely to find that there are commonalities in the learning not only across the statements of what matters in Mathematics and Numeracy, but across the other Areas. Curriculum for Wales offers opportunities to collaborate and build connections in order to create a holistic and meaningful learning experience for the learners, as you support them to realise the four purposes.

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