Document A: Questions for listening to pupils

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Can you play a game with me? Where would I be if I was (point): under the cupboard/on top of the chair/by the side of the whiteboard/inside the climbing frame? (positional language)
Spread some objects out on a table: How many ‘books’ are there on the table? Pile/ group them carefully: how many are there now? (Can they count/conserve number?)
What do you do if you cannot work something out?

What type of numeracy/mathematics do you like best – working with numbers, measuring, finding out about shapes or working with data?
What do you find easy about numeracy/mathematics?
What do you find difficult about numeracy/mathematics?
Do you know the pairs of numbers that go to together to make 10? What about 20 or 100?
Tell me what happens when you halve or double a number?
Do you sometimes plan how to solve a number problem? Do you sometimes plan with a friend or in a group?
What do you do if you cannot work an answer out in mathematics?
Do you sometimes do numeracy/mathematics work on the computer?
Tell me how you worked this out.

What type of numeracy/mathematics do you like best – working with numbers, measuring, finding out about shapes or handling data?
Do you use your numeracy/mathematics skills in others areas such as geography and science? If yes, can you think of an example?
What do you find easy about mathematics?
What do you find difficult about mathematics?
Do you use the computer to create graphs, charts and diagrams?
What do you do if you can’t work out an answer?
Do you know what happens to a number when you multiply or divide it by 10 or 100?
What strategies do you use to help you work out your times tables?
How do you check your answers?
Tell me how you worked this out.
Can you show me a piece of work where you used mathematics outside of a maths lesson? Can you explain what you have done?
Can you show me some work where you have solved a problem that involved numbers? Can you explain your thinking?

Are you making progress in improving your numerical skills? How do you know?
What is your attitude towards numeracy? Do you think it’s important to have good numeracy skills? Why?
Do you know what you have to do to improve your numerical skills further? Examples
How often do you use your number work in other subjects?
Can you think of examples where you have used mathematics such as number work, graphs, shape, etc. in subjects other than mathematics?
How easy or difficult has this work been e.g. are you able to use a calculator when unsure?
Do you think that subjects other than mathematics help you to reinforce and develop your number skills?
Do teachers let you explore on your own or with your peers how you might want to use different methods for calculating solutions to your problem?
If you get a calculation wrong, do you have the opportunity to discuss this with your teacher and or peers, and to correct/improve your work? Can you show me some examples?