Boost Maths is a four-week programme for students needing a boost in learning maths. The programme focuses on building confidence and developing understanding of key maths ideas. Teacher aides lead this programme, with guidance from classroom teachers.
The programmes of Boost Maths focus on the areas of maths we know many students find difficult, e.g. place value, fractions, etc. They are suitable for primary, intermediate and early secondary school students needing a boost. The first programme available focuses on Place Value: 'ones', 'tens', 'hundreds', for primary school students. Fractions will be the next programme developed.
Each day students work on three specifically designed activities as many times as possible in two 10-minute blocks of time, led by the teacher aide. Monday is introduction and training day with the activities repeated multiple times each day, and in doing so confidence is built and understanding developed.
Alongside this is one teaching focus for the classroom teacher to directly teach each week. We suggest at least three 10 minutes teaching sessions within the week to make sure each student fully and clearly understands the key maths idea for the week.
This programme is not designed to be the whole maths for the students involved, rather the activities becoming part of the student's regular maths programme, replacing part of what they would normally be doing. It has been designed to take place within classrooms and for two students per teacher aide. Saying this, no programme will suit every classroom situation or student, meaning teachers, along with teacher aides, are encouraged to adjust the programme to suit the school and classroom situation to benefit and boost the learning of the students involved as much as possible.
