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Teaching for Mastery

Designing success for every pupil

There are many models of schooling; some work, some don't.

Mastery is an entire model of schooling with over 100 years of provenance, its impact has been researched for decades, with many of the world's greatest education minds testing and refining the approach. It's one of the models of schooling that actually works.

In this book, Mark McCourt examines the history of a teaching for mastery approach, from its early beginnings to the modern day when cognitive scientists have been able to bring further evidence to the debate, demonstrating why a model that was first proposed in the 1910s has the incredible impact on both pupil attainment and attitudes to learning that it has had all around the world over many decades.

Drawing on examples from cross disciplines, the story of mastery is one that all educators can engage with. Mark also draws on his own subject, mathematics, to further exemplify the approach and to give practical examples of pedagogies and didactics that teachers can deploy immediately in their own classroom.

"The most important education book in years.

There is not a more important book about maths or a more timely book about teaching and curriculum than this. Really quite special."

— Matt Swain

Mathematical Tasks - The Bridge Between Teaching and Learning

If we want our pupils to develop fluency, understanding and the ability to solve complex problems, then it is vital that teachers develop the ability to select, adapt and design appropriate mathematical tasks. In 'Mathematical Tasks: The Bridge Between Teaching and Learning', Chris McGrane and Mark McCourt explore a range of practical approaches, strategies and principles behind the design and effective use of tasks in the mathematics classroom that lead to all pupils becoming successful learners.

First-hand interviews with world-class mathematics education experts and practising teachers bring to life the ideas behind how tasks can act as a bridge between what the teacher wants the pupil to make sense of and what the pupil actually does makes sense of; tasks are how we enable pupils to enact mathematics - it is only by being mathematical that pupils can truly make connections across mathematical ideas and understand the bigger picture.

This is a book for classroom teachers. Chris and Mark offer a range of practical examples for nurturing deep learning in mathematics that can be adapted and embedded in one's own classroom practice. This is also a book for those who are interested in the theory behind tasks. The authors and their interviewees examine the key role tasks play in shaping learning, teaching, curriculum and assessment.

Suitable for teachers at all stages in their careers and teachers are encouraged to return to the book from time to time over the years to notice how their use of tasks in the classroom changes as they themselves develop.