In this episode of The Primary Maths Podcast, Jon and Becky reflect on the realities of summer term: heatwaves, report writing, and the heroic act of trying to teach when everyone is melting.

They then turn to problem solving in primary maths, asking whether it should really be saved for the end of the year, or whether pupils need regular, explicit teaching of the skills that help them tackle unfamiliar problems with confidence.

Jon and Becky discuss six key problem-solving strategies:

Spotting patterns

Working systematically

Using models

Trialling and improving

Changing the process

Making connections

They also answer a listener question from Priya, a maths lead in Coventry, about what to do when colleagues feel pupils are not fluent enough to access problem solving.

Finally, in Maths of Life, Jon shares a short history of escape rooms and makes the case that they are a brilliant real-world example of problem solving in action.

Useful links

Twinkl Problem Solving Resources: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/r/8arfi

PlanIt Maths: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/r/wke0f

Get in touch

We’d love to hear your thoughts, questions and ideas for future episodes. You can email the show at:

[email protected]