• £15

Negative numbers

Where do students struggle with negative numbers, where do they come from, and what can we do to help our students?

Course overview

In this course we take a deep dive into the wonderful world of negative numbers. Using data from 200+ million answers on my Diagnostic Questions website we see what students do well at, where they struggle, and what we can do to help them.

The areas we cover are:
  • Ordering negative numbers
  • Addition and subtraction with negative numbers
  • Multiplication and division with negative numbers
  • Method selection
  • Interweaving with negative numbers

This workshop is ideal to enhance your subject knowledge, as well as providing a framework for planning sequences of lessons that can be applied to all topics in mathematics.

This course can be completed on your own, with a colleague, or as a department*.

It is suitable for secondary school teachers (teaching students age 11 to 16) and also primary teachers teaching Years 5 and 6 (9 to ll year olds).

For answers to the most frequently asked aspects of my online courses, please visit the FAQs section at the bottom of the homepage here.

*Please note: The prices of the course is per person. It is not permitted to buy a single log-in and then share it with colleagues, or show the videos to a number of people at a meeting or training event. Hopefully you agree that the courses represent good value for money, and I need to ensure I protect my livelihood. If you wish to discuss bulk purchase discounts or using my materials in another form, please drop me an email at mrbartonmaths@gmail.com. Thanks so much for your understanding.

Video introduction

Contents

Background

Where do the questions and data come from... and how can you get hold of them!
1. Where do the questions come from?
2. Where does the data come from?
3. How to get the data and explanations
4. A few thoughts about mistakes and misconceptions

What students meet and when

When do students in England first experience the key ideas within negative numbers?
1. The challenge
IMAGE - What do students meet and when?
2. The answers revealed

Ordering negative numbers

Where do students do well and where do they struggle with ordering negative numbers? And what can we do to help?
1. Introduction
2. What do students do well?
3. Where do students go wrong?
Question 1
4. Question 1 - the results
Question 2
5. Question 2 - the results
Question 3
6. Question 3 - the results
7. Reflection
8. What can we do to help?
9. Resource - Interactive numberline
10. Resource - Temperature change
11. Resource - Language
12. Reflection

Addition and subtraction with negative numbers

Where do students do well and where do they struggle with addition and subtraction with negative numbers? And what can we do to help?
1. Introduction
2. What do students do well?
3. Where do students go wrong?
Question 1
4. Question 1 - the results
Question 2
5. Question 2 - the results
Question 3
6. Question 3 - the results
7. Reflection
8. What can we do to help?
9. Resource - Patterns
10. Resource - Directed number counters
11. Resource - Alternate representations
12. Resource - Integer targets
13. Resource - Venn Diagram
14. Resource - Temperature changes
15. Reflection

Multiplication and division with negative numbers

Where do students do well and where do they struggle with multiplication and division with negative numbers? And what can we do to help?
1. Introduction
2. What do students do well?
3. Where do students go wrong?
Question 1
4. Question 1 - the results
Question 2
5. Question 2 - the results
Question 3
6. Question 3 - the results
Question 4
7. Question 4 - the results
8. Reflection
9. What can we do to help?
10. Resource - Action words
DOWNLOAD - Maths Action Words
11. Resource - Use of calculator
12. Resource - Structured variation grid
DOWNLOAD - NumberGrid
13. Reflection

Method selection with negative numbers

Where do students do well and where do they struggle with method selection with negative numbers? And what can we do to help?
1. Introduction
2. Success and struggle
3. What can we do to help?
4. Resource - Four operations practice
5. Resource - Practice makes perfect
6. Resource - Standards units
7. Resource - SSDD Problems
8. Resource - Retrieval opportunities
9. Reflection

Interweaving with negative numbers

Where do students do well and where do they struggle with interweaving with negative numbers? And what can we do to help?
1. Introduction
2. Success and struggle
IMAGE - The forgetting curve
Question 1
3. Question 1 - the results
Question 2
4. Question 2 - the results
Question 3
5. Question 3 - the results
Question 4
6. Question 4 - the results
7. Reflection
8. What can we do to help?
9. Resource - Schemes of work
10. Resource - Fill in the gaps
11. Resource - Increasingly difficult questions
12. Reflection

Wrap-up

A few things before we say goodbye
1. A possible planning structure
IMAGE - A possible planning structure
2. Reflection
3. My online courses
Preview

Links to my other work

Here are some links to my other work that you may (or may not!) be interested in
My books
My podcasts
My websites
Other stuff!