Ali McClure – A Mind for Maths

In this interview, Ali McClure explains how we can put opportunities in place in our continuous provision that enable every child to build the vocabulary and have 'a mind for maths’. She describes the ‘sticky learning’ approach, based around the acronym PVA – Practical, Visual and Abstract. Ali explains her innovative and brand new set of resources, ‘Bitskit’, including her Groovy Broomstix, and how these can support the understanding of maths for children of all ages.
· January 20, 2023

Children often struggle with maths. Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could put opportunities in place in our continuous provision which enable every child to build the vocabulary and have ‘a mind for maths’?

This is not just for those children who may be struggling, it also helps consolidate connections and to take their learning further.

With simple starting points and endless opportunities, the inimitable and inspiring Ali McClure will challenge the way you see your practical props and empower you to equip every child to have a ‘mind for maths’ and build their beginnings for future learning.

When a child is struggling to learn, Ali is determined to find a way- to make their learning fun, relevant and memorable. She is still at the chalk face, working as a SENCo with younger children and working one-to-one with those children who need their learning brought to life so she knows the challenges you are facing. She has recently developed a range of versatile and innovative resources which offer simple starting points yet endless opportunities. They work in a multitude of ways especially in continuous provision and in small groups.

Ali has run training for many esteemed schools and settings across the world. In the UK she has spoken for Ofsted, Early Years Alliance, IAPS and Eton College to name but a few.

Her success in helping children who have struggled to break through barriers to learning makes her work realistic, relevant and refreshing. Ali’s work will encourage you to challenge your choices in how you use resources and investigate the endless opportunities even simple items can offer when used in her innovative and creative ways.

In this interview, Ali explains how children often struggle with maths, but how we can overcome this by putting opportunities in place in our continuous provision, which enable every child to build the vocabulary and have ‘a mind for maths’ – and help to consolidate connections and to take their learning further.

She describes ‘sticky learning’, based around the acronym PVA – Practical, Visual and Abstract – and how this approach helps to lay the foundations for future learning. We go on to discuss Ali’s innovative and brand new set of resources, ‘Bitskit’, including her Groovy Broomstix, and how these can support the understanding of maths for children of all ages.

We finish by discussing Ali’s new book and how using her ‘FingerTips’ method can change teaching and learning for young children.

Links:

https://alimcclure.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/AliMcClureEP
https://www.instagram.com/alimcclureep/
https://www.facebook.com/alimcclureEP
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-mcclure-5542032/

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