cognitive acceleration
DEVELOPING CHILDREN'S THINKING
The five 'pillars' of CAME
The CAME approach encourages reflection and discussion and new forms of response from children. This approach along with other recent initiatives has changed the delivery of my lessons and helped me to think more carefully about the way I question my pupils. It has made me feel more confident about my maths teaching, and helped to empower the children and make them think of themselves as 'problem solvers'. Primary teacher from Lancashire
The CAME classroom pedagogy is based on active cooperative students' work on mathematical concepts. It involves discussion in cycles that rise in level of challenge during the lesson. All students' ideas are valued, and they go to sifting and refining them, then to link them to formal mathematics. Such construction work from scratch, normally once in a fortnight by the class, allows the rest of teaching, whether instruction or investigation, to be more effective.
In the process of paired, or grouped teaching, teachers become more energised, and the teaching less of a solitary chore - more a journey of discovery by the teachers themselves. The culture of school mathematics becomes one of exploration by pupils, teachers, researchers, and tutors alike. The outcome is a significant rise in achievement in both the short and long terms, achieved through a fun learning experience for teachers and students. Dubben, Hodgen and Longfield (writing in an article in the Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, November 99) articulate this difference as: 'The lessons are about all members of the class, including the teacher, being mathematicians and exploring mathematical ideas and challenges together in a climate in which everyone's views are valued. Obviously the teacher has an additional role in managing the lesson and orchestrating the feedback but nonetheless is seen as a learner alongside others. Furthermore, the enjoyment felt by the children mirrors the enthusiasm with which teachers come to approach P-CAME lessons.'
An eye opener! Children see maths as fun. Or they do not see it as maths!
See a video clip of a lesson. Hear more of what people say about CAME.
The approach is based on five principles, known as the 'five pillars of CAME':
