Case study 2: Improving engagement and retention by moving away from the text book

last updated:February 2010

Case study 2: Improving engagement and retention by moving away from the text book
We chose this case study because it shows how one school greatly improved student retention rates by using collaborative activities, focussing on active learning and providing more open-ended problems.

Mathematics teachers at a specialist technology college in North Tyneside were aware that their A-level lessons were less interactive than their GCSE lessons, being more ‘lecture like’ in form. The teachers wanted to move away from this way of working and to check the validity of this view with students.

The project aimed to:

• find out about students’ experiences of A-level teaching in mathematics;
• develop new teaching resources for use with A-level classes;
• improve the experience of students studying A-level mathematics; and
• increase the uptake of mathematics in Year 12.

The research centred on two A-level classes of 20 students each. Staff developed new teaching resources for each module of the course, and tested them on both a Year 12 and 13 class.

What impact did the new resources have?
The main findings of the research were that:

• retention of students between Years 12 and 13 increased – 60% completed the course in 2008 compared to 25% in 2006;
• increased demand led to a ‘Further Mathematics’ course being offered in Years 12 and 13;
• collaboration between teachers improved;
• more students applied to study mathematics at university;
• student motivation and enjoyment increased; and
• student-teacher relationships became more purposeful.

How were the changes planed?
An external researcher gathered the opinions of A-level mathematics students. The key finding at this stage was that students preferred lessons in which they worked independently or in a group on tasks which did not involve answering set questions from a text.

Staff from the mathematics department then gathered existing teaching resources and began to develop them in line with the findings from the student research. The lead subject professional for the local authority led an inset training day to introduce some new teaching materials, observed and fed back on some lessons, and taught some demonstration lessons which were video taped and discussed.

What new resources and practices resulted from the project?
Teaching staff developed a number of game based resources, including pairs games and sequencing activities. The new resources were used at least once per fortnight and their effectiveness discussed in staff meetings.

An overnight ‘revision retreat’ was also organised for Year 12 students in the lead up to their second modular exam in June. Active learning through activities such as floor jigsaws and treasure hunts were used to assist the revision. During the second year, the revision retreat was extended to include more of the A-level course and was moved to a larger venue to cater for increased numbers.

A library of useful resources was set up within the mathematics department and the project led to improved teaching practice in Key Stages 3 and 4 also.

What did the students think about the changes to ‘A’ level teaching?
Student feed-back confirmed that students were positive about working collaboratively with the new activities:

'I used to prefer working on my own but now I enjoy talking in pairs.'

'Initially it was more confident ones dominating – now there is more trust and openness and everyone takes part.'

The other key area of student feed-back referred to improvements in relationships:

'[Teachers are] Spot on! Really helpful, especially with Further Maths.'

Reference
Callender, S. (2008) Raising achievement in mathematics by enhancing the learning experience.
National Teacher Research Panel Conference paper