Being Collaborative - Primary Teachers

Being Collaborative - Primary is part of our Developing Mathematical Habits of Mind Primary collection.  You can see the full collection by scrolling down to the bottom of the Primary Curriculum page.

Good thinkers collaborate and communicate. They work productively with other people, valuing different points of view. They are willing to change their mind when presented with convincing arguments. They know when to seek help, when to support others, when to speak up and when to compromise.

How do we help our learners to become better at collaborating mathematically? Read this article to find out more about the importance of collaborative problem solving (CPS) and the impact it can have on your pupils.

These problems are ideal to work on with others. If you encourage your learners to work in pairs or small groups and share ideas, they may learn to recognise that two heads can be better than one. 

Additionally you may find that these tasks support the development of other problem-solving skills and mathematical habits of mind, which you could choose to highlight as and when they arise.

You can browse through the Number, Measures, Geometry or Statistics collections, or scroll down to see the full set of problems below.


Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

Being Collaborative - Primary Number

Number problems at primary level to work on with others.

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

Being Collaborative - Primary Measures

Measure problems for primary learners to work on with others.

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

Being Collaborative - Primary Geometry

Geometry problems for primary learners to work on with others.

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

Being Collaborative - Primary Statistics

Statistics problems for primary learners to work on with others.

Sticky Data

Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level

You'll need to work in a group on this problem. Use your sticky notes to show the answer to questions such as 'how many girls are there in your group?'.

En-counters

Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level

This task requires learners to explain and help others, asking and answering questions.

Guess the Houses

Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level

This task depends on learners sharing reasoning, listening to opinions, reflecting and pulling ideas together.

Thirsty?

Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level

Can you lay out the pictures of the drinks in the way described by the clue cards?

Jig Shapes

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

Can you each work out what shape you have part of on your card? What will the rest of it look like?

Number Match

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

A task which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.

Fraction Match

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

A task which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.

Shape Draw

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

Use the information on these cards to draw the shape that is being described.

Guess the Dominoes

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

This task depends on learners sharing reasoning, listening to opinions, reflecting and pulling ideas together.

Quad Match

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

A task which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.

Arranging Cubes

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

A task which depends on members of the group working collaboratively to reach a single goal.

Arranging Counters

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

A task which depends on members of the group working collaboratively to reach a single goal.

Stringy Quads

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

This practical problem challenges you to make quadrilaterals with a loop of string. You'll need some friends to help!

Dice in a Corner

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

How could you arrange at least two dice in a stack so that the total of the visible spots is 18?

The Dice Train

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

This dice train has been made using specific rules. How many different trains can you make?

Making Rectangles

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level

A task which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.

Castles in the Middle

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level

This task depends on groups working collaboratively, discussing and reasoning to agree a final product.

Doughnut Percents

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level

A task involving the equivalence between fractions, percentages and decimals which depends on members of the group noticing the needs of others and responding.