Learning Something New: My First Sculpture
This Easter, I attended a two-day clay sculpture workshop. This was completely outside anything I had ever done before. A few months ago, I joined a pottery studio and have been enjoying creating a range of small and large bowls, experimenting with carving patterns on the outside. However, sculpting a face was completely different, and I approached the course with a lot of trepidation.
There are many different ways to create a sculpture, just like there are many different ways to approach maths.
To create the face, we built it up from nothing, using a wooden support and four pieces of wire to hold the structure in place. From there, we gradually added clay, forming the shape of the skull—making sure the front of the face was vertical and the back more rounded. As more clay was added, the human form slowly began to appear.
We then created the eye sockets, eyebrows, and added the eyes, working from one side to the other to build symmetry and balance. By the end of the first day, I had created something that looked human—but more like a mask. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to resemble my dad.
The following day, I returned to my sculpture. One of the teachers asked if I wanted some help and, within about two minutes, had transformed it into something much more lifelike. She explained that it looked a little ‘off’ because there wasn’t enough space for the mouth, and it needed more chin, among other adjustments.
I was completely amazed.
Why the Foundations Made All the Difference
From that moment on, I continued to add a little clay at a time, gradually building up the different features. This time, it felt so much easier. The improved foundations of the basic shape made all the difference. I still needed to keep adding and taking some clay away, working and refining the eyes, the nose and the mouth so they looked more life-like.
And it got me thinking about how pottery and maths are actually quite similar.
What This Taught Me About Learning Maths
Without strong foundations, no matter how much effort you put in, the outcome is never going to be quite right. But when the foundations are secure, everything that comes afterwards becomes easier.
For many of the students I work with, their foundational maths is not secure. For example, if they are trying to understand a word problem but still struggle to add two numbers together, it is highly likely that they will make errors. Just like with my sculpture, I didn’t know how to improve it—I could see that something wasn’t quite right, but I didn’t know why.
What Happens When Maths Foundations Are Not Secure
For my students, it’s the same. They know something isn’t quite right, but they don’t know how to fix it.
By focusing on securing the foundations, even topics I don’t explicitly cover become more accessible. Students are able to concentrate on higher-level understanding rather than using all of their working memory on calculations.
Why Some Children Need a Different Approach
I don’t have a strong visual memory, which means that making a sculpture feels particularly daunting. I struggle to remember what I’ve just seen in a photograph and then recreate it in clay. When I explained this to the instructor, she suggested that I feel the different parts of my own face and then recreate them in clay.
It was a completely different way of working—but it really worked.
Just like for me, many children need a different way of learning to develop an understanding of maths and make sense of it. Many of the students I teach with dyscalculia are creative and visual learners. By using a wide range of multi-sensory equipment, they are given the opportunity to build understanding in a way that works for their brain.
What This Means For Your Child
If your child is struggling, it may not be effort. I have worked with many children who are trying so hard and they are still struggling. At times, it can look like they aren’t trying – but often they have been trying for a long time without success. They may not have the right foundations yet and need more time building stronger foundations. It may be that they need a different way of learning – many children really benefit from having multi-sensory equipment to help them develop their mathematical understanding.
A Simple Way to Think About Maths Learning
Strong foundations don’t come from doing more of the same—they come from finding the right approach.
Why Secure Foundations Matter In Maths
- They reduce errors in calculations
- They free up working memory
- They build confidence
- They make new topics easier to understand
Strong foundations are incredibly important, but they are only the beginning of the learning journey. Just as I discovered with pottery, having the foundations in place doesn’t mean that everything suddenly becomes easy. We still need time, practice and opportunities to develop our skills and confidence.
In my next article, I share what learning wheel throwing taught me about practice, perseverance and why confidence grows through small successes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do children struggle with maths?
Many children struggle with maths because their foundational skills are not secure. There are many reasons for this. Many children missed learning and practising some of the key essential foundational skills due to Covid and home learning. Other students may have moved schools and missed some of the topics, been away, etc. Other students have dyscalculia, dyslexia and other learning difficulties which impact their understanding and learning of maths. This can make it harder to understand new topics and increase mistakes.
What are maths foundations?
Maths foundations for everyone include basic skills such as number sense, mental calculations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as well as understanding how numbers work. As a child moves through their schooling, other topics such as decimals and fractions are also fundamental for older students.
How can I help my child improve in maths?
Focus on strengthening your child’s foundational skills first, ensuring that they know their key number facts such as friends of ten, double facts as well as times tables (depending on their age). Quick, fun activities that match the way your child learns, such as using visuals on manipulatives or playing simple games, means that your child is learning in a fun way that builds their confidence rather than becoming anxious that they forget some of their facts.
What is dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and maths concepts. If your child is continuously forgetting their number facts, no matter how often they practise, looks blankly even when you’ve just done something with them, is constantly using their fingers to add small numbers together, this can be a sign of dyscalculia.
If your child is struggling with maths and you’re not sure why, you’re not alone. Understanding how they learn is the first step.