• I agree with your answer because …

• My strategy is the same as yours because….

• Could you explain it another way…

• So what I hear you are saying is…

• I don’t understand…

• From ERO Research

• Lesson Dan Finkel

• Jo Boaler

• Reading simple questions require a surface level understanding of the language used.

• Unpacking complex questions can require a deep understanding of mathematical literacy.

• A mathematical question could be a inquiry style problem to solve and require transference of skills.

• Transfer can happen while problem solving or in deep discussion.

• Teaching Students to Organize Conceptual Knowledge: Students Identify Analogies, Peer Tutoring, Reading Across Documents, Problem-Solving Teaching Visible Learning

On the first week of term 3 I created a task which required students to measure cylinders, and to make certain calculations and observations. The details are on the Year 10 subpage "Term 3 Week 1 to 5".

Check out the Google Form students used: Here.

What happened?

• Even though I had explained with a diagram on the board what the circumference, diameter and radius were. And I also demonstrated on a cylinder how to measure the circumference and radius. It was not until students were actually required to measure these that they asked "where is the circumference?", "How do I measure the radius?".

Why was this awesome?

• Students did not learn by listening, they did not learn through the visual diagram, they did not learn through my demonstrations. The students learned through DOING.

How does this link to theory?

• As I am trained as an early childhood teacher I find the concepts translate well into my classroom. In a year 9 and 10 mathematics classroom the PLAY looks more like a structured HANDS ON (Practical) activity, with groups of students working together. I observed language development coming from the hands on task, with many questions being asked and new language being used. I felt my task created the environment for language acquisition, students were learning through doing and repetition (multiple cylinders). Students also had choice and freedom of movement around the room.

• Developing literacy through play (Quotes below).

  • The theorists who have studied the relationships between literacy development and play include Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Brian Cambourne.

  • Maria Montessori believed in setting up a productive environment where children could develop their literacy skills without even knowing it.

  • According to Montessori, “children learn best by doing, and through repetition”. In order to facilitate the development of competence and responsibility, Montessori believed that teachers should include ample amounts of free time for children to structure their own work and play.

Term 2:

• Students presenting their statistics projects in groups to the class allowed them to learn from each other and develop their literacy skills.

• Algebraic concepts and terminology was taught whilst demonstrating how to solve equations. I was careful to use the correct mathematical language and to ensure that students understood the meaning. Some transum tasks helped embed the new terminology.

• Six sentences per week (Minimum Requirement).

  • The development of students ability to write is recorded throughout the year.

  • Capital letters, full stops and one clear idea is encouraged.

  • Reflecting on the learning which happens through mistakes is encouraged.

• Literacy being developed.

  • Ability to record reflections. (Writing).

  • Ability to use Google Classroom and Google Sites (Digital literacy).

  • Place to record mathematical terminologies. (Vocab).

• When teaching from the front:

  • Use the correct terms, write the terms I am using on the board. (Vocab)

  • Model what I am looking for in student reflections. (Writing)

• Google Classroom:

  • Maths is Fun for notes (Vocab)

  • Transum for vocab exercises

• Learning Workbook:

  • Train students how to use this resource (Literacy skills)

    • Index

    • Answers

    • Formulas

    • Worked examples

• Working with students:

  • Feedback on next steps

  • Point students in the right direction when vocab has been a barrier

    • eg: A square is a special rectangle

• (focusing) Has the focus been identified?

  • Developing the literacy skills of my students.

• (scanning) Have they identified what skills students require?

  • Students struggle to reflect in writing, they do not retain mathematical vocab.

  • Students struggle to manage a website and keep it up to date.

• (hunch) Has the teacher highlighted assumptions about their current practice(s)?

  • I assumed students would not find writing a sentence difficult.

    • I was not expecting to explain about capital letters and full stops.

  • I assumed students could create a website and follow my instructions with ease.

    • Many students required one-on-one support and really struggled to maintain a website.

• (learning) Has the teacher learnt something new?

  • I have learned to more closely monitor students output.

    • This has shifted my teaching to a more individual level.

  • I have regularly marked the websites, which I previously felt was not practical.

    • This has informed me of the effectiveness of my classroom teaching.

  • Giving students clear guidance about the requirements and layout has made marking easier.

  • Readings:

    • I googled about literacy and found the above links which helped provide me with a wider view of what literacy means.

    • I read about Dyscalculia and Dyslexia - due to listening to one student's voice.

• (taking action) Has the teacher tried something new?

  • Writing a minimum of six sentences each week is a new requirement this year. Last year I accepted visual evidence.

  • I tried a google self marking activity for vocab with number (which was not the best use of time but did help the e-asttle scores).

  • I developed the Cylinder and Cuboid investigations, and noticed how wide the learning became compared to a simple measuring and calculation task.

  • When students complete online prolem solving activities I expect them to explain the development of their strategy.

  • Encouraging students to explain the learning from their mistakes.

  • When I mark the website I comment on the 'next steps' - feed forward.

• (checking) Has the teacher collected student voice?

  • Students complained about the website, which took me by surprise. We had discussions about the reasons behind my expectations. This was well received, however, there are still some students resistant to writing sentences.

• Reflecting: Has the teacher responded to the student voice?

  • In term one the expectation was to fill out the website every lesson, and detail the homework completed. Student voice was 'we want to write on paper'. I flipped the requirements, with the learning work book being the first resources, and the online activities being secondary. This was well received.

  • Student Voice Summary

  • Example Student Website