Maths Talk - Pete Scott

Nearly four years into a journey of working on embedding our mantra of Everyone can do maths; it’s creative, exciting, and useful, the team at Castlemaine North have built a culture of students engaging in activities and discussion around mathematics is a normal and expected part of the session. The following comes from the perspective of a teacher who has spent two years learning and working as a maths specialist, transitioning to full time back in a senior classroom with a series of remote learning blocks throughout.

Watching an expert teacher orchestrate mathematical discussions is quite magical, like a conductor in front on an orchestra. The subtle prompts, the pauses, the balance between questioning and showing, listening deeply to what the students are saying, reading the room and adjusting the direction of the discussion to stay true to the big idea of the lesson. For me, I love moments where the students take charge. Excitedly sharing their thinking, clarifying, and defending their idea when challenged by peers. Students joining in and adding on. Pushing through confusion and making sense of the world. A satisfied buzz surrounding the class as they solve what they thought they couldn’t at the beginning of the lesson, feeling good as they finish the session. If this is my ideal scenario, then why does my orchestra sometimes feel like students have their instrument ready, but are not able to make any noise?

Delving deeper into maths mindsets and learner agency, I’ve been playing with ideas inspirated by some exceptional educational experts: Kath Murdoch (Inquiry guru) Jo Boaler (Maths guru), Guy Claxton (Learning Power guru) and a series of articles from Dr. Jayne-Louise Collins and Larissa Raymond around Learner Agency as a Living Ecology, as well as experiences taken from the Primary Mathematics Specialist course.

Wonderings about the ‘learning power’ in my senior room:

· Why do some students walk away confused and not able to replicate what has been shown during the discussion?

· Do my students have the tools needed to participate in a mathematical discussion?

· Do they know how to listen and restate what another person has done?

· Do you they know how to articulate what they don’t understand by using examples.

· Can will build strong habits that enable them to progress no matter the content descriptors or who they are working with?

· Do we rely on the same students contributing to this conversation and are all students walking away feeling good and not confused?

· How do we encourage all students to have the confidence to enter and engage in the maths discussions?

Probing deeper through observations and discussions with students and colleagues I’ve noted the following:

· Not all students are as involved in the conversation as I first thought. They look like they’re listening, they are respectful and supportive but when they need to clarify or seek answers, they remain silent.

· It is easy to rely on some students to carry the discussion and it requires forward thinking and planning to ensure this trap doesn’t happen. (Strategy boards and orchestrating discussions)

· The explanations that students were giving were supported, celebrated, and enjoyed by the class, but some students found these to be confusing and beyond them.

· Students assumed if another student was brave enough to share, then their answer and reasoning must be correct and therefore unchallenged.

· The middle ground is a tricky place to be. Students who ‘sort of understood’ were more likely to remain quiet. They understood parts of an explanation but struggled to replicate or convince how or why it worked. Sometimes resulting in being about to remember parts, but not understand why or how it worked.

· The students who had mastered the skill of seeking feedback and clarifying, were usually the most vocal during discussions.

· Students enjoyed a mixture of whole group and small group discussions. Some students felt in a smaller group it was easier to ask for clarification because they didn’t feel they were ‘holding up’ the rest of the class. Others preferred hearing a range of strategies and seeing the relationships emerge.

· Student self-doubt, anxiety and peer pressures made it easier to stay out of a conversation. Examples of this thinking were ‘I figured someone else could explain it better, so I didn’t put up my hand’ ‘I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was the right way to do it’. ‘They explained it well, but I don’t think I could explain it’

· Some students wanted to participate but felt they didn’t really have anything to say because they thought someone else could say it better.

Where to next?

In summary, listening to the answers my students have provided has surfaced some intriguing challenges and uncertainties. While I’m confident in saying the culture and energy during discussions is positive and supportive, I am curious to see the impact of additional work in developing the mindset and skills needed for students to seek feedback and participate freely in discussions.

Part 2 of this series, I will share some ideas and strategies implemented with my students.