There seems to consistently be so much debate around the best practices in Math teaching. We can always seem to find research that supports different pedagogies, but what if at the end of the day it all resolves around teacher judgement, teacher skillsets, within particular contexts and within diverse student cohorts. Class complexities include an array of influences such as class size, behaviour needs, EAL/D students, mixed-year classes, and even school priorities which require teacher judgement, multiple pedagogies and balance.
There is still so much value in explicit teaching and I love explicit teaching. I love it because it is clear and concise and supports everyone, but I also love problem based-learning because it allows students to apply learnt strategies with depth. Same goes for project based learning and maths inquiry, however I am also a strong believer in clarity around outcomes. If the outcomes are clear then the direction of the learning is clear and so to is the guidance and accumulation of skills and strategies. That way, learning doesn’t get “fluffy”, it is not by chance that students learn the skills and it certainly is not up to the student to direct learning in its entirety. Kids don’t know what they don’t know. How do they know the next steps if they don’t know the content or possibilities? Teachers still have to direct the next steps and this might look like adjustments, scaffolds, flexible groupings, or tiered tasks. We must note that the value and the learning in lots of these various instances can be profound!
Teachers draw on their professional judgement to decide when to use explicit instruction, when to shift into inquiry, and how to balance both based on the curriculum goals and the needs of the class. A balancing act that all teachers consistently grapple with! The questions and judgements begin to roll in: Is this the right way forward, is it too soon, do I have enough time, how long do I need for the next unit, will it all fit, is my plan clear enough, what else do they need, have we covered the content in enough depth…
It takes a lot of planning to be clear, concise and on track. Simplified programs and learning progressions look easy and they look like they took no time at all, but they take extensive time to collate. These plans and units are by far very intentional, very well thought out and very time consuming. The lessons and units are meant to look easy, be easy to teach and designed to be as easy as possible for children to grasp the concepts. Yet, to get the time to truly collaboratively plan every maths unit clearly & concisely and to a high standard is super hard. It takes me & other curriculum content creators quite some time to plan out units and design lessons. Thoughtful sequencing, intentional fluency loops and balanced pedagogy are signs of high-level teacher skill, opposite of just “following a program”.
Considerations are so important to integrate cyclic learning so that learnt skills remain in the mind and are not forgotten. Practise and fluency are super important and time also needs to be allocated to fluency. Teaching isn’t about who has the best idea, or who has the fanciest way of teaching, or even who has the most engaging lesson, it’s about pedagogy, passion and persistence. Reteaching and fluency integration are also required, so that skills and strategies remain in the memory for children to recall.
So the next time you are looking at various “best practices”, remember that you have great skills to teach the content if you have the passion to improve your pedagogy. Plan to reteach, plan to work on fluency, plan to improve. Once you have completed your unit, know that there is still fluency work to be done, it’s not all over and ticked off at the end of a unit. Continue to teach the maths, continue to show up for your students and continue to improve.
Teachers are incredibly capable, they have great intentions and they must trust their judgement within their contexts. Go and be amazing at your maths teaching, check in and learn from your colleagues and remember, if you would like some units check me out at https://teachbuysell.com.au/store/Mrs-Rowntree
Mrs Rowntree 