Category: Differentiated Learning
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Do you ever feel like you are doing all of the right things when teaching doubles, but you’re not seeing transfer? A student can know their doubles facts and still not use doubling as a mathematical strategy. But what does it actually mean to know doubles? Because these are not necessarily the same thing. A…
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Do you find yourself contemplating how to make fluency fast, differentiated, routine and progressive so it fits everyday? Do you want to teach fluency at the beginning of each lesson but find you can’t fit it in or it takes up too much instructional time? The pressure is on to fit curriculum content in. The…
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When planning a mathematics unit, what is the hero of your planning? Is it the problem or activity? The worksheet? The lesson sequence? Or is it the mathematics itself? From surface level to mastery, to what extent do we plan? Or are we simply assembling a sequence of activities that align with the curriculum outcome?…
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Differentiation isn’t three worksheets. It’s one worthwhile mathematical experience with deliberate supports, constraints and extensions.
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In many classrooms, mathematics quickly becomes all about getting the right answer. How often do students come to you to simply ask “Did I get it right?” If yes, they are ecstatic, if no they can often give up on the spot! But what if we thought about the process: before students can confidently apply…
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In a maths professional development one day, I remember the instructor discussing assessments and data with classroom teachers and I raised my hand to ask “What about student wellbeing?” My question was quickly shut down and dismissed. With much maths anxiety existing in our classrooms and the prevalence of maths anxiety being well researched, I…
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It’s Week 10, and you glance at the untouched strand of the curriculum, you realise time is running out! At the conclusion of Term 3, the feedback from teachers was that they must move on with their maths curriculum content. They struggle with knowing that their students need responsive teaching and consolidation, but how to…
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You’ve all heard it: “I don’t know how I got the answer, I just know”! You know the moment – that moment when a student is adamant they just know, but they can’t explain their thinking. I’ve had this many times, so I began producing anchor charts with children to be really explicit about what…
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You’ve taught a great lesson, but some of your students still require more practise. You want to organise some maths intervention tasks, yet you have to meet with that parent tonight, organise an assembly piece, or organise a Father’s Day gift. Sound familiar? To have something ready-to-go that doesn’t require much prep or communication is…
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It’s so difficult to cater to the huge difference in learning abilities that exist in each classroom. To plan for and develop all the differentiation and the tools required takes up so much teacher time, but it’s so important. This is so much of the reason why I set upon this little project to develop…
