Category: education
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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…
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‘I don’t know what to do”, ‘I can’t do this’, ‘It’s too hard’! Sound familiar in your maths lesson? As teachers, we can give into productive struggle and guide children explicitly through the maths process all the time and often we regularly need to. But what about problem solving and students sitting in the uncomfortable…
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How much time do we waste in interpreting the Australian Curriculum and pitching the learning at the appropriate balance? I mean, getting the pitch absolutely right for the year level intended and yet being responsive for the class cohort! How do we revise content without lowering expectations? How do we challenge every student without losing…
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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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Mathematics curriculum design is an art form! It is intentional, progressive and nuanced. It is designing a roadmap that saves teachers time, unlocks the big ideas and addresses misconceptions at the get go! As a teacher, you don’t always have time to piece together a clear progression and can easily end up presenting scattered lessons. …
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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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You’ve gone through the lesson content and the kids just don’t get it! You’re thinking ‘I need to keep going on this topic, but I can’t because there is just no time, and too much to cram in!’ I’ve had this many times when teaching kids, but I often come back to the thinking that…
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The harder I can encourage children to think about their thinking, the less I feel I have to work! When I encourage children to reflect upon their learning, I find they begin to set themselves more appropriate goals and learn more. When students are setting themselves appropriate and achievable goals, then they are drivers of…
Mrs Rowntree 