Planning & Teaching
AITSL Graduate Standards: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.4
Mathematics; Number and Place Value, Fractions and Decimals
The mathematical focus for this term is the Australian Mathematical Curriculum areas; number and place value and fractions and decimals. School policy is to use ORIGO slate sequenced mathematics program which is specifically designed and sequenced using the Australian Curriculum, however even though a unit with lessons are provided, it is important to break down those lessons and teach to support and extend the students in the class. Based on evidence provided by early observations and my mentor teachers notes and assessment, the class can be split into two groups; a high and satisfactory ability group and a low ability group. The low ability group contains two EALD students as well as 3 NEP students and Shannon, one of my focus students. Both Stephen and Kasia are in the satisfactory to high ability group.
The splitting of the class into two groups was necessary as to obtain pace with the curriculum and challenge those advanced students without letting the struggling students languish behind or vice versa. ORIGO Slate Stepping Stones program uses pedagogy of teaching a wide variety of strategies to solve problems in a variety of contexts that occur. This term we are focusing on adding decimals and number place value. This sequence looked at using number lines and then leads into TOTH charts (place value chart; Tens, Ones, Tenths and Hundredths) while solving problems involving addition of grams, finding the measurement of the perimeter, adding up dollars and cents and solving word mathematics problems. Stephen and Kasia were both able successfully show they are capable of completing these maths problems while Shannon struggled with the unit and needed consistent one on one help to build up the required knowledge to be able to complete the required steps using the learned strategies on her own.
The Australian Curriculum has an expectation that dictates through the general capabilities that by a certain age, students should know and be able to demonstrate expected gained knowledge and skills by the end of each grade. Throughout the teaching of the mathematics unit, students often have not presented with the ideal prior knowledge, a result of which could be a symptom of being exposed to constant poor behaviour by other students in their classes in their previous school years which side-tracks the teaching of the curriculum. John Hartley Primary School is a Category 1 multi-cultural school located in a low socio-economic area north of Adelaide. Students living in low socio-economic areas are more prone to exhibit poor behaviour due to their external cultural environment. ‘Students who reside in low socio-economic areas tend to be exposed to poor sociocultural influences such as violence.’ Buka, Stichick, Birdthistle, & Felton, (2001). In this case, the development of the unit and the individual lessons need to be flexible to combat the lack of prior knowledge. I have taken this into account by creating the ability groups.
To combat behavioural issues, engagement is important in the classroom. To encourage engagement in this unit, students who are in the low ability group will often be targeted for one on one work or the whole group will work with the teacher. Another strategy is to have the students model how to solve the equation to the group using the specific strategy being taught. Through observation, the both the student modelling and the students learning tend to engage in the lesson. ORIGOSlate is a website that works with the SMARTBoard and the use of this technology is a way to engage the students and assist them in their mathematical learning. ‘Technology-based learning environments provide opportunities for constructivist approaches as the technologies support cognitive apprenticeship, cooperative, collaborative and problem-based pedagogies as well as resource-based, student-centred and contextual approaches’ (Oliver and Herrington 2003). Due to the nature of the class where there are four EALD students it is important to provide mathematical language in context to engage those students. I have found throughout my placement and with advice from my mentor teacher that constant modelling is a good way to help those students understand what is required and in turn helps keep them engaged.
In the designated lesson sequence shown in Appendix 2 (lessons 4 & 5), students had forgotten how to solve perimeter equations with and without decimals. This was frustrating for the mentor teacher to witness as she had only just taught it in term one. Since ORIGOSlate Stepping Stones has incorporated elements of constant revision within its learning sequences, I felt it was important to conduct a revision lesson to help students progress further into the learning sequence. The planned curriculum still progresses because it involves perimeter, however we enacted the year 5 curriculum strand ‘Calculate perimeter and area of rectangles using familiar metric units (ACMMG109)’ (Australian Curriculum 2017) to be run in conjunction with the learning sequence in ORIGO Slate Stepping Stones. Each new strategy to be learned within the scope of the learning sequence needs to be explicitly taught. At the beginning of each lesson the strategies I have used to explicitly teach have been modelling the equation and problem solving strategy, breaking down each individual step involving the students to guide this process. At the end of the lessons we go through the given equations to solve as a group. The main teaching strategy is to let the students run this session so they learn from each other. If a mistake is made, it is important that a classroom culture is created and maintained where students feel safe to participate and that they know that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
Formative assessment activities included worksheets that included increasingly difficult problems that challenged the more advanced students but encouraged the middle level students to have a go. Feedback given was immediate through group discussion on strategies as well as one to one assistance through observation. The low ability group was targeted with a similar strategy but with assessment criteria that suited their ability levels. If the work is too hard or too easy, some students just disengage so a balance must be found. The summative assessment (Appendix 3) was broken down into the two ability groups with a goal to challenge the students within the groups and get a gauge on where all students are at for future learning. Overall, the unit went well and the students progressed through the learning sequence.
The mathematical focus for this term is the Australian Mathematical Curriculum areas; number and place value and fractions and decimals. School policy is to use ORIGO slate sequenced mathematics program which is specifically designed and sequenced using the Australian Curriculum, however even though a unit with lessons are provided, it is important to break down those lessons and teach to support and extend the students in the class. Based on evidence provided by early observations and my mentor teachers notes and assessment, the class can be split into two groups; a high and satisfactory ability group and a low ability group. The low ability group contains two EALD students as well as 3 NEP students and Shannon, one of my focus students. Both Stephen and Kasia are in the satisfactory to high ability group.
The splitting of the class into two groups was necessary as to obtain pace with the curriculum and challenge those advanced students without letting the struggling students languish behind or vice versa. ORIGO Slate Stepping Stones program uses pedagogy of teaching a wide variety of strategies to solve problems in a variety of contexts that occur. This term we are focusing on adding decimals and number place value. This sequence looked at using number lines and then leads into TOTH charts (place value chart; Tens, Ones, Tenths and Hundredths) while solving problems involving addition of grams, finding the measurement of the perimeter, adding up dollars and cents and solving word mathematics problems. Stephen and Kasia were both able successfully show they are capable of completing these maths problems while Shannon struggled with the unit and needed consistent one on one help to build up the required knowledge to be able to complete the required steps using the learned strategies on her own.
The Australian Curriculum has an expectation that dictates through the general capabilities that by a certain age, students should know and be able to demonstrate expected gained knowledge and skills by the end of each grade. Throughout the teaching of the mathematics unit, students often have not presented with the ideal prior knowledge, a result of which could be a symptom of being exposed to constant poor behaviour by other students in their classes in their previous school years which side-tracks the teaching of the curriculum. John Hartley Primary School is a Category 1 multi-cultural school located in a low socio-economic area north of Adelaide. Students living in low socio-economic areas are more prone to exhibit poor behaviour due to their external cultural environment. ‘Students who reside in low socio-economic areas tend to be exposed to poor sociocultural influences such as violence.’ Buka, Stichick, Birdthistle, & Felton, (2001). In this case, the development of the unit and the individual lessons need to be flexible to combat the lack of prior knowledge. I have taken this into account by creating the ability groups.
To combat behavioural issues, engagement is important in the classroom. To encourage engagement in this unit, students who are in the low ability group will often be targeted for one on one work or the whole group will work with the teacher. Another strategy is to have the students model how to solve the equation to the group using the specific strategy being taught. Through observation, the both the student modelling and the students learning tend to engage in the lesson. ORIGOSlate is a website that works with the SMARTBoard and the use of this technology is a way to engage the students and assist them in their mathematical learning. ‘Technology-based learning environments provide opportunities for constructivist approaches as the technologies support cognitive apprenticeship, cooperative, collaborative and problem-based pedagogies as well as resource-based, student-centred and contextual approaches’ (Oliver and Herrington 2003). Due to the nature of the class where there are four EALD students it is important to provide mathematical language in context to engage those students. I have found throughout my placement and with advice from my mentor teacher that constant modelling is a good way to help those students understand what is required and in turn helps keep them engaged.
In the designated lesson sequence shown in Appendix 2 (lessons 4 & 5), students had forgotten how to solve perimeter equations with and without decimals. This was frustrating for the mentor teacher to witness as she had only just taught it in term one. Since ORIGOSlate Stepping Stones has incorporated elements of constant revision within its learning sequences, I felt it was important to conduct a revision lesson to help students progress further into the learning sequence. The planned curriculum still progresses because it involves perimeter, however we enacted the year 5 curriculum strand ‘Calculate perimeter and area of rectangles using familiar metric units (ACMMG109)’ (Australian Curriculum 2017) to be run in conjunction with the learning sequence in ORIGO Slate Stepping Stones. Each new strategy to be learned within the scope of the learning sequence needs to be explicitly taught. At the beginning of each lesson the strategies I have used to explicitly teach have been modelling the equation and problem solving strategy, breaking down each individual step involving the students to guide this process. At the end of the lessons we go through the given equations to solve as a group. The main teaching strategy is to let the students run this session so they learn from each other. If a mistake is made, it is important that a classroom culture is created and maintained where students feel safe to participate and that they know that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
Formative assessment activities included worksheets that included increasingly difficult problems that challenged the more advanced students but encouraged the middle level students to have a go. Feedback given was immediate through group discussion on strategies as well as one to one assistance through observation. The low ability group was targeted with a similar strategy but with assessment criteria that suited their ability levels. If the work is too hard or too easy, some students just disengage so a balance must be found. The summative assessment (Appendix 3) was broken down into the two ability groups with a goal to challenge the students within the groups and get a gauge on where all students are at for future learning. Overall, the unit went well and the students progressed through the learning sequence.
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3