Jacquie

Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

PLEASE NOTE:
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PRESENTED IN THE SAME STYLE AS A TYPICAL MATHS RELAY .

1.

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

Assignment 1 discussed Maths Relays as a numeracy-based classroom activity that stems from
the necessary skills required for children to work together and collaborate as a team to achieve
success. It outlined the context as social and emotional learning within a mathematical setting.
This type of learning is supported in the following statement: Working with problems provides
the most relevant way to help students engage in interesting learning and at the same time
develop functional numeracy (OECD in Westwood 2008, p.53), and this is supported by The
Australian Curriculum statement: it is important that the Mathematics curriculum provides the
opportunity to apply mathematical understanding and skills in context, both in other learning
areas and real-world contexts (n.d.). Therefore, my reasons for choosing this activity, as stated
in Assessment 1, are the same. However, after playing the Maths Relays I was able to clearly see
what worked well and what did not.

2.

Although the Maths Relays proved very successful in their role to facilitate cooperative learning
amongst the students, they more importantly highlighted some areas for reflection and
refinement to improve the students learning experience:

Continually modify the questions to better gauge each groups understanding of basic
mathematical concepts.

Deepen the level of learning by adding tangible items for each group to work with while they
problem solve.

Give each child a notebook to keep track of the questions they feel least confident at doing,
then use this information to guide some small group activities to better develop their
mathematical understanding and tailor the learning to suit each childs ability.

Allow time at the end to deconstruct the questions that each group struggled with and then
pose a similar question to further test their level of understanding.

3.

The National Curriculum Board (2009) argues the need for a national mathematics curriculum
that promotes enjoyment and confidence in mathematics and that emphasises in-depth
knowledge of content to enable Australias future citizens to be sufficiently well educated
mathematically. Therefore, extending Maths relays to incorporate cross-curriculum challenges
will also help students to apply their knowledge to questions outside the numerical boundary.
For example:

Using dates from a history unit in a numerical equation relating to time. For example, how
many years have passed since the First Fleet arrived on the shores of Australia?

Localised questions relating to things around the school. For example, using coordinates to
locate items on a map of the school.

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

1. Fortunately during my practicum I was able to implement the Maths Relays
numerous times. I spaced them over a period of 4 weeks, which allowed the
necessary time in between to reflect and refine the games according to my
observations.

Please note: Waimea Primary has a signed parental consent form from all the parents in this class that
allows the children to be photographed and used for school purposes.

The majority of the class engaged and embraced the challenge, but I witnessed a few
children who struggled to work as part of a team and it took lots of encouragement from
myself, and their classmates to keep them involved.

a) Alex is a student who is quick to verbalise he is dumb and often struggles in a group
situation. Children can be very blunt sometimes and without realizing, they sometimes
make him feel insecure about his mathematical ability. Although his team was very
encouraging, I still felt the need to ask him a question that I knew he could answer
confidently, to try and help him re-engage with the team. Although Alexs numeracy skills
are progressing well, he struggles to apply the same principles to a problem solving or real-
life scenario.

b) Similarly, an ESL student named Iqra struggles with applying her mathematical
knowledge. She too can follow patterns that occur on her worksheets but once a question is
posed in a different format she has difficulty applying her knowledge. Iqra still counts on

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

her fingers and this explains why Westwood (2008, p.49) stresses the importance of being
able to easily recall number facts.
Westwood (2008, p.49) argues that number facts should be recalled instantly, with a high
degree of automaticity. For example: 7+3=10;103=7;107=3;or37=21; 21 3 = 7; etc.
He also stresses that number relationships are so fundamental that all children should know
them without having to work them out each time they need to apply them.

Iqra is confident at English and understands what the questions are asking her to do, but
she finds it hard to translate her numerical knowledge. Iqra is the youngest student in the
class and combined with her cultural upbringing her learning is clearly at a different stage
to the rest of the class. For example, Iqra can add and subtract decimal numbers set out as
an algorithm but cannot relate that function to shopping with money and working out
change. My mentor also explained that Iqra has possibly never had any experience with
shopping or being accountable for money. Therefore, I need to provide questions with
multiple stages that allow for students like Iqra and Alex to get more involved and
contribute towards the team answers.

C) In contrast, Aidan tries to totally control the situation and openly admits that he is the
smartest kid in the class. During the relays I overheard him say, Let me do it and well
win. Therefore, by mixing up the teams, awarding points for not just the correct answer
and taking points off for rushed incorrect answers soon had him working better as a team.
In the future I will also try adding a dress up layer for a physical element or make them
carry a balloon between two sharp pencils while running the questions back and forth, just
for fun!

While the relays highlighted some interesting class behavior I was ultimately very pleased
with the numerical outcomes that the children responded with. Their ability to collaborate
and work through the problems was also commended by my mentor.

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2. To implement the most effective curriculum, a teacher needs to be a reflective

practitioner (Ewing 2010, p.201) and one who takes time to investigate the different
curriculum practices with other colleagues, including the curriculum decisions and
consequences that impact on students and their learning.

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

I base my curriculum decisions on what I perceive and understand to be the best for my
students. Therefore, to be professional I should be able to provide reasons to colleagues,
students and parents for the decisions that I make (Ewing 2010, p.210). This involves being
more aware of the factors that influence my daily decisions and being able to stand by my
beliefs for the best learning outcomes possible. Throughout this year I have regularly met
with Mythrin Murray and Andrew Short to discuss, share ideas and collaborate on all
aspects of our study. Similarly, the student interactions in the class show the effectiveness
of bouncing ideas off one another when solving their problems. Collaborating with
colleagues at all levels has proved vitally important for my own understanding, therefore I
will continue to do this along my teaching career path.

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3. A teacher must always reflect and refine their work to coincide with classroom
dynamics, student abilities and curriculum objectives to achieve the intended
educational outcomes for all students.

Reflection can have many different definitions but for the maths relays it needs to be a
deliberate and focused attempt to make greater meaning and understanding of an
experience. It is about creating time to step back and explore what was learnt and the
possible alternatives and consequences of these alternatives (Ewing 2010).

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4. A further refinement after working through the unit modules has highlighted my
pedagogy for teaching numeracy. I need to provide all students the opportunities to
construct, create and navigate through a variety of conceptual structures (Anthony &
Walshaw 2007, p.19).

Anthony & Walshaw (2007) argue that the selection of instructional tasks is critical for
student learning and their context must be accessible to all students regardless of their
cultural background and must take into account students current competencies, interests
and their long-term learning goals (p.x). They promote a mathematical pedagogy that
encompasses:
A nonthreatening
classroom
atmosphere!

Instructional
taks!

Tools and
representations!!

Classroom
discourse!

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

Therefore, teaching the following strategies could help students with their problem solving:
What needs to be worked out? (identification of goal)
Can I picture this problem in my mind? (visualisation strategy)
How will I try to do this? (selection or creation of a strategy; identification of the
operations and steps required)
Is this working out OK? (self-monitoring)
How will I check if my solution is correct? (evaluation)
Is my answer reasonable? (reflection and judgement)
I need to correct this error and then try again. (self-correction)
(Westwood 2008, p. 53)

Anthony & Walshaw also emphasise the need for teachers to be proactive and support
students development of increasingly sophisticated forms of mathematical reasoning
(2007, p.x). They also state that successful teaching of mathematics requires a teacher to
have both the intention and the effect to assist pupils to make sense of mathematical topics
(p.3). Similarly, Askew argues that at one end of the continuum you have the childs
methods and understanding, and at the other end the teachers methods and understanding.
The challenge is to bridge the gap (p.92). Ultimately a teacher needs to understand how
each student processes their knowledge.

Types of knowing by Van Manen in Ewing (2010).

Technical
knowing

'A technical way of knowing

that deals with the
knowledge that is right or
wrong, black or white' (p.
191)

Hermeneutic
or
communicative
knowing

Critical
knowing

'A way of knowing that

deals with knowledge
dependent upon
meaning' (p.192)

'Knowing through some

from of experience that
transforms and lifts our
level of understanding
beyond that previously' (p.
134)

Ewing (2010) argues that Critical knowing is the most complex and challenging of the three
mentioned above because it requires the learner to have some form of experience that

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

transforms and lifts their level of understanding beyond anything they have simply read or
researched (p.194).
To engage in problem-based tasks, students must impose meaning and structure, make
decisions about what to do and how to do it, and interpret the reasonableness of their actions
and solutions (Holton, Spicer, Thomas, & Young, 1996 in Anthony & Walshaw 2007, p.95).
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5. Teaching should be active and purposeful and the lesson focus should be more on
the teaching and mathematical tasks rather than on the impending assessment
(Watson and DeGeest in Anthony & Walshaw, 2007, p.19).
Watson and De Geest maintain that the kinds of practices that lead to active and purposeful
teaching include:

Providing tasks
that generate
concentration
and particpation!

Developing
routines of
meaningful
interaction!

Choosing how to
react to correct
and incorrect
answers!

Developing
extended work
on mathematics!

Giving students
time to think and
learn!

The kinds
of practices
that lead to
active and
purposeful
teaching !

Offering,
retaining and
dealing with
mathematical
complexity!

Working
explicitly or
implicitly on
memory!

Being explicit
about
connections and
difference in
mathematics!

Using
visualisation!

Relating
students' writing
and learning!

Giving a range of
choice!
Helping students
to be aware of
progress!

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Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

6. Reflection on my practicum experience so far has also highlighted the successful use of
tangible items to aid my teaching technique. On numerous occasions they have proven to
help cement student understanding when solving a problem, because using physical tools
such as those mentioned below help students apply their knowledge in circumstances they
can relate to.

It also shows if students understand the concept by applying meaning to the problem.
Therefore, during the relays I have started incorporating the following aids to assist their
understanding and connect them to the problem. For example, Mini cash registers with
pretend notes and coins help with shopping questions, and plastic pizza pieces are helpful
in understanding fractions.

Plastic
pizzas

Mini cash
registers

Plastic
chocolate
pieces

Dice

String

Counters

The Khan academy website has some great tutorials
that are very easy for children to understand

You Tube have some excellent Times Tables songs that

the kids enjoy singing along with.

Tangible items such as small plastic clocks are useful

when teaching time.

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

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7. Students who engage in meaningful mathematical tasks are potentially able to

treat situations as problematic: something they need to think about, not simply a
disguised way of practising already-demonstrated algorithms (Anthony and
Walshaw 2007, p.95).

Mixing things up while teaching activities helps keep students actively engaged in the
learning process. I will always try and relate what I am teaching to something that the
children know or have experienced before. In Piagets words Children must continually
construct and modify their own understanding of phenomena through their own actions
and reflection (Westwood 2008, p.26). Ultimately they need to comprehend what is being
taught and if they can relate it back to their world, then they will have a better chance at
remembering it for future reference and will be more able to apply their knowledge in
alternative situations (Westwood 2008, p.28)

`Reproduction is no longer a plausible metaphor for institutional education and its

curricula. When tomorrow is unlikely to be like today and when the day after tomorrow is
definitely going to be unlike yesterday, curricular aims and guiding metaphors have to be
reset (Kress 2000, p.134).

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8. Westwood stresses the importance of children having a strong mathematical foundation
on which to build their mathematical knowledge (2008, p.59).
Although there are a wide number of barriers for students acquiring their numeracy skills,
following are the areas that I need to improve on to remove the barriers for my students:
o

Use language that is easy to understand

Use practical examples to make the subject more real

Regularly review skills with revision tasks

Being fully aware of each students individual needs

There are also external barriers that I have had no control over such as, absence from school and
students changing schools. This has required me to adjust my teaching strategies to allow more
one-on-one time to cater for those with gaps in their mathematical knowledge.
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Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

Extension questions for bonus points:

a) Assignment 1 raised an issue relating to the Davis & Renert (2013) example, so I
have investigated why the classroom up the hall is always quiet and has students who
never seem to be enjoying what they are doing.

The teacher gives them a set times tables and spelling words to learn each week. Whereas,
my mentor provides every student with individually paced maths and spelling programs
that cater to each childs needs. Students are working on times tables that are dependent on
their ability and similarly spelling journals are based on words that they have spelt
incorrect in their writing during the week. Although the later is a lot more time consuming
it is well worth it for the student. According to Vygotsky for optimum learning to occur you
should tailor maths problems just a shade above a childs current level of ability but which
the child can handle successfully with some support or guidance from an adult or a peer
(Westwood 2008, p.28). Vygotsky also believed in the importance of making problems
meaningful by situating them in real-life contexts. Following are the major messages that
Vygotsky suggests for teaching numeracy:
v Encouraging collaborative group work, peer assistance and discussion all foster concept
development and learning.

v It is essential to identify a childs present level of understanding in order to provide

guidance that will help him or her to progress further.

v The teacher must actively guide children towards better understanding by supporting
(scaffolding) and mediating their thinking.

v Schools should base much of the curriculum on real-life topics and problems.

(Westwood 2008, p.30)

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2. Moving forward with numeracy I aim to try the following smaller group ideas in my
last few weeks of prac:

Pair and Share students work
individually on a problem, then
pair up and swap questions.
They solve each others problems
then discuss and share their
problem solving ideas.

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Design and use maths

patterns similar to those in
the Annenberg Learner
Videos to extend and
challenge the children who
are early finishers.

Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

Annotated Bibliography

Anthony, G. & Walshaw, M. (2007). Effective Pedagogy in Mathematics/Pngarau:
Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration [BES] Retrieved from:
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/7693/BES_Math
s07_Complete.pdf
The authors have written this BES (Best Evidence Synthesis) of Effective Pedagogy in
Mathematics/Pngarau, based on years of research from the early childhood years
through to secondary school children relating classroom processes to student learning. It
starts with the assertion that all children can learn mathematics while recognising the
complexity of teaching. The writers agree that ultimately teachers have the power to
make a difference and this significantly influences student outcomes, which I found very
useful for the context of my activity.
Askew, M (1999), Issues in teaching numeracy in primary schools. Retrieved from

https://ereadings.cdu.edu.au/view/cdu:21529
Mike Askew discusses the strategies for bridging the gap between a students
method and understanding of mathematics and that of the teacher, and Im sure
every mathematics teacher can relate to the opening scenario. His study examines
various teaching styles and concludes that the highly effective teachers of
mathematics include whole-class teaching; individual and group work in their
practice.

Australian Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Pdf/Numeracy

Davis, B. & Renert, M. (2013). The math teachers know: profound understanding of emergent
mathematics. Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from
http://cdu.eblib.com.au.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1319043
This text was used in Assignment 1 and proposes a scenario based on two
completely different teaching styles and their effect on student outcomes.

Ewing, R (2010), Curriculum & assessment: a narrative approach. Retrieved from
https://ereadings.cdu.edu.au/view/cdu:30194
This is a chapter of a book that looks at reflection as an important part of good
curriculum. It emphasises the importance for teachers to be reflective practitioners
and to always be looking for ways to improve what they do and why. It also clearly
outlines the different ways that learners acquire knowledge, therefore relates well
when reflecting on the Maths relays.

Kress, G (2000), A Curriculum for the Future. Retrieved from:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2
d446fd5-9a13-4b8c-8a24-f8b0f647d3a9%40sessionmgr198&vid=1&hid=121
This paper reflects on the future of education with the ever-changing society in
which we live. It addresses the need for curriculum changes to suit the student that
will leave school in the future, as their needs will be vastly different from the
students of today.

National Curriculum Board (2009) Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics.
Retrieved from

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Jacquie Coad S268872 - ETL421 Assessment 2

http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Australian_Curriculum_-_Maths.pdf
This document outlines the need for a mathematics curriculum that actively
promotes the importance of todays students having mathematical knowledge. It is
the basis for planning, teaching and assessment but also acknowledges the
challenges of creating opportunity for all students.

Westwood, P. (2008). What teachers need to know about numeracy. Camberwell, Vic: ACER
Press. Retrieved from

http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/browsePublication;res=IELHSS;i
sbn=9780864319043
This book explores some of the issues that are emerging for teachers of numeracy.
The author outlines the difference between numeracy and mathematics and the
varying ways in which people learn. It unpacks the barriers to numeracy and has
been an excellent resource to apply within this assignment and also to my teaching
experience while on prac.

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