2025 Inquiry Action (Term 1)

With the announcement of Structured Literacy and Structured Mathematics, I was looking forward to the changes.

I've found it challenging to teach maths to our diverse learners. When I began my teaching practice, we were using DMIC mathematics. I spent a whole year establishing 'social' norms and building student status, which didn't seem to help at first. However, now maths talks are an essential part of our maths class.

I've now moved to a new team, which means learning a new system. We've started using PR1ME Maths, beginning with a placement test to determine which book each student should start with.

From our Teacher PD, in phases 1 through 3 (Years 0-8), it's crucial to ensure we're teaching at the appropriate year level. We should create engaging tasks that build procedural fluency and cater to diverse learning needs. The "understand and do" framework emphasises that true understanding comes from mastering math processes. The UKD (Understand, Know, and Do) ethos guides us in developing 'rich tasks' for each phase.

Vocabulary is essential in maths, as maths and literacy are interconnected. The curriculum focuses on building positive relationships with learners. Progress outcome statements, found on page 60, guide Year 4 students during Year 5. 'Prior learning' refers to what students learned last year or in previous stages, and it's important to address any gaps in prior knowledge.

All my learners are on the Placement One test, even though their end-of-year reports indicated they were operating at Year 2 - Year 3 OTJ levels. A few issues have arisen with our learners. They need to read parts of the PR1ME text to complete the questions, and they also require mathematical vocabulary to understand the maths stories.

The OTJs assigned to them last year were based on the older curriculum. With the new curriculum, the rubric has shifted, which has resulted in their OTJs dropping this year.

That lead me to my inquiry question "How can I enhance our explicit instruction and visual support to improve our students' understanding of mathematical vocabulary and their ability to independently solve word problems?"

I chose these three to focus on in my practice: 

Reinforce Vocabulary Through Multi-Sensory Experiences: This approach combines visual aids and hands-on learning, which can be very effective for diverse learners. Using objects and games can make vocabulary more relatable and engaging.

Explicitly Teach Vocabulary Within Problem-Solving: Pre-teaching vocabulary and modeling problem-solving helps students understand how to apply new words in context. This can be particularly helpful in building their confidence with math language.

Scaffolded Instruction and Gradual Release: By modeling and practicing together before allowing independent attempts, you provide a supportive learning environment. This helps students gradually build their skills and confidence.

Watch this space!