Mathematics 

Mathematics 

Visible Learning in our Mathematical Classrooms:

At School of the Good Shepherd teachers use a range of practices to make learning visible and engaging in their Mathematics lessons. In this week’s newsletter we were able to capture practices from the Year 1 classrooms to spotlight and share with you all:

1. Learning Intentions and Success Criteria - they focus on what skills and/or content students are going to learn and/or consolidate in each maths lesson. Learning Intentions can be pre planned by the teachers or co-constructed with the students. 
2. Mathematical Dialogue using Accountable Talk strategies- Students engage in discussion with their peers using Think Pair Share. Students can use Accountable talk strategies to clarify what others are saying, add on to others or challenge others ideas in a respectful way. 
3. ‘Fish Bowls’ - Students stop and look at ways that their peers have solved problems by gathering around the table. Teachers also use Fish Bowls as an opportunity to teach students how to play new games or how to solve problems. 

Number Warm Ups

Students have the opportunity to play mathematical games and participate in different warm up activities to develop their understanding of number. These games are interactive and can be collaborative. They can also use a range of manipulatives to assist them. Warm up’s also promote the social skills of sharing, turn taking and listening skills when talking to others. 

The year 1’s are currently collecting data which is a part of the Victorian Curriculum, Statistics & Probability. As a class they collected data on what fruits students bring in for fruit snack time and they have started to brainstorm other questions that they can ask their peers. 

Susan Mitchell and Mel Sanderson.