Teaching and Learning 

It's hard to believe we are already past the halfway point of term. Where is the time going? Term 3 is always one that seems to fly by, full of special events and extracurricular activities. It's wonderful to see the students around the school so engaged in their learning and the events they are participating in. 

Professional Learning @ KPS

Every week I have the privilege of working alongside our Maths Leaders to continue our professional learning series, with a particular focus on strengthening our understanding and implementation of explicit teaching in Mathematics.

There has been significant collaborative work undertaken by our staff and Maths Leaders to strengthen our shared understanding of what effective explicit teaching looks like in Mathematics classrooms. 

Our professional learning has been informed by the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0), particularly the Elements of Teaching, which provide a shared framework for strengthening teacher practice and improving outcomes for all students. 

As part of this ongoing learning, our Maths Leaders have also participated in professional learning sessions with Nathaniel Swain, engaging with his expertise in explicit teaching and evidence-informed classroom practice. This learning is supporting our leaders to deepen their knowledge and share effective approaches with staff as we continue to build consistency and impact in Mathematics teaching across Karoo Primary School.

Our Mathematics professional learning has focused on how these elements can be embedded into everyday classroom practice through clear learning intentions and success criteria, explicit modelling of mathematical concepts and thinking, guided and scaffolded practice, ongoing checks for understanding, purposeful feedback, and the gradual release of responsibility to support students in becoming increasingly independent learners.

Strengthening Explicit Teaching in Mathematics

Explicit teaching is an important part of effective Mathematics instruction. It provides students with clear explanations, purposeful modelling and structured opportunities to practise and apply new concepts and skills, including the use of concrete materials and representations to build conceptual understanding.

Through our work with our Maths Leaders, we are developing greater consistency in how we implement explicit teaching practices across Mathematics lessons. We are particularly focused on making teacher thinking visible, using concrete materials to support and represent mathematical ideas, identifying and addressing misconceptions, providing students with opportunities to respond and explain their thinking, checking for understanding, and using evidence of learning to inform our next steps.

By making our teaching explicit, purposeful and responsive, we are supporting students to develop stronger mathematical understanding, reasoning, problem-solving skills and confidence.

Continuing Our Professional Learning

Our Maths Leaders will also be attending a Mathematics Symposium hosted by The Academy of Teaching and Leadership later this month. This will provide an opportunity for our leaders to extend their professional knowledge, engage with current thinking and research in Mathematics education, and connect with other educators.

Importantly, this learning will continue to inform our work at Karoo Primary School. Following the Symposium, our Maths Leaders will share their learning with staff and consider how we can continue to strengthen our Mathematics teaching practices through the VTLM 2.0 framework and the Elements of Teaching.

How can you support this at home?

We encourage families to talk with their children about their Mathematics learning at school. Ask your child to explain what they have been learning, how they worked something out, and why they chose a particular strategy.

Rather than focusing only on getting the correct answer, encourage your child to explain their mathematical thinking. Questions such as “How did you work that out?”, “Can you show me another way?” or “How do you know your answer is correct?” can help develop mathematical reasoning and confidence.

By encouraging children to explain their thinking and talk about Mathematics in everyday situations, you can help reinforce the skills and understandings being developed in the classroom.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership as we continue to strengthen Mathematics teaching and learning across Karoo Primary School.

Here are a few of the students I have had the privilege of working with each week throughout this term in Mathematics.

School Hats On! 

It's that time of year again where it's time to pull out our Karoo hats as we begin to enjoy this warmer weather! As of Monday 17th August,students will be required to wear their Karoo hat when outside. Students who are not wearing a hat will be required to remain undercover in a suitable area protected from the sun. For more information, please refer to our Sunsmart Policy. and Student Dress Code Policy.

I look forward to seeing you all around our amazing school!

Best wishes,

Assistant Principal

Peta Phillips