Curriculum

                                                  

The Learning Zone

Emotions can be described in two dimensions. There’s the energetic dimension (from high to low), and there’s the level of pleasantness an emotion carries.

Put them together they look like this:

When our kids are struggling with something - learning maths, mastering a tricky piece on the piano, figuring out a new skill - their energy often spikes due to frustration. It veers toward the left side of the pleasantness dimension. Trying to learn hard things doesn’t feel good. The typical response is to get out of the situation. “I hate maths.” “Why do I have to learn this dumb song?” “I can’t!”This discomfort leads to avoidance. Avoidance is reinforcing. It feels pleasant. Thinking about doing the task is unpleasant but avoiding it? That’s nice. If it sounds familiar, it’s because us grown-ups do it too. But here’s the reframe: that unpleasant, high-energy zone isn’t the enemy. It’s where powerful, real learning happens.

Sure, we can learn and learn well  while we’re feeling pleasant. Learning doesn’t have to be all pain, suffering, and torture. But… think about your biggest breakthroughs, didn’t most come through some kind of struggle?”  That discomfort is not a signal to have a dummy spit and take your bat and ball and go home. It’s a signal that growth is either happening, or about to happen. The longer your child can stay in the learning zone, the more they’ll learn.

Think about your child learning to ride a bike. Wobbly? Frustrated? Bleeding? That was all high-energy, unpleasant territory. But they stayed in the learning zone long enough to break through. And now? They fl y down the street, wind in their hair (well, helmet), big smile on their face.Making friends, learning fractions, learning to write an essay, tying shoelaces - these can all feel unpleasant. But they’re how we grow.Helping our children understand that uncomfortable emotions are just a signal they’re in the learning zone can ironically be the prompt they need to steady their emotions, put their head down, and stay in the learning zone long enough to actually learn the thing they need to learn. It’s handy for grown-ups too. When we recognise that we are in the learning zone something shifts. Emotions miraculously settle, energy finds its level, and voilà - there’s more learning. This only works (morally and ethically) when the struggle is worthwhile. Suffering through busywork because “it’s on the curriculum” is just suffering. But when the challenge matters? The discomfort promotes progress.

Strengthening Number Sense at Home

Developed in collaboration with the Victorian Mathematics Ambassadors in partnership with Victorian government and Catholic schools, this video is designed for schools to share with parents and carers of Foundation to grade 2 students at information evenings.

The video unpacks 4 number sense concepts that students need to master in their early years of schooling. It shows what number sense looks like at school and provides simple activities that families can practice at home, at the supermarket and at the park.

The concepts unpacked include:

• one-to-one correspondence with Aintree Primary School
• subitising with Tootgarook Primary School
• partitioning (part–part–whole) with Warringa Park School
• teen numbers with St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Primary School.

Accompanying the video are tips for the 4 number sense concepts that provide practical number sense activities for parents and carers to support their child’s number sense. 

Mathematics and numeracy at home breaks this video into 5 bite-sized videos for parents and carers to watch each concept separately at home. The tips are also available on this page in all the languages listed above. Additional resources for parents and carers to support numeracy learning at home can be found on the page.

To see the full set of resources visit: Mathematics and numeracy at home.