Learning & Teaching

Mathematics

The beginning of the new school year has seen students engage with rich learning and teaching strategies, supporting each individual’s mathematical understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning. 

The ‘Phoenix Maths Club’ is an initiative run at St Joseph’s as an extension program for selected students from Years 1-6 in the key learning area of Mathematics. During weekly coaching sessions, students engage with high-order mathematical problems and look at tools and strategies to extend, enrich and challenge their mathematical thinking. 

Students within the ‘Phoenix Maths Club’ are representing St Joseph’s at the Maths Olympiad (Years 4-6) and Maths Explorer (Years 1-3) national competitions. 

After several coaching sessions this term, this is what some students had to say:

Shaanuja - “I feel that the Phoenix Maths Club is very educational and helps us with our learning by working on problems I might need to solve in the future.” 

Cathal - “I find the Phoenix Maths Club very interesting and I enjoy being challenged because it helps my brain grow.”

Aadhya - “I think that the Phoenix Club is very engaging and challenging so I can test my skills in different ways.” 

Luke - “I really wanted to be picked for the Phoenix Club because I like Maths and I want to be as good as I can. I think the Phoenix Club helps me get better at different types of Maths.”

Austeena - “I think the Phoenix Club is really good because it makes you learn more about Maths and it helps you learn by extending your thinking.” 

Problem of the Week:

Isla went to the shops and bought 2 toothbrushes and one tube of toothpaste. It cost her $2.60. Niamh went to the shops and bought one toothbrush and 2 tubes of toothpaste. It cost her $2.80. Caleb went to the shops and bought one toothbrush and one tube of toothpaste. How much did Caleb spend?

English

Strategies every parent needs to know

The following strategies work for young children through to adults. The only difference is the book choice of the reader.

These strategies are useful when children choose books beyond their instructional levels. They choose books they want to read but as yet, cannot read them independently. Before introducing these strategies, it is always best to allow the reader to read for a few minutes while monitoring the miscues. After a few minutes of reading aloud, and when a pattern in the miscues indicates that meaning is lost and reading is laboured, show the reader any of the following strategies. I usually introduce echo and shared together and then ask the reader to choose. These strategies are not hierarchical. They all offer layers of support to give the reader access to the book of his/her choice. Remember, the reader always holds the book.

Echo reading

Echo reading is simply, parent reads a sentence, paragraph or page (depending on the text) and the child repeats it back. Before starting, negotiate with the child to read a sentence, paragraph or page. The parent reads first. The child re-reads (echoes) the sentence, paragraph or page. Continue in this way to complete the book. Echo reading eliminates the frustration and anxiety that is too often associated with reading aloud. It often happens that once the child becomes confident with the book, author’s style, and language, he or she does not stop for the parent to take a turn — ultimately, that is the goal — independence. If it does not happen that the child takes over, echo reading is effective. By ‘echoing’ your reading, the child has an opportunity to sound like a fluent reader. This is important in building a child’s sense of what it feels like and sounds like to be a good reader. The child feels confident, relaxed and enjoys the experience. It is about comprehension and having fun with a good book. During echo reading, parents model good reading. When parents miscue, they share the experience. This allows the child to see that all readers make miscues and self-correct.

Shared reading

With shared reading, the parent reads, the child reads. They take turns to read. The parent negotiates with the child to read a sentence, paragraph or page depending on the book. When the parent reads, any loss of meaning, misunderstandings or mispronunciations that have been made by the child are rectified without drawing attention to the child’s miscues. When the child comes to unfamiliar words, he/she will hear it read correctly by the parent and will automatically self-correct the next time the word appears. Shared reading ensures that comprehension is maintained. Shared reading eliminates the frustration of reading because the parent is a partner in the reading of the selected text.

Paired reading

Paired reading is an effective support for readers who ignore punctuation, read in a monotone, and/or extremely quickly or slowly. It is also a good strategy when children choose to read their favourite book for the 55th time. Just read it together and love it one more time. Paired reading is simply reading together at the same pace and in the same place. The parent reads in a normal reading voice. It usually takes a couple of sentences for both readers to fall into sync. It is like dancing with a partner and it might feel a little awkward until a common rhythm and rhyme are reached. The child holds the book, turns the pages and enjoys the time together.                                                           

Source: Primary English Teaching Association of Australia (PETAA)