Curriculum

Mathematical Problem-Solving with Year 2

In the last edition of the newsletter, I spoke of the engaging and challenging Mathematical problem-solving tasks that our Foundation - Year 2 students are working on currently. These tasks are designed to stretch students' thinking and develop their ability to reason and justify their thinking, whilst also demonstrating their understanding in multiple ways.  This week, Miss Anderson has provided us with a great insight into what this process looks like in a Year 2 classroom where students were working on 'The Cubby House' task.

Students were given 5 minutes of individual think time to begin without instruction. I placed resources at the front of the room but didn't make reference to them or provide specific guidance or direction. Many students independently located resources that they thought would assist with some using whiteboards; teddys or counters; whilst others highlighted the main parts of the problem. Students were then placed into random groups of three and immediately started talking about the cubby. The majority started with drawing it out and through prompting, they started to extend their thinking to explain how they got their first answer although most struggled to look for a pattern initially. Students could explain that there would be multiple possibilities but struggled to identify how. I was thrilled to see how engaged the class was, listening to their peers explain their thinking. At the conclusion of the lesson, I explicitly shared my thinking with the group, which prompted many students to make connections. I look forward to monitoring whether my students are able to apply these skills in next week's session!

National Reconciliation Week

Over the course of the next fortnight, we'll be celebrating National Reconciliation Week across the school. The theme this year is Be a Voice for Generations,which encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives – where we live, work and socialise. National Reconciliation Week begins on May 27th, which marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum that recognized Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as full Australian citizens. It also commemorates the High Court's landmark Mabo decision on June 3rd, 1992, which recognized native title rights. These milestones have played a pivotal role in shaping the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and they serve as a reminder of the progress we have made and the work that still lies ahead.

Timothy Bernau

Assistant Principal