T.A.I - Reflection - 26.08

Over the first half of Term 3 my focus has been on the following strategies:

• Allow for opportunities for students to share their strategies with their peers and whanau (T/P/S etc)
• Promote self assessment and peer assessment opportunities
• Use mixed ability groups/buddies so that students can learn from their peers.
• Use materials on a regular basis to give students the opportunity to form mental images (do this before introducing symbols)
• Use technology as a platform for students to explain their thinking.

Allowing students the opportunity to share:

I have made a deliberate effort to give students the opportunity to share their ideas when first being introduced to a rich task. Students first come down to the mat and read the task and supporting information. Students then turn to a buddy and talk about anything that they have noticed, questions that they have or an answer/strategy that they have discovered. There is then the opportunity for these questions/strategies to be shared with the class.

I have also use 'Buddy Chat' questions to prompt discussion -

Next Steps - 

I am still finding it difficult to find time at the end of a session for sharing. One way that I think I might tackle this is by stopping part way through a session to share something one student has done. I could give the student the option to share themselves, or have me share on their behalf. I will be particularly mindful to spot students who might not consider themselves as mathematicians (particularly those in my target group) which will help to lift their status and overall confidence. 

Promoting self-assessment:

Next Steps -

This is something I still need to put into practise. I am thinking that a questionnaire through Google Forms which would work well. Students could complete it at the end of the session or week. TBC

Using mixed ability groups:

Next Steps -

This is something that I again need to trial. During our next Circle Time I am going to ask students how we could solve the problem of students always working with the same people each time.

Using materials:

As part of my planning I have paid careful consideration to the type and scope of materials I should use to best engage students and support their learning.

These shapes were cut out by students and they then worked with a buddy to see if they could create a tessellating pattern

Students used unifix cubes, cut out versions of this image and fraction walls to represent this problem

Coloured beans and counters were made available to students who needed to see the problem in order to complete it. 

Technology to explain thinking:

Seesaw has been used as a tool for students to explain their mathematical thinking. One of the benefits of using Seesaw is that it allows students to share their thinking in a number of ways - e.g. writing, typing, or voice recording. I plan to continue to use this platform for students to share their mathematical thinking.