Make it Count ProjectAugust 2011

Associate Professor Peter Grootenboer

Overview

1. Introduction

2. Quick report on what’s been happening in each school.

3. Mandy and Sandy

4. Data

5. From now to the end …

Introduction

• The only place we can invest for improved learning is in our teachers.

• This project ‘sinks or swims’ on our teachers and the changes teachers make in their practice.

• At the end of 2012 the project will be successful if we have changed teachers and teaching practice. This will lead to improved learning outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students.

Mathematics Education for …?

• Consider: the students you are teaching today will retire in 2060.

• What were the teachers in 1960 thinking we’d need in 2010?

• www.wolframalpha.com

• (see Stephen Wolfram on TED.com)

2. QUICKQUICK School Reports

3. Mandy and Sandy

• Two great mathematics lessons.

• Applying professional learning to promote deep mathematical thinking.

• Makes teaching ‘less certain’– Questioning– Teacher mathematical knowledge– Teacher knowledge of their students

4. Data

• What does your data tell you about the student(s)?

• What does your data tell you about your teaching?

Your Data• Look at your data for one (or two …) of your

Indigenous students:– What can they do?

– What mathematical concepts are missing?

– What attitudes and beliefs about mathematics are evident?

– What higher order thinking is evident, or other mathematical processes?

– What teaching do they need next? If they are a ‘B’, what would get them to an ‘A’?

• Can you write a profile/case for this student?

Your Data (cont.)

• From your data, what have you learned about:– Mathematics?– How students learn mathematics?– What pedagogy is effective for Indigenous

students learning mathematics?– About yourself as a teacher?

5. From now until the end …• The agenda has been set for 2011. In term 4 we

will meet for a day.• Each school will give a 30 minute presentation

about what they have done and learned using:– Video of classroom teaching– Student work samples

• From this we will try and identify themes/ideas about effective teaching and learning with Indigenous learners. From this we will write a joint article for a AAMT journal.

• We will also set the agenda for 2012.

Proposal for 2012

• High expectations and high support.

• Use Action Learning Cycles again, but with more rigorous data collection

• A plan to extend the program to more teachers within the school and create sustainability

• Disseminating our findings through presentations and writing

High Expectations, High Support

• Greater expectations for commitment and outcomes

• Support, in the form of TRDs, so the in-school work can be done

• Moving from one-off lessons to changed understandings of mathematics learning and reformed pedagogy.

Data• More rigorous data could include:

– Data we collected this year plus– Worksamples from all Indigenous students

and 5 others– Video-tapes of lessons– Notes and/or transcripts from professional

planning and evaluation meetings– Annotations on lesson/unit plans– Structured interviews with all Indigenous

students

Extending and sustaining the project• Strategic thinking about how the learning thus

far is used for professional development across the school/department.

• Linking the work of the project to EQ agendas re peer coaching, continuous improvement, data-driven pedagogy, etc

• Each 2011 person to ‘mentor’ a new person• ‘Normalising’ an investigative approach to

learning mathematics.

Disseminating the Findings• Personal stories and case studies• Co-writing (with support) for professional

journals• Presentations at AAMT and QAMT conferences

or professional development events• Specific ‘Make it Count’ events and publications.• Presentations for school websites, etc• Maybe a Gladstone MiC symposium at the end

of 2012.