So, after considering the nature of maths, how can students learn in line with what maths is all about. Put simply, teaching and learning of maths consists of three key elements, as follows;
1. Mixed ability groups
Classrooms are organised into groups with four students per table group. The teacher pays a lot of attention to the way the groups work together. Students are taught explicitly skills as to how to make their group work more effectively. A culture is developed were students see that all members in their group are 'smart' and have strengths in different areas that allow them to have something important to offer. When a group gets stuck on a problem it is not the teacher's role to take over and demonstrate how to find an answer. Rather, the teacher's role is to ask questions of the students to have them consider approaches not yet looked at in their problem solving. With kids in Swan Hill coming from such diverse socio / economic backgrounds mixed ability groups offer students the opportunity to work along side students they may otherwise not have had contact with.
2. Open ended tasks
Open ended tasks are activities that are broad enough to allow students to demonstrate their knowledge at different levels. This means that everybody in the group has the opportunity to contribute. This leads to encouraging students in their perception that they are 'good at maths'. Open ended tasks give students opportunities to think and be creative and not just reproduce methods demonstrated by a teacher on the blackboard. Such tasks involve multiple facets of maths, just like maths problems in the real world. Solving the task now depends on being creative in using many different ways of working mathematically.
3. Rich in communication
Students need to learn about the different ways that mathematics can be communicated through words, diagrams, tables, symbols, objects and graphs. As they work through open ended problems using approaches that make sense to them students are frequently asked to explain their ideas to others in their group. Each problem solving session also concludes a lesson debriefing where representatives of each group explain their work to the class as a whole. It is these creative discussions that increases student interest and enjoyment of mathematics.
Conclusion
Being successful in the maths class room is no longer dependent on paying careful attention to teacher demonstrations - watching what the teacher does on the blackboard and then doing the same with close ended problems found in the textbook. With this approach being successful at maths is all about being able to ask good questions, rephrasing problems, explaining ideas, logical thinking, justifying methods, representing ideas and bringing a different perspective to a problem. Put simply, because there are so many more ways to be successful many more students ARE successful. Instead of the teacher just rewarding the students for correct use of rules and formulas the teacher now encourages and rewards students for all of the different ways of being mathematical.
If you would like to see what a combination of mixed ability groups, open ended tasks and rich communication looks like, go to 'The Classroom' tab. If this sounds like something that would help your child with their understanding of maths then click on the 'After School Program' tab to find out what's being offered in the Swan Hill area.
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