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MATHEMATICS
At St Thomas More School, each class has five hours dedicated to the learning of Mathematics per week. These sessions focus on developing each student’s mathematical knowledge, understandings, skills and dispositions through explicit teaching and learning experiences derived from the Victorian Curriculum. The strands covered in accordance with the curriculum are, Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability.
We have identified the essential learning that students need to achieve proficiency in within each of these areas, and subsequently design learning cycles to respond to the needs of students based on assessment data.
We believe that our Mathematics curriculum is purposeful, current, relevant, needs based and rigorous. We aim to develop the mathematical abilities that students need to be numerically successful in their personal, work and civic life.
There are many real life contexts and problem solving opportunities provided for students across all levels. Students are encouraged to apply their mathematical learning, employ strategies, make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
Working collaboratively, teachers discuss and make decisions in relation to learning using these guiding questions:
Common Formative Assessments (CFATs) are designed collaboratively and inform teachers of a student’s knowledge and skill. This data is used to plan the learning cycle to best meet the needs of the students, individually, and across the cohort.
Ongoing collection of summative and formative data ensures that we continue to meet the needs of the students, identify trends that will impact teaching strategies and professional learning, and monitor the growth of students F-6.
Integral to mathematics planning and implementation of learning cycles is the recognition of the need to have flexible groupings in response to data collected. Additional time and support will be provided for students as needed, as part of a multi-layered approach to intervention, as well as enrichment and application experiences being provided to extend students, in order to achieve positive learning outcomes.
Teachers at St Thomas More School aim to use the following structure for mathematics lessons to ensure optimal learning opportunities for students:
Mathematics Warm Up Activity (whole class)
Activities are given focusing on counting skills and/or applying quick and efficient mental strategies.
Main Teaching Focus (whole class)
Explicit teaching related to topic of focus. Students are presented with a clear statement of the focus of the lesson in the form of an ‘I can…’ statement/s.
Strategies/approaches used include specific dispositions, problem solving skills, understanding the vocabulary and mathematical literacy and real life contexts/applications.
Small groups and individuals
Teachers will work with focus groups of ‘like needs’ students to explicitly teach concepts and strategies. At times this may apply to individual students.
The rest of the class will be working independently to practise and apply the content from the Main Teaching Focus.
Share Time/Reflection
Students share new learning/challenges and celebrate success.
Teachers summarise and consolidate the learning focus and address any misconceptions.
We have identified the essential learning that students need to achieve proficiency in within each of these areas, and subsequently design learning cycles to respond to the needs of students based on assessment data.
We believe that our Mathematics curriculum is purposeful, current, relevant, needs based and rigorous. We aim to develop the mathematical abilities that students need to be numerically successful in their personal, work and civic life.
There are many real life contexts and problem solving opportunities provided for students across all levels. Students are encouraged to apply their mathematical learning, employ strategies, make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
Working collaboratively, teachers discuss and make decisions in relation to learning using these guiding questions:
- What is it we want our students to learn?
- How will we know if each student has learnt it?
- What will we do for those students who haven’t learnt it?
- What will we do for those students who have already learnt it?
- How will we increase our instructional competence?
- How will we co-ordinate our efforts at school?
Common Formative Assessments (CFATs) are designed collaboratively and inform teachers of a student’s knowledge and skill. This data is used to plan the learning cycle to best meet the needs of the students, individually, and across the cohort.
Ongoing collection of summative and formative data ensures that we continue to meet the needs of the students, identify trends that will impact teaching strategies and professional learning, and monitor the growth of students F-6.
Integral to mathematics planning and implementation of learning cycles is the recognition of the need to have flexible groupings in response to data collected. Additional time and support will be provided for students as needed, as part of a multi-layered approach to intervention, as well as enrichment and application experiences being provided to extend students, in order to achieve positive learning outcomes.
Teachers at St Thomas More School aim to use the following structure for mathematics lessons to ensure optimal learning opportunities for students:
Mathematics Warm Up Activity (whole class)
Activities are given focusing on counting skills and/or applying quick and efficient mental strategies.
Main Teaching Focus (whole class)
Explicit teaching related to topic of focus. Students are presented with a clear statement of the focus of the lesson in the form of an ‘I can…’ statement/s.
Strategies/approaches used include specific dispositions, problem solving skills, understanding the vocabulary and mathematical literacy and real life contexts/applications.
Small groups and individuals
Teachers will work with focus groups of ‘like needs’ students to explicitly teach concepts and strategies. At times this may apply to individual students.
The rest of the class will be working independently to practise and apply the content from the Main Teaching Focus.
Share Time/Reflection
Students share new learning/challenges and celebrate success.
Teachers summarise and consolidate the learning focus and address any misconceptions.
