Term 4 experiment

So in the previous post I announced that I was going to try something new once again with my class.  As you will appreciate, Term 4 gets hectic in a primary school - especially when you have the oldest children in your class and they are moving on to other schools at the end of term.
That's why I didn't post any interim reflections, but have taken my time over this one.  Now, with Christmas and New Year safely behind me, I can sit back in my office and think about Term 4 and the maths we did together.

First of all, the children were totally excited to be able to plan their term's learning, but couldn't think how to make a start.  We talked about just doing the things that were fun, but they really shouted that idea down because, as one of them said, "I'm moving on to [intermediate school] at the end of this term.  I want to be the best me when I get to my new school."  They had really taken on board the differences between learning wants and learning needs.

I provided the tools for them to identify their own personal needs.  They all did the PAT maths paper on the second day back into Term 4, and I used the NZCER marking site to get the results analysed.  It meant an evening of hectic answer inputting by me, but it was worth it.  The next day I gave the students their individual analyses and let them have some time to really take them in and refer back to the question book to see where they had got them right and where they had slipped up.

After that, we went through as a class and collated the question numbers that students felt they needed some work on.  There were clear pockets of need, and the most interesting thing is that the students picked out the same things as I had done when I looked at the class overview.  This was great, because it showed me that they had really thought carefully about where their individual needs were rather than just putting down the number of every question they got wrong.

Once we had identified the areas that they wanted to work on, I asked them to come up with a plan for the order in which they wanted to do them.  One student suggested putting them together in related groups rather than in question number order from the PAT, so we did that together.  Then I got them to prioritise the areas.  Students worked in pairs, and came up with a plan.  Then they linked with another pair and discussed their ideas, coming up with a group plan.  Then we came back together as a class and groups put forward their ideas.  We reached consensus pretty quickly (number operations took precedence over strand work for the students; and measurement and statistics were more important to them than geometry) and soon had a working order sorted out.

After that we allocated time frames to each identified area, again working in discussion groups with students making proposals and justifying their thinking.

This was quite a long process - 2 days of discussion where little "maths teaching" was done - but I feel it was really valuable.  The students had to be aware of their weaknesses (honestly), and used a whole range of logical thinking skills to prioritise and justify their choices.  They also had to use oral language to propose and justify their ideas, they worked collaboratively to come to consensus and they had to be respectful of other students' ideas.

By the end of week 1 we had a term plan worked out that was totally down to the students (with a few helpful "have you thought about....?" prompts from me).  They bought into it completely, they were engaged in the learning and looked forward to seeing how we were progressing through their plan.  We checked it together each Monday and they were free to make amendments as we went along to take into account other things that cropped up (as they inevitably do towards the end of the school year).

All in all, I feel that this was a great example of student agency at work.  The sessions ran really smoothly, and they were all highly invested in the maths programme.  After all, they had chosen what to do rather than having it imposed upon them.  It is worth noting that I don't think it could have happened so smoothly in Term 1, because the students had to get used to making those decisions carefully for themselves, but it was a great way to finish the year for them and I think they will move forward with confidence.

In 2017 I have a largely new class.  Only 5 of my students will have been with me in 2016, but I do at least know all of the others who are moving through to me - more than I did this time last year!  It will be interesting to start the Maths Cafe journey again, and to see the role that the "old hands" take in helping new classmates to adapt.  The students I am gaining have a greater potential to need behaviour management help from their teacher than last year's class.  I can't wait to see how we go with it, but I will keep you posted.

Fractions, decimals and percentages

Not all of my games are for the younger children.  This is a version of "lay the table" that is aimed at my Stage 6 and Stage 7 students.  It can be a simple matching game - the decimal and the fraction that go together - or it can be an ordering activity as well.  You will see that I have included some of the more common equivalent fractions as well.

I use this game before I bring out the Splat Attack fractions/decimals/percentages version.  Some of the students who are confident with this are now timing each other to see how quickly they can pair the cutlery up properly, and of course they have to check that the other person is correct.
I have housed the cutlery in a plastic takeaway container with a lid, so it can be stored on a shelf easily, and because all the pieces were donated and recycled it is easy to replace any that are lost or broken.

Place value activity

Place value is one of the things that many children struggle with in maths.  I found that when my students were moving between Stage 5 and Stage 6 they got confused with the bigger numbers, particularly when it came to adding them up.
I used the place value houses frequently, and students got good at reading big numbers and writing big numbers, but applying this to a strategy was a whole new ball-game for those who were not secure.

I found the answer in an unusual place - coloured plastic shot-glasses!

The shot-glasses have digits on, and the correct number of beads in them.

Use the colours to reinforce the place value - hundreds are orange regardless of which house they're in.

The students start by setting up each number from their sum (one near the top of the house, and the other near the bottom of the house) so that all they're concentrating on at first is reading and interpreting the digits.

Then they tip the beads out - keeping them in the correct column in the place value house.  Move the shot-glasses out of the way and put the beads together.

This is where the next discussion takes place, especially if there are more than 9 beads in a column.

The last step is to read the new number, and then to write it down.

Planning Maths Cafe

I have had a few queries about how I track students and their participation in the Dish of the Day during a cycle of learning.
This is the format I use to see who has ordered which Dish of the day, the days that I have taught each one and some ongoing formative assessments about how the children have performed during the lesson.

The children are named down the left hand side (not their real names here, I hasten to add!), and those working below (orange) or well below (red) are highlighted so I am always aware of the target students school-wide.  Yellow indicates that they have ordered a Dish of the Day, and they get / if they attended but really didn't understand it, 2 sides of a triangle if they are on the way, and a full triangle if they have cracked it.  @ indicates an absence from a teaching time.  More than one assessment might reflect more than one teaching time, or it might be an assessment of doggy bag work to see how the ideas have stuck.

I hope this is helpful - as always, please email me or leave a comment if there's something I can do to clarify what's going on.

More games for number recognition

I'm not normally a New Entrant teacher, but since my school made Maths Cafe a schoolwide initiative I teach every student in school.  I was at a bit of a loss to begin with (the rugrats have never been a big part of my teaching experience up until now, beyond singing practises!) but I went to an awesome workshop at the 10th Teachers Matter conference in January, led by the very talented Libby Slaughter, and I haven't looked back since!
Here are some of the games I have made this term - they're all very simple, but were designed to reinforce the connection between words, symbols and amounts.

First you match the cups (digits) with their plate (words)

Then you put the right number of pompoms in each cup.

This game can be extended by using plastic cutler as well - I have a knife with dots on and a fork with the digit at the top and the word on the handle that go with each plate.  Put them all together and call it "Lay the table" - our NE class love it!

I also have a game called "Peg the petals", which is also very simple.  Each flower has the digit on one leaf and the word on the other.  Children put the correct number of pegs around the circle to act as petals on the flower.  They can check each other's work to make sure they are correct, and there is lots of potential for aural counting as this happens.  Once the pegs are on you could order the flowers or talk about odd and even numbers (2 colours of pegs work well for this).

   

For numbers larger than 10 it may be easier to use those little wooden pegs you can get in packs where they sell craft things,  (I got some from our local gold coin shop)  but they can be more difficult for little fingers to manipulate.

Games in action

I hope that you're all enjoying your non-contact time at the moment, and not doing too much school work during what non-teachers call "holidays".
Having said that, here I am collating photographs of my children in action using the games that I have been making for them during the term.  And later this week I will be spending a couple of days at school making more games using the things that have been donated by our parents - plastic cutlery, plates and cups, old toy cars, egg boxes and other bits and bobs.  Photos of those too will be forthcoming when they're done.

I posted the pdf of Splat Attack earlier this term.  It takes a lot of time to make the whole 1 - 100 with flowers and bees/bugs, but I split it into smaller games so I have lots of children playing with it at the same time.  I have a 1 - 20 set, and then I split them across the tens (22 - 45, for example).

I've also adapted Splat Attack for fraction, decimal and percentage conversions, which is a game with a couple of variations.  I'll post the pdf for that later on, promise!

My younger students are still getting to grips with number recognition and matching numbers with symbols, amounts and words.  I've got a couple of games that they love.  One is simply to put the right number of pegs on each plate - basic, but they still enjoy it.

Children can check each other's plates.

You can use symbols, words or even dots!

More pictures tomorrow - make sure you visit again!

Fun, fun, fun!

It's nearly midnight, and I should be in bed - I've got a long day ahead tomorrow, but it's going to be fun all the way!
I'm travelling up to Waiouru in the morning to deliver workshops on Numeracy Support, Literacy Support and Behaviour Management to support staff for the NZEI, and then I'm talking to a group of PRTs about Maths Cafe.
I really enjoy doing these NZEI workshops, and I can't wait to show some of the new games I've made for maths cafe.
I'll let you know how it goes!

Games and more games!

I've been a bit slow at posting for the past couple of weeks... because I've been making games, games and more games!  I put out an appeal through our school newsletter for plastic containers, plastic cutlery, old toy cars, old farm animals, egg boxes and clean milk bottle lids - and I was inundated with them!
The upshot is that I'm still making, making, making and will post photos and instructions as soon as I possibly can.
Be patient, my lovelies... easy to make recycled maths games are on their way to you  (promise!)  Also, a decimal/fraction/percentage version of splat attack is nearly done.  Hope you can contain your excitement!

Maths cafe introductory workshop

I ran a workshop this week for the APs and DPs in the NZEI Whanganui branch, introducing them to the idea of Maths Cafe.  We only had a small group, but it was fun, and I've warned my class to expect quite a few visitors later on this term, and into next term, as people come to see Maths Cafe in action.
It did mean taking a day out of school, but I've found an awesome reliever to work in my classroom, and the children had a good day with her.
I also think it's important to refresh ourselves regularly, and doing workshops for teachers is one of the ways I do that.  The networking was fabulous and the level of support for each other was really good to see.  Management can be a lonely place as you are the rock for everyone else, and it's encouraging to know that in Whanganui our APs and DPs are forming a supportive group to share and learn together.
There is more information about this workshop in the blogs on my website:
www.willoweducation.co.nz
See you there!

Maths Cafe 2015-style.

Since embarking on my journey into the Maths Cafe it has been through several distinct phases of evolution.  Any one of them could be worked in any school or with any group of staff or students, which is what makes it such a powerful idea in my book.

Stage One.  Single teacher, single class.
This is the most basic level of Maths Cafe.  One teacher using it with one class of students.
It is the stage that I have documented in my Teachers Matter Magazine article, and one that can form part of an individual teacher's inquiry into pedagogy and teaching techniques.

• It takes very little additional resourcing, and poses no addition timetabling issues.
• It allows the teacher to become comfortable with the whole way of working, and allows them time to teach their students the skills and strategies they will need to become self-directed learners.
• It can be expanded in a number of ways:  into other subjects in the same classroom, through maths lessons in other classrooms, through the whole curriculum in one classroom, throughout the school.

Stage Two.  Every teacher.  Individual classes.

This is the next stage of evolution that Maths Cafe went through at my school.  I spent 2013 in Stage One, developing and refining the procedures and protocols for Maths Cafe, and in 2014 it was adopted in every classroom in our school.  

• Each class was a separate cafe, with each teacher planning and implementing Maths Cafe at a pace that suited them and their students.
• Each teacher only tried this delivery method in mathematics, and with their own students.
• At the end of 2014 we had doubled the number of students assessed "at" or "above" National Standards in mathematics (as a proportion of the school, compared with the end of 2013 data)
• There is very little extra resourcing needed, and no timetabling issues.

Stage Three.  Every teacher, across the whole school.  Limited subject range.

We tried this at the end of 2014.  For the last three weeks of the year we ran a whole-school Maths Cafe on Geometry.  Each teacher taught one aspect of the Geometry curriculum, and taught it across all curriculum levels - and thereby across the whole school.

• All students got to know each teacher - useful for playground interactions, and to alleviate any classroom moving anxieties in preparation for the new school year.
• All students got to work with a range of other students from different age groups.  Even if they only saw them learning in their own room while the students came for a dish of the day, they developed an appreciation of other students as learners on a journey rather than judging them as 'better than' or 'not as good as'.
• Younger students became more confident to enter the "big students' room" on other business ie running messages because they'd been there for a lesson.... and survived!
• Playground interactions between different ages of students improved, and those niggly playtime issues that can appear when you have 5 year olds and 13 year olds co-existing seemed to disappear.
• Resourcing needs to be co-ordinated - and teachers need to provide appropriate smorgasbord activities to the other classrooms, backing up what they have been teaching at the correct levels for the recipient classes.
• Timetabling becomes an issue.  Children need to move en masse, and times must be adhered to in order for the Maths Cafe to run smoothly.

Stage Four.  Every teacher, every child, the whole mathematics curriculum.

This is where we are currently on our journey.  We have run a whole-school Maths Cafe since the beginning of this year, and we are currently approaching Addition/Subtraction in this way.  One of us teaches number knowledge, one of us focuses on place value, and one of us teaches the add/sub strategies.

• The pros and cons are similar to Stage Three - there are lots of benefits, but teachers have to be more organised and need to co-ordinate student movement for maximum time benefits.
• There is an additional level of accountability among staff.  Each teacher's effectiveness is somewhat dependent on the other staff doing their bit properly too.  That means planning thoroughly, providing appropriate smorgasbord activities, sending the right children to the right places at the right times, and assessing promptly, accurately and filling in the information in a place where all staff can access it.
• In bigger schools this stage might cover a syndicate or teaching team.  We have 50 students currently and 3 classrooms, so the whole school approach works for us.  I probably wouldn't undertake it this way if we had 600 pupils!

Stage Five.  Every teacher, every child, every curriculum area, every minute of the day.

I've tried this in my own class, but not with the whole school yet.  

In my mind it becomes the ultimate MLE.  

• Children access the learning that they need (self-identified or identified in conference with their teachers), and are self-directed at other times. 
• Teachers become facilitators across the age ranges, playing to their own strengths and interests. 
• All teachers know all students, and co-operation and collaboration are evident in the teaching body and the student body.
• Technology becomes an invaluable tool in the personalisation of the learning process, enabling students to review previous learning times, to book future learning needs with appropriate staff, to research new information or skills, and to work collaboratively with classmates or other learners at an appropriate level.

I would love to hear about your Maths Cafe journey.  Which stage are you on?  Do you have any tricks or tips to share with us?  How have you adapted it to suit you own circumstances?

Let me know by emailing me: jo@willoweducation.co.nz or by leaving a comment on our Facebook page or website.

I look forward to hearing from you.