Term 3 Inquiry Focus

What next?

This term I want to know how having rich tasks and using the talk moves can lift my students mathematical understanding. 

Higher Order Thinking Tasks

This term I have been thinking more about what my learners are doing when they are completing following up activities or independent tasks.

Term 2

This term I am continuing to develop tasks that require the children to use higher order thinking skills. Here is an example of what I am getting my maths groups to do.

Term 1 Reflection

Higher Order Thinking

What are we talking about when we talk about ‘higher-order thinking’?

Higher order thinking requires that we do something with the facts we've learnt. 

For my inquiry I am looking at developing higher order thinking tasks that allow for students to create meaning. Students then share on their blogs, therefore making their learning rewindable. 

A Great Read!

I discover something new each time I read 'Effective pedagogy in mathematics'.

Learning about SOLO Taxonomy

Talk Moves

Whilst reflecting upon my teaching and planning for the upcoming week I came across a poster for Talk Moves in maths that got me thinking. One of the Talk Moves is all about waiting, something i'm guilty of not doing enough. Some research shows that most teachers wait for less than a second for a student to respond to a question before either redirecting it to another student, rewording the question or providing the answer. Giving students processing time by waiting after posing a question is something I need to keep in the back of my mind. Along with implementing Talk Moves into my everyday maths teaching, I will also make a point of asking more open ended questions. This will also help me as a teacher to really get the students using mathematics vocabulary so they can further explain their thinking.

Exploring Movenote

Part of my inquiry is how I can use the technology available to make learning rewindable, so today I tested out Movenote with a small group of children. I gave each child the same word problem and asked them to record themselves explaining how they solved the problem. Not only does it allow the children a chance to explain their thinking but by posting it on their blog it allows for rewindable learning. I'm looking forward to exploring and using Movenote more this term. 

Here are the links to the children's blogs and their Movenote
Naomi's Movenote
Paikea's Movenote
Viliami's Movenote
Nytram's Movenote

Chastyi's Movenote

Rewindable Learning

What is rewindable learning?

For me, I think of being able to revisit the learning by have something visual to refer to and/or being able to watch and listen to the teaching again. 

When learning is rewindable it puts the power in the hands of the learner. From time to time I use YouTube when i'm wanting to learn something new, such as icing a cupcake . YouTube is easy to use, I can watch and rewind the clip over and over until i've perfected the icing technique. By put this into practice in the classroom, it helps the children become more independent. I find relevant clips to support children in their learning on math concepts.

As well as fostering independence, I want the children to take ownership of their learning and to teach each other. To do this I decided to look at how I can use the app on the class iPad's called Explain Everything. The children use the app then post on their blog, making it so not only can they revisit their learning but it is also available for other children to watch, learn, comment on and question. 

Practice makes perfect. It's time for me to explore Explain Everything - using YouTube tutorials!

Inquiry Focus

For my inquiry focus I will be looking at how to develop higher order thinking tasks that make maths learning rewindable. I will be using my blog to share and reflect my findings as well as ask questions.