The Beauty of Mathematics: PMA

Number Talks

with Sue Pine

This workshop was a helpful workshop as my team and I are incorporating number talks in our daily maths lessons. Sue Pine first showed us demonstrations of what it would look like in a classroom, then she did a number talk session with us. Throughout the session she gave useful tips which flared a few questions in my head. 

As we are in an ILE I wondered how we would deliver the number talks session within 15 minutes to 80 odd students who retain a wide range of maths abilities. Sue advised that it'd be best to split the students into their year level groups and the problems should be at that year level. 

Sue Pine also advised that the equations should be thought out thoroughly and teachers should have an ideal strategy in mind. The strategy focus should then be carried over to the following maths lessons. 

After this session my team and I had a lot to reflect back on during our weDesign. We have discussed to incorporate these ideologies from Sue Pine's number talk session into our lessons.

PTS Standard 2, PTS Standard 4

Fun language experience - Proof Leak Bag

Monday Fun Language Experience - Week 8

Proof Leak Bag

I got the idea of Fun Language Experiences from a fellow colleague here at OrmPS. Our literacy group does hands on activities on Mondays to spark an idea for our recount writing. The kids response to this idea has been awesome and they look forward to it every week. Throughout the lesson we are exploring ideas and creating predictions on what might happen, or thinking about what is happening in the moment.

 

After our language experience, we join together as a whole group and plan out our recount. It's a great idea to take pictures in the moment also as it'll remind the learners of what we did during that time. 

One day we are planning our recount first. Then the next day we'll form one together as a whole class, in which I'd have printed for the learners to use as a reference/guide.

I have found that doing a new experience every week encourages and supports the children's ideas during writing. 

PTS Standard 6 PTS Standard 4

Morning Provocations and Challenges

Image: I balanced the giant cube block on three small cube pieces. After that, the students were curious as to how that was possible and then thought about what kind of structure they could come up with themselves.

In the mornings we have a variety of materials set up for the learners to explore.
I have found this to be a great time to engage in extra activities with the children. Each time I work with the kids I create a new challenge for them. The children love this and I believe it's a great way to show that we as learning coaches have a fun/young side as well! It is also a great way to build positive relationships with the children as I have had students who I don't usually work with come up to me with new ideas for new challenges during our time of provocations.

PTS standard 3, PTS standard 4

iExperience: Maori Arts and Craft

Over the next 3 weeks the learners will be experiencing a variety of arts and craft in the Maori culture. Today we begun our journey with learning how to make a poi. I decided to start the lesson off with the history behind the poi, which resulted positively as the children showed interest and curiosity as to how it was used in the past.
It was my first time teaching this sort of thing and I took a lot of new ideas away from it.

I assumed that making a poi could be done in one lesson, however I quickly learnt that it would take a bit longer. Prepping the students and materials can take some time, so next time i'd consider breaking my lessons into chunks.

For example: one lesson can be about the history of the poi, the next is prepping the groups and materials. Then lastly making the poi's.

I intended for the group to learn the Rakau also, but now I have realised that one week should be focused on one area of the arts and craft.

PTS standard 4, PTS standard 5, PTS standard 1

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1vSYi00AMzN1WWXF_3-DSzSxvJ5UaoiEXiDEW9415wR0/edit