Level 9 to 10

Examples of how to use the HITS with a focus on developing students’ numeracy

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Setting Goals

Clear learning intentions and goals clarify what success looks like

Financial Planning

Numeracy Focus: Developing number sense; Using proportional reasoning

Learning area: The Humanities: Economics and Business, Victorian Curriculum: Mathematics

Setting numeracy learning goals must be based on students’ needs and challenge their thinking to support learning. Students know what is expected of them and how to achieve the learning goals. Expectations are high, but achievable. Assessment provides evidence of prior learning and supplies the teacher with information to set appropriate future goals. Students use learning goals to monitor their own progress.

In this lesson the teacher demonstrates setting goals for the students by providing clear learning intentions with numeracy goals, numeracy specific language and a realistic context. The purpose for learning is made explicit by linking a specific numeracy-focused activity to the learning goals. The lesson focuses on the numeracy skills needed for financial literacy in addition to linking to exponential functions thus providing clear links between mathematics and economics and business.

The students are observed using the learning intentions as they self-monitor their progress in the classroom and understand how the task relates to both the learning goal and the context.

 

Watch as the teacher in this mathematics class models the key elements of setting goals, links these to numeracy and makes the goals visible and accessible to all students

Reflective Prompt

Consider ways you can make numeracy learning goals explicit.

How would you encourage students to engage actively in co-designing their learning goals with you to plan their learning and promote understanding?

Reflective Prompt

Consider ways you can make numeracy learning goals explicit.

How would you encourage students to engage actively in co-designing their learning goals with you to plan their learning and promote understanding?

Key elements of Setting Goals
  • Based on assessed student needs
  • Goals are presented clearly so students know what they are intended to learn
  • Can focus on surface and/or deep learning
  • Challenges students relative to their current mastery of the topic
  • Links to explicit assessment criteria
Further resources

The Institute for Learning blog considers using mathematics-specific learning goals with examples. Read the blog 

Individual learning goals and targets aim to improve students’ learning and achievement and build students’ capacity to learn. Learn more in this resource from the Department of Education and Training

This MoneySmart Rookie clip introduces students to financial planning to support specific financial goals. Teachers can use this to develop a numeracy-based activity, they may model the teaching goals of clear learning intentions and student achievement with an activity that is relevant to students’ needs. Watch the MoneySmart Rookie clip 

Structuring Lessons

A lesson structure maps teaching and learning that occurs in class

Numeracy Focus: Developing number sense; Using proportional reasoning

Learning area: The Humanities: Economics and BusinessVictorian Curriculum: Mathematics

The MoneySmart First car — wheels and deals lesson plan offers examples of teacher planning for learning underpinned by explicitly identified numeracy learning goals. Clear instructions, scaffolding strategies, questioning and assessment suggestions are described. The resource develops proportional reasoning and number sense by encouraging students to consider the range of costs and helping them to save money by making informed and responsible choices when buying a car.

In structuring a numeracy lesson or unit, teachers consider the sequence and pace of each lesson. Structured lessons reinforce routines and scaffold student learning with an effectively planned sequence of activities. Effective inclusion of numeracy requires teachers to consider explicit numeracy learning goals for students when structuring lessons.

Explore the MoneySmart structured lesson plans and resources, which provide multiple opportunities to make numeracy explicit in your teaching through everyday financial contexts. This short animation emphasises the importance of financial literacy for educators in supporting learners.

Reflective Prompt

This resource presents a model of structured lesson planning that enables numeracy to be made explicit and embedded in lessons.

In what ways have you planned a sequence of steps within structured lessons to scaffold student numeracy needs?

In light of this example, what might you add to your future planning?

Reflective Prompt

This resource presents a model of structured lesson planning that enables numeracy to be made explicit and embedded in lessons.

In what ways have you planned a sequence of steps within structured lessons to scaffold student numeracy needs?

In light of this example, what might you add to your future planning?

Key elements of Structuring Lessons

  • Clear expectations
  • Sequencing and linking learning
  • Clear instructions
  • Clear transitions
  • Scaffolding
  • Questioning/feedback
  • Formative assessment
  • Exit cards
Further resources

Marcus Garrett, Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute Schools Outreach Officer, provides insights into how to plan and deliver effective mathematics lessons in his blog. Read Marcus’ blog to see ‘What makes for a ‘good’ maths lesson?’

The Australian Investments and Securities Commission’s (ASIC) MoneySmart Rookie suite of materials and resources have been designed to equip young people transitioning into adulthood with the motivation and tools to manage their money with confidence. Explore some exemplar lesson plans for teachers

Explicit Teaching

Explicit teaching practices show students what to do and how to do it

Wootube

Numeracy focus: All

Learning Area: Victorian Curriculum: Mathematics

Explicit numeracy teaching involves teachers modelling and demonstrating mathematical concepts using materials, representations, problems, and open-ended questions to support students’ independent exploration of mathematical concepts that underpin numeracy. Explicit teaching is not prescriptive teaching of processes and algorithms.

Eddie Woo, Australia’s 2018 Local Hero, describes his explicit teaching lessons and explains the reasoning behind why he chose to record his mathematics classroom. He discusses the value in explicit teaching, highlighting that students viewing the video receive the benefit of teachable moments and feel involved in classroom discussion. These teachable moments are considered opportunity for active and further learning of numeracy. You will notice that he does not restrict classroom discussion, rather, student input is actively encouraged. He references the approach of explicit teaching in short bursts. This approach is current with the shortened form of bit size media that today’s learners are exposed.

Eddie Woo’s classroom practice illustrates that the learning intentions are shared with the students at the beginning of the lesson and continue to be unpacked as the lesson progresses. Woo models the application of numeracy knowledge and skill as he introduces new content and connects with prior numeracy knowledge. He provides opportunity for student input while using a teacher-led model to incorporate the success criteria. Woo checks for understanding through feedback loops at the end of the lesson, ties it together, and provides opportunity for further questioning.

Watch Eddie Woo’s classroom as he practices the explicit teaching of units of measure – volume

Reflective Prompt

Consider an explicit teaching numeracy lesson of your own, how many minutes did you spend teaching?

How often do you provide opportunity for student input? Compare this with Eddie Woo’s lesson above.

Which of the key elements below can be modified or improved in your explicit teaching?

You may wish to video record yourself teaching or invite a peer to observe your classroom to help with your identification of the key elements of explicit teaching.

Reflective Prompt

Consider an explicit teaching numeracy lesson of your own, how many minutes did you spend teaching?

How often do you provide opportunity for student input? Compare this with Eddie Woo’s lesson above.

Which of the key elements below can be modified or improved in your explicit teaching?

You may wish to video record yourself teaching or invite a peer to observe your classroom to help with your identification of the key elements of explicit teaching.

Key elements of Explicit Teaching

  • Shared learning intentions

  • Relevant content and activities

  • New content is explicitly introduced and explored

  • Teacher models application of knowledge and skills

  • Worked examples support independent practice

  • Practice and feedback loops uncover and address misunderstandings

Further resources

The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching explore the explicit teaching strategy. Read more about Explicit teaching: An underused lesson structure that delivers results

Supporting the Australian Mathematics Project includes resource packages for teachers of Level 5 to 9 students. The resources are designed to aid teachers and students in the implementation of the mathematics curriculum. See the example Surface area and volume of prism and cylinders 

Worked Examples

Worked examples demonstrate the steps required to complete a task or solve a problem

Design Your Own Database

Numeracy Focus: Developing number senseUsing proportional reasoning; Exploring chance and data 

Learning area: Technologies: Digital technologiesThe Humanities: HistoryVictorian Curriculum: Mathematics

Worked examples demonstrate the steps required to complete a task, enable teachers to explicitly model effective problem-solving strategies, and to scaffold student learning to reduce students’ cognitive load. Teachers use the worked examples in the Everything you wanted to know resource to clarify the learning objectives, demonstrate the creation and use of databases, the monitor student learning, and support students to move towards independent practice.

In this resource the teacher demonstrates the steps required to perform an effective search, ensuring students concentrate on the data collection and analysis and the acquisition of appropriate numeracy skills. Students maintain a numeracy focus throughout the digital technology unit as they present statistical information and use databases to gather information from secondary sources. The Learning Demo (see link in left margin) component of this activity illustrates how the worked example strategy can be utilised whenever a process or series of steps is required. In this case the process required was an effective search, enabling students to apply numeracy skills to data sets.

Observe the way this resource combines contemporary digital technologies and data-searching techniques with links to history and the proficiencies of reasoning and problem-solving

Reflective Prompt

After using the Everything you wanted to know resource, what steps did you take to move students towards independent practice on data collection and analysis?

What was the outcome?  

How might you use the resource differently in the future?

Reflective Prompt

After using the Everything you wanted to know resource, what steps did you take to move students towards independent practice on data collection and analysis?

What was the outcome?  

How might you use the resource differently in the future?

Key elements of Worked Examples

  • Teacher clarifies the learning objective, then demonstrates what students need to do to acquire new knowledge and master new skills
  • Teacher presents steps required to arrive at the solution so students’ cognitive load is reduced and they can focus on the process
  • Students practice independently using the worked example as a model
Further resources

This large scale UK site contains problem solving activities that provide students with varying stages of worked examples focusing on the Problem, Getting Started and the Solution. Students have the opportunity to access support through worked examples as required, depending on their level of understanding. The Attractive Tablecloths task offers worked examples and interactivity with an online program for immediate feedback. Explore the NRICH Attractive tablecloths resource 

The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute’s (AMSI) Supporting the Australian Mathematics Project includes resource packages for teachers of Level 5 to 9 students. The resources are designed to aid teachers and students in the implementation of the mathematics curriculum. The materials provide worked examples, followed by student practice. Delve into the AMSI resource

The Improving Mathematics Education in Schools (TIMES) Project offers modules demonstrating how numeracy practice can be spaced during mathematics lessons. The module materials include worked examples in progressive steps to support students’ independent practice. Use the AMSI modules

Use the Mundaneum site to connect Art and Mathematics. The origins of the Mundaneum date back to the late 19th century. Created by two Belgian lawyers, Paul Otlet (1868-1944), father of documentation, and Henri La Fontaine (1854-1943), Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The project aimed to collect all knowledge and to classify it according to the Universal Decimal System they had developed. This resource offers a background context to the Design Your Own Database above. Engage with the Mundaneum

Collaborative Learning

Students work in small groups and everyone contributes to learning tasks

Numeracy Focus: All

Learning Area: Victorian Curriculum: Mathematics 

Professor Jo Boaler discusses complex instruction as one method of embedding collaboration in a numeracy environment. Boaler’s presentation details student roles and the significance of planning a collaborative learning environment. She describes how such approaches can be especially helpful in mathematics and numeracy, for example in logical reasoning; explaining and justifying answers; and posing questions. Students suggest that working in groups has helped them develop multiple approaches to solving problems.

Collaborative learning occurs when students work in small groups to cooperatively solve problems. When students are introduced to the concept of collaborative learning teachers use strategies to establish ground rules to promote an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration. Assigning set roles within groups helps to establish good working relationships and allows students to take responsibility for different areas of a task.   

Watch Professor Jo Boaler, Stanford University, explain complex instruction. Consider Boaler’s perspective on how collaborative learning is advantageous in developing students’ numeracy skills

Reflective Prompt

How might you use the Big and Small Numbers in Physics and Steel Cables resources to ensure that all students have a role when they are collaborating on numeracy tasks?

If you had a chance to use one of the resources, briefly illustrate the planning steps you took to ensure all students in the group had opportunities to develop the necessary numeracy attributes from engaging in the task.

Reflective Prompt

How might you use the Big and Small Numbers in Physics and Steel Cables resources to ensure that all students have a role when they are collaborating on numeracy tasks?

If you had a chance to use one of the resources, briefly illustrate the planning steps you took to ensure all students in the group had opportunities to develop the necessary numeracy attributes from engaging in the task.

Key elements of Collaborative Learning

  • Students work together to apply previously acquired knowledge
  • Students cooperatively solve problems using previously acquired knowledge and skills
  • Students work in groups that foster peer learning
  • Groups of students compete against each other
Further resources

The NRICH site has many tasks that are suited to collaborative learning. One example with cross-curricular numeracy links is the Big and Small Numbers in Physics task, which links to Number Sense and Understanding, Estimating and Using Measurement. Another task, Steel Cables  involves students comparing their group responses to a geometrical patterns problem. Explore the NRICH site 

The world-renowned YouCubed project aims to encourage students to see mathematics as a beautiful, open, creative, and multi-dimensional subject. Delve a bit further with these resources:

This rubric provides a scaffold for self-reflection through questioning. Review the example rubric 

Multiple Exposures

Students are given multiple opportunities to encounter, engage with, and elaborate on new knowledge and skills

Numeracy Focus: Exploring chance and data; Using proportional reasoning

Learning area:  The Humanities: GeographyVictorian Curriculum: MathematicsHealth and Physical Education

Multiple exposures of numeracy are incorporated through practising new knowledge spaced over time or alternatively through the use of different activities to vary the interaction. Effective teachers identify a numeracy focus which students can encounter and engage with over a variety of subjects, thus encouraging cross-curricula multiple exposures.

In this example geography, mathematics, and health and physical education are incorporated to develop students’ numeracy understanding as they interpret and represent data comparing global population statistics and life expectancy. Students consolidate their learning through engaging with data and re-engaging with new content over a period of time. The unit uses a variety of learning and assessment tasks that provide timely feedback and vary students’ interactions with numeracy knowledge and skills, and support transfer of learning. The Numeracy Learning Progressions are evident as students becomes increasingly able to recognise and use visual and numerical displays to describe data associated with statistical investigations, and to critically evaluate investigations by others.

Explore multiple exposures to real data in this resource to support geographical enquiry, and notice the strong numeracy links which can be adapted to other curriculum areas

Reflective Prompt

Consider how the visual displays assist students in making sense of the data.

What questions might you ask students to reflect critically on the data presented here and their prior exposure to data presentations?

How does your teaching group use multiple exposures in your planning across the curriculum to consolidate your students’ numeracy learning through opportunities that engage and re-engage them with new content?

Reflective Prompt

Consider how the visual displays assist students in making sense of the data.

What questions might you ask students to reflect critically on the data presented here and their prior exposure to data presentations?

How does your teaching group use multiple exposures in your planning across the curriculum to consolidate your students’ numeracy learning through opportunities that engage and re-engage them with new content?

Key elements of Multiple Exposures

  • Students have time to practise what they have learnt
  • Timely feedback provides opportunities for immediate correction and improvement
Further resources

This video shows a student explanation of spaced vs. massed practice, highlighting the effectiveness of using different examples of the same concept being presented over time. Watch the video on Spaced vs. Massed Practice

Explore other examples embedded in the “A geographical focus on Choose your own statistics” teaching resource. The Country of Birth resource offers alternative exposures to data offered in the Choose your own statistics resource above. Explore the Country of Birth: The big picture

Questioning

Questioning engages students, stimulates interest and curiosity in the learning, and makes links to students’ lives

Numeracy Focus: All

Learning area: Victorian Curriculum: MathematicsScience

Questioning is a powerful tool to engage students and stimulate interest and curiosity in fostering numeracy. Effective open-ended questioning enhances and extends students’ numeracy development though probing students’ numeracy thinking, invoking curiosity, stimulating interest and reasoning. Questions to provoke inquiry should link to students’ lives and interests. Students need to feel free to ask questions to clarify their understanding and respectfully challenge others’ ideas

This resource models teacher questioning to facilitate students to pose questions for themselves in choosing and planning a science inquiry. Numeracy is at the forefront of science inquiry, as students measure, perform calculations, apply rates and ratio and records statistics throughout their projects. The teacher in the video-clip poses open questions, such as, “How does this happen?” or “Why does this happen?” to provide reasoning opportunities for students to analyse, justify, generalise, and express alternative points of view. In this video, students choose an science inquiry question that appeals to them. They conduct experiments, evaluate their findings, and communicate their results and analysis.

Numeracy forms an essential part of this science inquiry as students use mathematics to investigate and support their findings. Examples shown in the video include graphical and other forms of data display, measurement  calculations for volume using graduated measuring cylinders and proportional reasoning and measurement for titration calculations.

Notice how the teacher in this video poses probing questions (finding out) and clarifying questions to challenge and engage her students in a science inquiry task. Fostered through the teacher’s initial stimulating questions, observe the many examples of numeracy evident in the students’ projects

Reflective Prompt

What questions might you pose to:

  • Get students started on an inquiry that incorporates numeracy
  • Help students identify the numeracy within their science inquiry
  • Support peer to peer questioning and self-questioning
  • Scaffold their understanding of the necessary numeracy skills needed?

Invite a peer to observe and record the questions you ask in a typical lesson. Analyse which questions from the five categories you ask students to support their numeracy fluency.

Reflective Prompt

What questions might you pose to:

  • Get students started on an inquiry that incorporates numeracy
  • Help students identify the numeracy within their science inquiry
  • Support peer to peer questioning and self-questioning
  • Scaffold their understanding of the necessary numeracy skills needed?

Invite a peer to observe and record the questions you ask in a typical lesson. Analyse which questions from the five categories you ask students to support their numeracy fluency.

Key elements of Questioning

  • Plan questions in advance for probing, extending, revising and reflecting
  • Teachers use open questions
  • Questions used as an immediate source of feedback to track progress/understanding
  • Cold call and strategic sampling are commonly used questioning strategies
Further resources

These two modules from the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT) introduce teachers to open questions; how they differ from closed questions and reasons why it is beneficial to use open questioning in mathematics classes. Explore the Dimensions modules on Questioning

This article includes advice for questioning in the classroom as well as 10 effective ways to improve your questioning in the classroom. Read the article 

The W questions: Questions that start with when, why, where or what (and other similar W words) demand reasoning and explanations. How and if are ‘honorary’ W question starters. Delve into the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers: Top Drawer

Feedback

Feedback informs a student and/or teacher about the student’s performance relative to learning goals

Numeracy Focus: Developing number sense; Exploring patterns and relationships

Learning area: Victorian Curriculum: Mathematics

Feedback to students should be precise, timely, specific, accurate and actionable. If feedback is provided in the form of a marked assessment the numeracy skill should be identifiable, suggestions for areas of improvement specific and accessible by the individual, and presented in a timely manner. Feedback should make students feel supported and confident about learning new numeracy skills. Feedback is most effective when individuals can consolidate their learning through opportunities that engage and re-engage them with new content over a period of time.

The example shared in this audio clip highlights multiple aspects of providing numeracy feedback within a mathematical context. Effective feedback starts with setting clear goals at the beginning of a unit or assessment, which teachers can use as a focus when providing feedback on tasks. They suggest a rubric containing criteria specific to numeracy should be provided early on. The rubric supports both teacher and student self-assessment during a task and as final feedback, which clearly demonstrates to students where they met numeracy specific criteria and details areas of improvement. In-task feedback should be continual, both informal (e.g., questioning or verbal) and formal (e.g., written response) in nature.

Low stakes self-assessment quizzes provide instant feedback to students and prompt self-reflection. The example highlights how feedback about students’ numeracy gathered within a mathematical context might be shared across other curriculum areas.

Numeracy data provides feedback on student learning and numeracy outcomes. Teachers utilise external sources to collect data or internal testing platforms to gather student data using pre and post-testing to provide student or class progression feedback.

These data are used to inform teachers of areas of need within a class, and provide insights into how best to structure teaching and learning to enable all students to progress in the area of numeracy.


Interview with MAV Education consultants: Unpacking Feedback HITS

by Mathematical Association of Victoria

Listen to Danijela Draskovic and Helen Haralambous, Secondary Education consultants with the Mathematical Association of Victoria, as they share examples of effective use of feedback in a numeracy context

Reflective Prompt

What advice have Danijela Draskovic and Helen Haralambous offered about feedback that you can incorporate into your next lesson to promote young people’s numeracy understanding?

Consider the feedback strategies shared by Danijela and Helen and in the resources below.

How might you embed two of these to provide authentic feedback on numeracy outcomes?  

Reflective Prompt

What advice have Danijela Draskovic and Helen Haralambous offered about feedback that you can incorporate into your next lesson to promote young people’s numeracy understanding?

Consider the feedback strategies shared by Danijela and Helen and in the resources below.

How might you embed two of these to provide authentic feedback on numeracy outcomes?  

Key elements of Feedback

  • Precise, timely, specific, accurate and actionable
  • Questioning and assessment is feedback on teaching practice
  • Use student voice to enable student feedback about teaching
Further resources

A summary of the significance and mechanisms for feedback from the Australian Evidence for Learning site (not specific numeracy focus). Explore the Evidence for learning: Feedback resource

This Peer Assisted Learning Strategy (PAL) provides a model of how peer feedback is utilised as an effective feedback strategy to identify performance against learning goals. Students benefit from both receiving and providing the immediate feedback, teacher observations of the interactions offers feedback on each students’ mathematical understanding. Learn more about the Peer Assisted Learning Strategy

This resource has been developed by the NSW Government to support teachers to understand the principles and forms of effective feedback. Review the NSW Government’s Effective feedback resource

Metacognitive Strategies

Metacognitive strategies teach students to think about their own thinking

Numeracy Focus: Using proportional reasoning; Exploring chance and data

Learning area:  Victorian Curriculum: MathematicsScience

Metacognitive strategies teach children to think about their thinking. Activities to promote metacognitive strategies in numeracy include planning how to approach a learning task; evaluating progress; monitoring comprehension, and reflection. Learning visual thinking routines skills equips students with powerful reflective questions for approaching any numeracy challenge.

The resource, Visible thinking routines illustrates how educators can encourage students to focus on the process and not simply the solution. These metacognitive strategies can be used extensively within the numeracy context to encourage students to demonstrate their thinking and collaborate with others to share ideas. Explicitly presenting multiple strategies provides students with a repertoire of learning approaches which they can select from in different learning situations.

This secondary school science class begins a unit with ‘Question Starts’ to pose some big questions. The mathematical language used in the questions helps maintain a numeracy focus, in this case related to using proportional reasoning and exploring chance and data. The teacher can support the numeracy focus by modelling appropriate mathematical language.

The ‘Question starts’ routine featured in the resource encourages students to pose their own questions to promote reasoning and to help develop authentic solutions. Reasoning is a key mathematical proficiency. Students are shown the benefit of questioning their learning and provides opportunities to focus on numeracy throughout the unit. This approach helps student maintain control over, and take responsibility for, their learning. The self-selected nature of the questions and the accessible and intriguing content helps to motivate students.

Notice the multiple metacognitive strategies described to help students think about their learning, and the role language plays in the many examples of questions provided for teachers to use as prompts

Reflective Prompt

How do you assist students to identify and use metacognitive strategies that support them to think about their learning and achieve their numeracy learning goals?

Consider the language the students will use to demonstrate their thinking and learning. How can you encourage students to use this language to demonstrate their mathematical understanding?

Reflective Prompt

How do you assist students to identify and use metacognitive strategies that support them to think about their learning and achieve their numeracy learning goals?

Consider the language the students will use to demonstrate their thinking and learning. How can you encourage students to use this language to demonstrate their mathematical understanding?

Key elements of Metacognitive Strategies

  • Teaching problem solving
  • Teaching study skills
  • Promotes self-questioning
  • Classroom discussion is an essential feature
  • Uses concept mapping
Further resources

This article on ‘Creating metacognitive classroom cultures’ describes teacher actions to create the conditions necessary for metacognitive strategies to be habituated. Read the Building Learning Power article

Teach Magazine interview Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) CEO Professor Geoff Masters AO to discuss why it is important that students can monitor their own learning.  Watch the interview to hear more about the importance of students monitoring their learning

Differentiated Teaching 

Differentiated teaching are methods teachers use to extend the knowledge and skills of every student in every class, adjusting for content, process and product

Numeracy Focus: Using proportional reasoningUnderstanding and using geometric properties and spatial reasoning

Learning area:  Victorian Curriculum: MathematicsDigital TechnologiesScience

Differentiated teaching in a numeracy environment involves a provision of open-ended, challenging tasks with high expectations of all students. Tasks are adjusted continually by teachers to ensure all students’ needs are met. These adjustments are based on ongoing assessment to provide realistic, challenging goals for each student. When adjustments are consistently applied students build meaningful learning. Assessment of progress to fulfil each student’s learning goals is based on comparison with previous achievement rather than a comparison with other students.

The reSolve: Maths by Inquiry project provides numeracy focused classroom resources that are accessible to all students. This form of differentiated teaching provides opportunity for all students to experience challenge, success and improvement in their numeracy. Notice that each task caters for all learners, allowing individuals or groups to work at different levels, supporting a range of abilities and methods of thinking and learning.

Mechanical Linkages includes three lessons where students see and manipulate physical models and apply numeracy skills to solve problems. They construct physical models out of plastic strips or light card and have the opportunity to use a prepared dynamic geometry computer simulation.

Students use language associated with geometry as they visualise, describe and analyse shapes and angles in their environment. The lesson has cross-curricular links to science and digital technologies as it utilises machines, hands-on manipulatives, and computing components.

Watch this clip as Professor Peter Sullivan identifies and describes the many ways that students in your classroom may differ: differences in their ability to persist with a task; differences in their knowledge and understanding; differences in their mathematical experiences; and differences in their understanding of the culture of schooling

Reflective Prompt

Did you give Mechanical Linkages a go? Using this resource or another you have found that is helpful, identify three levels of differentiation that allowed all your students to access the task.

How are you supporting and fostering your EAL learners’ understanding of numeracy?

Reflective Prompt

Did you give Mechanical Linkages a go? Using this resource or another you have found that is helpful, identify three levels of differentiation that allowed all your students to access the task.

How are you supporting and fostering your EAL learners’ understanding of numeracy?

Key elements of Differentiated Teaching

  • High quality, evidence based group instruction
  • Regular supplemental instruction
  • Individualised interventions
Further resources

Associate Professor Peter Westwood, discusses the questions “What is differentiated instruction?” and  “What are the main challenges for teachers wishing to use it in their classroom?” in his article ‘Teaching methods: Differentiated instruction’. Read the article in the Australian Council for Educational Research’s Teacher magazine

Jodie Parsons, an educational leader, explains how she differentiates her lesson to target all levels and encourages students to take ownership of learning through a numeracy investigation in this video. View the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership video

This Education Week animated video attempts to demystify differentiated teaching. View the video Differentiated instruction: It’s not as hard as you think