We had a great session with Bruce Moody last week around Maths learning within our levels.
He made a timely reminder that his diagnostic questions and progressions are to show what kids are capable of and their next steps - not as a 'test' to be done and forgotten. Using the information gathered for planning and group work - differentiation among students.
We have been using the progressions in MLH and with our learners we have discussions with our learners about what they know, what they're making mis-takes with and how to improve.
For my target group, it is ideal for them to see and know about their gaps. This has lead to this group being more in charge of their learning and are sharing that they are having conversations around maths with their whanau and are excited when they find maths problems that they are learning about within weekly class activities.
They are connecting the strategy with a name: 3 digit subtraction, cross decade etc
that is exciting, they are excited!
Our progressions and questions are a working, living document!
Bruce also shared great ways to build upon times tables. A good reminder for our target group that has 2x, 10x and 5x. Our next focus - grouping language using known timestables.
Using Bruce Moody's progressions and having students see their gaps on the tracking sheet has created a lot of buy in for their success and progress.
We identified that subtraction was a weakness across the group - showing that learners did not yet identify that the number being subtracted FROM was the only number that the learners had to work with. Students were flipping numbers to suit them ie 2-9 in the ones column became 9-2.
We worked through 2 digit subtraction with place value blocks and then moved to 3 digit subtraction.
This student in the video was very apprehensive about subtraction "didn't like it", "was too hard" until we broke the process down with the place value blocks.
Along with the other learners, she stated that she could actually 'see' the number and understood that the number being subtracted was inside that number.
Here she is explaining her process with the place value blocks. The other student had to listen and follow along to write the process down in mathematical equation.
We have continued to work with place value blocks when needed - but these learners now identify the WHY of borrowing and renaming. Over the past 2 weeks we have had lots of practice and discussion with each learner sharing by way of giving feedback and justifications to each other.
They are now comfortably working with 3 digit subtraction - number equations and word problems. Their working out has become more comprehensive and they are more particular about showing their working, lining up the place value columns and 'rereading for sense'. Over our sessions those learners who were working on other strategies have worked out that they were not the most efficient as they were lagging in getting answers down before we moved on to next questions. Feedback from others in the group has been invaluable to their learning as well.
Here is a video of a learner showing his subtraction process this week:
We also have spoken about checking our work to make sure we have worked correctly.
Students are keen to give evidence so that they can be confirmed as 'pink' (mastered).
Current progressions chart showing improvements - learners are engaged with this and can see their next steps. They are also happy when questions come up in our weekly Basic Fact Challenge that they now understand and can show demonstration of.
Our next focus is multiplicative grouping language moving into known times tables and the triangle of facts.
From looking at the data from the initial observations and diagnostic questions, I can see that these students need strategies for cross decade addition and 2 digit subtraction.
This is going to be our first area for teaching & learning.
There is a gap across all learners in 2 digit subtraction when the bigger number has small numbers in the tens and ones column. They are flipping the numbers around to suit the addition eg 243 - 157 becomes 257 - 143 because these facts are known to the student.
What they are missing is the identification that the number that is being taken away is PART OF the total (the first number). This is where I am going to head back to for these learners and am going to use equipment to help as the students appear lacking in knowledge of what the number actually 'looks' like.
Partitioning has helped them to begin to visualise but it is not an efficient method for them in the long run to break down each number. They need to see and understand the borrowing and renaming process.
(Students are also partitioning to solve 2 digit addition - using bonds to 10 and place value to solve.)
My inquiry this year is centred around a group of students who are just below curriculum expectations in Maths.
They are Year 6s and are working around Early Level 3 and appear to have some misconceptions around math strategies.
My inquiry question is: "How effective are the Bruce Moody Diagnostic Questions & Tracking Sheet in identifying next steps and accelerating progress for meeting expectations."
We have Bruce Moody facilitating our Professional Development this year. We also have access to his Seed Maths website.
Our staff have had several sessions with Bruce so far this year, unpacking his progressions and tracking sheets. The expectation is that all staff will be using these sheets across the school in the near future.
The strengths of the group are 2 digit addition with no borrowing & regrouping; multiplication tables of 2x, 5x and 10x (in that form - interestingly a question about pairs had them stumped); and multiplicative derivatives. The kids also all like maths and are eager to learn more and be better than before, which is always an added bonus!
To consolidate where I think the students are working, I have taken Bruce's diagnostic questions and have had the students show working and give answers to the questions. I have had one on one conversations with each of the students getting them to explain their working.
As we can see, there are a variety of successes - but as above, strengths are addition and multiplication with early times tables.
Pink is known & correct working; yellow is right track but not yet consistently accurate and green is working on.
This has shown the where to next for this group and I will be sharing this information with the kids so that they are having input and buy in to their successes.
He made a timely reminder that his diagnostic questions and progressions are to show what kids are capable of and their next steps - not as a 'test' to be done and forgotten. Using the information gathered for planning and group work - differentiation among students.
