Minutes of Numeracy PLT Meeting

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Lynfield College 8am-9.30am

Attendees :, Alex, Karen, Melissa, Sheryl, Carena, Sophy, Ruth, Cath, Alison

Apologies : Nicky, Maiana

Project Focus = 'The Language of Thinking, Learning and Assessment'

Project goals 2009 :

1.  To ensure Learning Intentions and Success Criteria become embedded classroom practice (student-teacher shared inquiry and understanding).

2.  To extend teacher understanding of Blooms and SOLO thinking models and to incorporate skilful thinking into planning and delivery of teaching programmes (ongoing professional learning = continuous improvement).

3.  To reflect on and share teaching practice in order to improve and sustain effective pedagogy centred on lifting student thinking, learning and achievement (sustain the momentum).

Agenda:

Nicky’s apologies received. PLT asked that her wonderful contribution to the Numeracy PLT over the past two years be minuted; Nicky will be invited to the first meeting next year for a proper thank you opportunity.

1.  Welcome and starters from Alex and Sophy

Alex – starter to help to develop language – unscramble maths anagrams from ‘Thinking Maths – Advanced Worksheets’ (User Friendly Resources)

Sophy – ‘I have … who has’ from Helen Walters (an example of ‘Loop’ activities) available from Sparkle Box

2.  Evaluation 2009 – looking forward to 2010 - Alison

Thanks to those that have completed these and sent them through (tracked changes and all!)

Principals are keen for the project to continue. See great value in the links between the cluster school. Groups to meet once per term.

Thinking skills:

Thinking skills and models now more evident. However - process not completed hence support for collaboration to continue. Meetings times currently used have lower impact on release so will continue. Looking towards creating a continuum in thinking literacy from primary through intermediate and on to secondary. Support for students to gain a thinking tool box as they progress through their schooling.

Assessment: (widen this to assessment and reporting?)

Common testing in cluster schools at Years 2, 4 & 6? (opportunity for discussion)

Discussion around GLOSS

Discussion re strategies

Implications of testing on teaching (frequency, validity,)

Moderation:

National standards – support for moderation likely to be needed – secondary could be of support here.

Transition:

Can there be more done at the transition points? Student profiles? Reporting?

Goals for 2010:

What goals for 2010 would the Numeracy Project see as being useful?

Project useful for professional learning conversations. Opportunity to share best practice. Focus on school / classroom visits.

Opportunity to observe, -wider than own school / context.

Need for these to be guided visits – or time for teacher to speak with the visitor after the observation.

Principals all clear on the need for there to be a clear goal (learning intention) for each meeting and for staff to have a responsibility to report / present upon their return to staff (staff meetings).

Reporting – opportunity for discussion

Visiting between schools – what is currently happening? How much of the current visiting is to classrooms in action? Lynfield staff visiting BBI next week to view structure / organisation of lessons.

Alison to draft Numeracy PLT plan 2010.

3.  L2I Live - sharing two documented items which illustrate L2I’s ‘living presence” in your teaching and learning since last meeting (template distributed electronically). Please email your L2I sheet to Alison before the meeting please. Choose what you wish to share; bring any handout you might like to have photocopied for PLT.

BHB / School having to make a decision as to which syndicates will be teaching Nelson Maths next year.
Also used at ML (Sheryl). Focused teaching (4-6 weeks) for those who have often just needed maths to be ‘de-mystified’, has proven beneficial.
Karen has been working with a group of 17 Special Needs Maths students during 2009. Used the Targeted Learning Groups Programme (Marilyn Holmes and Anne Lamont), since the beginning of Term 2. At the commencement of the programme the vast majority of the students were working at Stages 2 and 3 (Charts A and B). There were huge gaps in their counting, place value and basic facts knowledge. Testing at the end of last week has revealed that 64% of the students are now ready to move onto Early Additive Part-Whole (Stage 5). The time spent laying a solid foundation of these skills through materials, games and activities has been time well spent.
GA / Maths websites – will be sent out to everyone
Class observations – opportunity to see much more than what is discussed at L2I meetings. Yr8 class working together with teacher at an extended abstract level really exciting.
ML / Going back to GLOSS A as we are going change to newer GLOSS tests next year. Which ones are still to be confirmed.
Implementation of new NZC. Practice is in place – now getting paperwork together. Worked on Science as a staff at our teacher only day. The next step is to break down the goals into curriculum areas.
BBI / The last couple of weeks have been asTTle tests. Nicky Knight came in and took a session on how to teach Measurement/Geometry in the school. Was beneficial and highlighted the importance of keeping it fun and relevant. Have also changed from the Gloss interview to a Gloss test... Hand out provided.
LC / Working on developing measurement activities.
Interesting identification - some students have no knowledge of big written numbers eg 2.7 million = 2,700,000. Intermediates would work with 100s of thousands, upper primary would work with thousands.
Visualisation of numbers – to be sent by Carena (ML)

4.  Reading – Place value framework, Peter Hughes. Very useful reading particularly the tabulated format relevant to each stage.

5.  Reporting against National Standards – Nicky. (attached is a sample for your enlightenment and amusement)

-  sharing of school formats, led by Carena presenting Marshall Laing’s as a starter

6.  AOB

Merry Christmas from Nicky

Thank you to everyone. Melissa and Karen may not be leading Numeracy in 2010 – best wishes for your teaching next year.

List of Maths website contributed by Carena – to be emailed to PLT with minutes by Alison.