Making+Connections

= MAKING CONNECTIONS - PROGRAMMING FOR MATHEMATICS K-6 (quoted directly from NSW DET Programming Support)= The mathematics programming materials support the policy Curriculum Planning and Programming, Assessing and Reporting to Parents K-12. The policy advises K-6 schools that approximately 50% of teaching time be allocated for English and Mathematics and 40% to the other KLAs and sport. The remaining 10% is for school priorities. Curriculum planning and programming support in other KLAs is available on the [|Time to Teach] website. The policy was developed in response to recommendations from the Eltis Report, //Time to Teach, Time to Learn//.

R12: That, using the Stage Outcomes from K-6 English and K-6 Mathematics Syllabuses, Program Frameworks be prepared, incorporating the mandatory outcomes from each Stage into a possible total teaching program that is manageable and directed at promoting productive learning opportunities for all students. R14: That, while the Program Frameworks should provide a coherent work program K-6 with appropriate guidance for each Stage, it will be left to schools to prepare the detailed program for each of the years encompassed within a Stage.

Mathematics Programming Support assists teachers in planning, programming, teaching and assessing across the two years of a stage.

The NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements, developed by the [|Board of Studies], provide an overview of syllabuses and can be used as a basis for reporting and discussing student progress.

In addition to the worksamples included on this site, the NSW Board of Studies provides worksamples related to reporting judgements in Mathematics using an A-E scale. For more information, visit the [|Assessment Resource Centre]. = PRINCIPLES FOR PROGRAMMING IN MATHEMATICS =


 * Planning to build on what students know:**

//Mathematics K-6 programming support// provides a process for managing the cycle of teaching and learning. Key questions to consider when programming are:

1. What do my students already know? 2. What do they need to learn next? 3. How will I help them to learn this? 4. How will I know when they have learnt this?

Teachers plan programs that are based on key ideas related to syllabus outcomes, and which build on what students know and can do. A range of assessment strategies will identify the student’s current level of understanding and monitor and document student learning.
 * Effective mathematics programming**

A mathematics program will be effective when it: • makes mathematics accessible to all students through the selection of activities that build on current understanding • has high expectations and challenges students by presenting material which is aimed at, or just beyond, students’ current level of understanding • presents and practises new material in a variety of contexts to cater for different learning styles • provides tasks that lead to the generalisation of concepts in other contexts and the development of progressively more efficient strategies • encourages students to see themselves as being numerate – confident, motivated and successful mathematicians who understand what they are doing and who can confidently explain and justify their chosen strategies for solving tasks.

//Count Me In Too// and //Counting On// are numeracy programs that focus on professional learning about assessing to find out what students know and how students typically acquire mathematical skills and understanding. Training in these programs, and the associated //learning framework in number//, provides a basis for understanding how students best learn number concepts, the confidence to plan and teach mathematics and the ability to cater for the needs of all students. The //Count Me In Too// Framework in Number is embedded in the learning experiences in the 2002 //Mathematics K-6 Syllabus//. An understanding of the conceptual framework will support teachers in observing the strategies that students are currently using to solve tasks and selecting activities to enable students to progress through the stages of the framework. //Quality Teaching in NSW public schools// (2003) provides a framework for school communities to examine classroom practice and the impact on student learning. In particular, it links the issue of quality learning with significance and high expectations. The mathematics lesson on //Measurement in Classroom practice, learning and assessment task support resources// can provide a focus for discussion of these elements. = MAKING CONNECTIONS IN MATHEMATICS = Connections to make when developing a mathematics program: • ensure that students have a thorough understanding of the number concepts required for accessing concepts in other strands • integrate the teaching of Patterns and Algebra with Number (number patterns and number relationships) • teach inverse relationships for addition and subtraction and multiplication and division • link concepts in multiplication to extend understanding of area • link the teaching of fractions when teaching measurement e.g. using half and quarter units to cover an area and using parts of units to measure length • use measurement activities e.g. length to provide a context for teaching decimals and percentages • link fraction concepts to applications in Chance e.g. there is a five in ten or a 50% chance of an event occurring • integrate the interpretation of data and graphs into all syllabus areas • ensure that students understand the concept of length before making links with area and then volume. Mass can be taught separately. • integrate the teaching of two-dimensional space with three-dimensional space. For example, a square pyramid has a square base and four triangular faces.
 * //Count Me In Too// and //Counting On//**
 * Using the //NSW Quality teaching model//**

Numeracy involves using mathematical ideas efficiently to make sense of the world. While it necessarily involves understanding some mathematical ideas, notations and techniques, it also involves drawing on knowledge of particular contexts and circumstances in deciding when to use mathematics, choosing the mathematics to use and critically evaluating its use. The Numeracy Links document identifies the connected outcome groups (COGs) which provide a context for the teaching and generalisation of mathematics skills and understandings. For example, graphs used in the HSIE content in the units of work, can be used to reinforce the features that help students to unpack the data contained in the information on the topic. A typical weekly timetable would include lessons that build on sequential understanding of mathematics content as well as lessons on mathematics content to support the numeracy connections within the connected outcomes groups. = =