Making learning rewindable through digital affordances

As my inquiry is coming towards our end of Term 1 check point, I have practiced using more digital affordances to support the "Learn, Create and Share" in maths. Initially my understanding of this was very narrow/ black and white and thought that it excluded using pen and paper for maths. I felt constrained to thinking only towards "Teaching above the line". This is referring back to Dr Reuben Puentedura's SAMR model shown below. Teaching above the line looked at the second picture shown below.

  

This lead me to have discussions with my peers. In this example of students in groups "learning, creating and sharing" you will see the use of hard materials to learn and share understanding. Digital affordances such as videos showing tutorials, and learning made rewindable through presentations are integral supports to our learn, create and share practice.

In guiding my students towards a learning goal together with trying to accelerate the rate in which they are learning, I have found that hard materials, captured digitally by students through photos and videos, shared digitally empowers the learner. It empowers them in that they can rewind and reflect on their learning well after small group work including hours outside 9am - 3pm.

So check out some of our learners in Room 5. Here are Tape Measures group mapping out their thinking using pen and paper. Now it's also part of their learning, made rewindable on our class site. The engagement levels and progress made were sky high!! 

Number knowledge framework - PD

Last weeks Maths PD by Jo Knox linked really well to what I am inquiring into in my CoL inquiry. To recap - my inquiry is looking into whether providing class time to learn and practice new knowledge will help students pick up/acquire the strategies faster. What I have tried to observe and look into while doing this inquiry is what barriers are preventing students from acquiring the necessary knowledge as they progress through their schooling years to reach us at Year 7&8.

Jo Knox clarified the progressive stages of development in number for our whole staff. This proved really useful especially when teachers are so used to just sticking to their area/stage they teach most of at their year level.

One of the main points I took out of the PD was clarity around stages 4, 5 and 6 and what it looks like. Jo presented this by showing a question and prompting us to think what would kids do if they were at stage 4, 5 & stage 6. What would it look like and what knowledge they need to know next in order to learn the next strategy.

Here are Jo Knox's slides which were very useful and can be used again and again to refresh and clarify what we are teaching our students.

CoL inquiry update - 3 weeks in...

The current vibe in my maths class at the moment is great! Students are eager to learn and looking around at other groups wondering when they'll get a chance to move up to the next activity. With our focus being on number knowledge, students are starting to pick up on the purpose for each activity they are taking part in. The realisation that the games are not just for fun but for the purpose of learning their place values or fractions.

After meeting with our CoL group last Thursday, I've managed to clarify in my head where I want my inquiry to go. Here is my slide I presented to my CoL group. 

Although my question is looking at measuring how much knowledge students do pick up, as a side note, I will also be observing and making notes on 'barriers'.
What barriers are preventing students from picking up the knowledge as they move through school. 
For the time being, I will be using my observations notes in class as a means of collecting data/evidence for this. This will help my address my actual inquiry question and finding new ways to accelerate learning for my priority students.

According to the Manaiakalani Teachers inquire into the CoL achievement challenges matrix, my inquiry question will be addressing: 'Increase the achievement of Years 1-10 learners, with a focus on Years 7-10, in maths, as measured against the National Standards and agreed targets.

So 3 weeks into the start of my inquiry, and I can already see students developing an awareness to the knowledge they need to have, in order to understand the strategies taught at the next level. My next steps will be measuring how effective it has been. Has there been any acceleration? how much? how do you know?

I look forward to what the next 3 weeks show up!