NZL One - Two - Three

With the release of the learning progression framework we now have a growing kete of tools to select from to build numeracy skills with our students. From the beehive this week.... New resources to boost numeracy and literacy Education Minister Hekia Parata today officially launched a new resource, including an app, to strengthen teaching and learning in reading, writing and maths. “Being able to effectively evaluate a child’s rate of progress is essential for teachers, so they can identify where more support is required,” says Ms Parata. “There has been a gap in our understanding of progress and achievement in years 9 and 10. The Learning Progression Frameworks (LPF) that I’m launching today fills that gap, supporting teachers’ understanding of how their students are progressing in those two years.” The LPF acts as a guide, providing examples of student work to illustrate the significant steps that students need to take as they develop their skills in reading, writing and mat...

There is nothing like a bit of mystery to get Year 10 boys interested.  Ricky Pedersen, HoF De La Salle College and his Year 10 class looked at a fake crime scene and attempted to solve a murder mystery. This was their second lesson on solving for unknown angles in a right angle triangle.  How the lesson unfolded:- 1. Ricky created a hook: Before the students got into the classroom they noticed that something was different. Ricky had cordoned off an area of his classroom and set up a crime scene. Students could see something worthwhile was going to take place in this lesson. Ricky was bombarded with question What happened? What are we doing?  Why is the room different?  Their task: to collectively find out where each blood drop originated from and how the murder took place. 2. They made connections:   Together they looked at a diagram of a blood drop hitting the floor and recapped their trigo...

Happy hump day - of course hump day means that there is not long until our students are leaving to write their exams. With that comes plenty of practice tests. I wonder what effect the results of these tests have on students mindset and motivation especially those that continually get Not Achieved ? Stiggins (2007) suggests we should look at the effect of assessment from the students point of view. from his research he notes that: For students who are succeeding For students who are Not Achieving Assessment Results Reinforce success Reinforce failure Which makes them feel Hopeful & optimistic Useless They think I am in control I can’t do this Feedback helps me Feedback is more criticism They become more likely to Revise Quit Take initiative Avoid doing anything Keep going when the going gets hard Simply give ...