I’d like to share some highlights and points of concern from the recent Manaiakalani Share Meeting, where I had the opportunity to facilitate discussions with Year 7-10 teachers about our maths teaching practices. Our sessions were rich with personal insights and shared challenges as we talked about our tamariki and their learning in maths. It was truly inspiring to witness the dedication and passion our Manaiakalani teachers bring to their work!
We all agreed that improvements in the maths curriculum are needed to better support our students - something that seems to be a common theme in education globally:) We discussed the new curriculum approach announced by the government last week, which draws from Singaporean and Australian models. We all felt that while these international approaches have their strengths, there is genuine concern about maintaining the focus on 'maths in authentic contexts' and understanding each learner’s unique needs.
We also discussed the idea of using workbooks to improve maths outcomes and agreed that workbooks can be a valuable tool. However, we also believe they are just one piece of the puzzle. Our goal as educators is to create engaging and context-rich learning experiences that truly resonate with our students. Some teachers from DMIC schools noted that integrating more structure and direct instruction with their rich problem-solving approach could be beneficial but no one wants 'drilling' and a lack of creativity in maths. At the MPI (Maths Practice Intensive), we promote a balanced approach: three days of ‘structured’ targeted teaching, followed by a day of ‘rich tasks’ or investigations, and ending the week with conferencing and/or workshops. We’re already receiving positive feedback from our participants and their mentors.
As we await the release of the new curriculum next week, I’m staying optimistic and hopeful for positive change. I believe we will continue to collaborate and ensure our maths programmes remain both effective and meaningful for our learners.
