Research Article: The Importance of Visual Mathematics for our Brain and Learning by Jo Boaler

This research paper caught my attention when I read a couple of the first paragraphs..."a common belief in education (is) that visual mathematics is for lower level work, and for struggling or younger students, and that students should only work visually as a prelude to more advanced or abstract mathematics. As Thomas West, author, states, there is a centuries-old belief that words and mathematical symbols are “for serious professionals – whereas pictures and diagrams” are “for the lay public and children” (2004).  This idea is an example of a damaging myth in education, and this paper will present compelling brain evidence to help dispel the myth". (Boaler, J., Chen, L., Williams, C., & Cordero, M. (2016). Seeing as Understanding: The Importance of Visual Mathematics for our Brain and Learning. Journal of Applied & Computational Mathematics 5)

The study highlights the brain's capacity to process mathematical concepts through visual pathways. From number lines to manipulatives, visual representations play a pivotal role in making abstract ideas concrete and understandable. Integrating these tools in the classroom enhances engagement and achievement across year levels.

The paper advocates for embracing visual mathematics as a means of transforming students' mathematical experiences. By providing hands-on experiences and visual aids, educators can empower learners to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for math.

I believe (and was thrilled to find a confirmation of my beliefs in the latest neurobiological studies) that using hands-on objects and visual aids is incredibly important for learning math. These tools help make abstract concepts more concrete and easier to understand. When you can touch and see things, it's easier for your brain to remember and solve problems. Studies have shown that using these tools can make students better at maths and help them do well in school. Plus, they work well for all types and ages of learners. 

"A compelling and rather surprising example of the visual nature of mathematical activity in the brain comes from a new study on the ways that the brain uses representations of fingers, well beyond the time and age that people use their fingers to count. The different studies on the brain’s use of finger representations give fascinating insights into human learning and clear implications for mathematics classrooms."

I hope to see more manipulatives and visuals in our classrooms across all the year levels to enhance learning experiences, engage students and foster a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. When we can touch and see things, maths becomes clearer and more exciting.

Literature review #2 - Transfer of Learning by R. Haskell

 Haskell, Robert. Transfer of Learning.

One of my hunches regarding the poor PAT results of our students was that we may not necessarily teach what is being tested. I shared my thoughts on the difference between "teaching to the test" versus teaching the specific math areas that students will be assessed on. I searched the web for any relevant research but couldn't find anything particularly useful until I came across "Transfer of Learning" by Robert Haskell.

Dr. Robert E. Haskell was a Professor of psychology at the University of New England (passes away in 2010), whose work in the area of learning transfer spans a range of disciplines, including math, science, education, business, and psychology.

Haskell's insightful book, 'Transfer of Learning: Cognition, Instruction, and Reasoning,' explores the interesting topic of how we can effectively apply our knowledge in diverse contexts. By exploring the historical roots of transfer and underscoring the importance of building a solid knowledge foundation, Haskell convincingly argues for the significance of explicit teaching and practice. emphasizes the importance of understanding key concepts, strategies, and declarative knowledge in facilitating successful knowledge transfer. The book provides valuable insights on fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students, empowering them to apply their learning to real-world situations.

Just in case, I'd like to explain that declarative knowledge in math involves knowing and understanding the key ideas and concepts that form the foundation of mathematical thinking and problem-solving. It is like the building blocks of learning, providing a solid foundation for further learning, deeper understanding and the ability to apply what you know.

In conclusion, Haskell's work aligns with my belief about the importance of teaching before testing. By emphasizing the need for a strong knowledge base and providing students with explicit instruction, educators can empower students to transfer their learning effectively. Teaching before testing ensures that students have the necessary understanding and skills to approach assessments with confidence. By incorporating Haskell's insights into our teaching practices, we can create a solid foundation for students' academic success and foster their ability to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

Literature review #1 - Visible Learning by J. Hattie

John Hattie is a Professor of Education and Director of the Visible Learning Labs, University of Auckland, New Zealand and we all know his famous work "Visible Learning. A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement" first published in 2009. 

I decided to reread his book, especially some parts that I found important for my teaching inquiry this year. According to J Hattie, "The effect size of 0.40 sets a level where the effects of innovation enhance achievement in such a way that we can notice real-world differences, and this should be a benchmark of such real-world change." 

This is a great reminder to all of us that our inquiry into improving our teaching practice, commitment to numerous PLDs, and our aim to develop student agency are vital components in fostering positive student outcomes in mathematics. By focusing on refining the curriculum and our instructional skills as teachers, and prioritizing student engagement and empowerment, we have the potential to make a profound impact on students' mathematical understanding and achievement. 

This research also provides valuable insights into instructional strategies that yield positive results for student learning. When it comes to teaching math, a well-structured program and direct teacher instruction have been found highly effective factors (Hiebert & Grouws, 2007).  Explicit teaching, clear explanations, and demonstrations have a significant impact on student understanding and achievement.

Manipulatives play a crucial role in the early years of mathematics education and show a great effect when working with low-achieving middle school students. They provide concrete experiences that help students build a solid foundation and develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts (Mitchell, 1987). By engaging students in hands-on activities, manipulatives foster conceptual understanding and lay the groundwork for later abstract thinking.

When it comes to effective teaching strategies, certain approaches have shown particularly promising outcomes. Strategy-based methods, guided practice, peer tutoring, teacher modeling, specific forms of feedback, mastery criteria, sequencing examples, and instruction responsive to feedback have demonstrated high effect sizes (Hattie, 2009). These strategies actively engage students, provide guidance, and create opportunities for practice and feedback, leading to significant improvements in mathematics achievement.

On the other hand, research suggests that peer group strategies and independent practice with technology have relatively lower effect sizes (Hattie, 2009). While they still have some value, working within a peer group and relying heavily on technology for independent practice may not yield as substantial improvements in mathematics learning compared to other approaches.  (I have personally observed similar situations where students collaborate on their independent activities, and despite my reminders that they should only help by explaining rather than telling, it can be challenging to monitor.)

Reading "Visible Learning" by J. Hattie confirmed my hunch and hypotheses about the most important and effective components of teaching mathematics:

• Structured mathematics programs: Comprehensive and organized curricula that provide a framework for effective instruction and learning in mathematics.
• Direct Teacher instruction and modelling: Engaging students through clear explanations, demonstrations, and guidance from the teacher to deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Strategy-based methods: Teaching students specific problem-solving strategies and approaches to empower them in tackling mathematical tasks effectively.
• Guided practice and feedback: Providing students with opportunities to apply their knowledge through practice activities while receiving targeted feedback to enhance their learning and mastery of mathematical skills.

Citations:

Hiebert, J., & Grouws, D. A. (2007). The effects of classroom mathematics teaching on students' learning. In F. K. Lester Jr. (Ed.), Second Handbook of Research on Mathematics Teaching and Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 371-404). Information Age Publishing.

Mitchell, M. M. (1987). The effects of manipulative materials in mathematics instruction. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 18(6), 449-457.

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge.

Student Agency Readings - LCS and the integrated curriculum

Student inquiry is a teacher-supported process that provides a structure for students to learn through the process of inquiring into questions they develop themselves about a topic or concept. There are various models of student inquiry and I reviewed and reflected on a number of different models.

Interesting Points

The LCS approach to learning is based on the belief that students are powerful learners who must be actively engaged in the process of investigating, processing, organising, synthesising, refining and extending their knowledge within a topic. They also are able to work collaboratively and develop their key competencies while working on their LCS projects.

Teachers have to provide a clear structure and share their expectations of student learning. To make this process purposeful and enjoyable, teachers have to put a lot of effort into planning and collecting student voice.

Another interesting point that resonated with my view of the LCS process is the use of an integrated curriculum. Such an approach gives students a real purpose for learning and provides real-life experiences which in order help students see the world as a complex system rather than a number of separated topics. "The coherence principle states that “the curriculum offers all students a broad education that makes links within and across learning areas”

(Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 9, emphasis added)

The LCS (or inquiry) learning supports the development of students' critical thinking.

Concerns I have from within the reading

From my own experience, I know that LCS requires a high level of organisation, flexibility and negotiation skills to challenge the range of diverse learners. It requires a lot of careful planning and structured delivery. LCS can be messy and noisy due to the students' enthusiasm and drive.

My concern is mostly about inquiry learning in the ILE. Teachers have to be on the same page with their expectations and standards and have a high level of trust between them and learners.

New learning from this reading

It was interesting to read about different models and approaches to inquiry learning. Different schools and teachers use different models that suit them, their beliefs and their learners. It was great to see various rubrics for teachers to measure the quality of inquiry learning and outcomes. We used some of these ideas when working on the Team Kea LCS model.

What excites and enthuses me from this reading?

I personally love the integrated learning and LCS approach as I see these as great opportunities for students to learn in an authentic context, not to mention their enthusiasm and motivation! I believe that the LCS approach takes students beyond what they already know and supports the development of important lifelong skills and key competencies.

Reflection

The more knowledge we have about inquiry learning, the better our common understanding of all aspects of LCS becomes. I actually was excited to see that my team's understandings of the LCS process are pretty similar. I believe this is a result of our close teamwork and collaboration.

Thinking about my learners, I believe that during inquiry learning, peer learning becomes as effective as teacher-led learning. Some meaningful “aha!” moments often come in authentic interactions with other students. Sometimes, during the LCS projects, the class transforms into a space where everyone can try different roles: a teacher, a facilitator, a leader, an IT guru etc and has something to share! Inquiry-based learning triggers students' critical thinking and problem-solving capacities and pushes them to take action instead of learning passively.

It was great to have these readings done before and during our work on the Team Kea LCS model as we kept referring to different ideas and models and synthesized them into our own pilot LCS model that we are excited to implement in term 4.

Readings:

http://pjsibpyp.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/2/3/11231090/inquirymurdochwilson.pdf

http://pjsibpyp.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/2/3/11231090/kath_murdochs_inquiry_model.pdf  This has awesome components for students to know what they should be doing / working through that you can add to Learn, Create, Share

https://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/set2012_3_015.pdf  This reading is more of an academic read, but gives great information.

Learning about Collaboration from Literature

My hypothesis is that a collaborative approach during group and independent learning activities might increase student engagement and develop a better understanding of topics or concepts and their practical application. 

Research shows that collaborative group work involves students working jointly on the same problem at all times. Within a collaborative group, decisions are shared and the negotiation of roles and relationships constantly evolves. Such a collaborative approach to learning is linked to Vygotskian ideas such as situated cognition, scaffolding, and the zone of proximal development  (Forman & Cazden, 1985).

Interestingly enough, I found proof of my own observations 'that part of the reason students give up on learning is because they find it difficult and think they are alone in their struggle. An important change takes place when students work together and discover that everybody finds some or all of the work difficult. This is a critical moment for students, and one that helps them know that for everyone learning is a process and that obstacles are common.' (LIMITLESS MIND by Jo Boaler)

Jo says that collaboration is vital for learning, brain development, and creating equitable outcomes. I agree with her; however, first of all, it is important to establish interpersonal connections. I noticed that some of my learners are happy working together and they achieve better results than a group that keeps arguing without listening to each other's ideas. Hence, teachers need to spend more time creating positive norms for collaborative groups.

Emily R. Lai (June 2011) in her Pearson Research report states that "Collaborative interactions are characterized by shared goals, symmetry of structure, and a high degree of negotiation, interactivity, and interdependence. Interactions producing elaborated explanations are particularly valuable for improving student learning. Nonresponsive feedback, on the other hand, can be detrimental to student learning in collaborative situations. Collaboration can have powerful effects on student learning, particularly for low-achieving students. However, a number of factors may moderate the impact of collaboration on student learning, including student characteristics, group composition, and task characteristics."

This resonates with me and my own experiences and shows that student collaboration requires a lot of teacher thinking and designing in creating tasks, forming groups and again, setting up class positive norms. Teachers need to carefully consider group composition in terms of gender and ability when using collaborative learning. Simple tasks with one correct solution that can easily be solved by a single, competent group member should not be used in collaborative settings. Even if not all young students will be able to collaborate effectively in their early school years, they will definitely start to develop such important habits required in older classes and in life in general. 

Another important idea I confirmed during my professional reading is that collaboration is not the only powerful approach to learning and/or working together. There are some times when individual and co-operative learning should take place to develop sound knowledge and skills to be able to work collaboratively and achieve better outcomes. 

For example, Nilofer Merchant in her article Eight Dangers of Collaboration (Dec 2011) reveals eight dangers of collaboration. She describes situations when people want to be individually recognised because they are great professionals or situations when collaboration slows down the process and creates conflicts instead of benefiting participants and organisations. Once again, in my opinion, we have to learn to choose the most suitable approach when it comes to a specific situation or task. This relates to students and even more to teachers. 

Learning from Literature on Discourse - #10

One of the leading resources for discourse is Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn (Chapin, O’Connor, and Anderson 2009).  

This resource and others highlight five teaching practices associated with improving the quality of discourse in the classroom.

Five Teaching Practices for Improving the Quality of Discourse in Mathematics Classrooms

1) Talk moves that engage students in discourse,

2) The art of questioning,

3) Using student thinking to propel discussions,

4) Setting up a supportive environment, and

5) Orchestrating the discourse. 

The research shows that problem-solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation–can be seen in action in a discourse-rich mathematics community as students interact, question one another and convey their understanding. 

Many educators and researchers think that classroom talk has the power to improve both students’ learning and ability to reason. Another benefit to 

When the talk is used intensively in classes, students may get a richer sense of what words and phrases mean and of when to use them. Their control of complex grammar also improves, in speaking and in reading. 

Over time, talk improves students’ social skills and ability to be patient and cooperative with others.

There are some limitations and it is not a "magic wand' that can solve all the problems; however, it is definitely a great tool that should be utilized in our classrooms.

Professional Reading to form a Hypothesis - #9

Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All 

by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, February 1, 2024 

Eight High-Leverage Instructional Practices

• Establish mathematics goals to focus learning

• Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving

• Use and connect mathematical representations

• Facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse

• Pose purposeful questions

• Build procedural fluency from conceptual understanding

• Support productive struggle in learning mathematics

• Elicit and use evidence of student thinking

This read was unpacking specific teaching practices, that are essential for high-quality mathematics education for all students.

Reflecting on my teaching practice and learning from the article, I confirmed that implementing Talk Moves, Number Talk and Problem solving are powerful tools of an effective maths programme. Another example of the HLP is a balance of group and mixed ability teaching in various learning situations.

This read resonated with my belief in the importance to explicitly focus on developing a Growth mindset and changing students' negative beliefs about 'being bad in maths' and developing critical thinking and achievement across the curriculum.

Literature Review: Quality Teaching for Diverse Students - #8

I've been looking for a good read about quality teaching and the best evidence-based and proven practices in New Zealand and came across the following report:

Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis 

by Adrienne Alton-Lee (2003)

(‘This report is one of a series of best evidence syntheses commissioned by the Ministry of Education. It is part of a commitment to strengthen the evidence base that informs education policy and practice in New Zealand. It aims to contribute to an ongoing evidence-based discourse amongst policymakers, educators and researchers.’)

It was an interesting read as it confirmed my thinking in a way that ‘quality teaching can optimise outcomes for diverse learners across the curriculum, and throughout Schooling.’ 

The research identified some practical areas of how to improve the quality of teaching that can be summarised and aligned with the High-Leverage Practices that Manaiakalani schools have been focusing on.

I decided to benchmark my teaching practice against some of the research-based characteristics of quality teaching to reflect on and identify areas for improvement.

Quality teaching promotes learning orientations and student self-regulation

- I use student voice to allow my student to take ownership of their learning and create student-driven content.

Teaching promotes metacognitive strategy use (e.g. mental strategies in numeracy) by all students.

- I use Number talk, choral counting and problem-solving in maths that require a lot of thinking, and Integrated learning that allows my students to apply their new knowledge in real-life situations.

Teaching scaffolds reciprocal or alternating tuakana teina roles in student groups, or interactive work.

- I use mixed ability groups and drama to provide opportunities for tuakana teina learning.

Teaching promotes sustained thoughtfulness (e.g. through questioning approaches, wait-time, and the provision of opportunities for application and invention).

- I use Talk Moves across the curriculum.

Teaching promotes critical thinking.

- My programme includes a lot of questioning, information analysis, compare and contrast tasks, and Learn-Create-Share projects.

Teaching makes transparent to students the links between strategic effort and accomplishment. - Just a recent example. My students worked on a play. I recorded their first attempt, then we watched it and discussed how we could improve their performance. The students came up with great ideas and continued to work on their play. Finally, we recorded it again and evaluated it. My students were very proud of their effort and the result.

It was a good exercise as this will help me continue to refine my own practice and support my team in their teaching journey.

Professional reading for Hypothesis Generation - #7

My inquiry is targeting progress not only in mathematics;
however, my class and school data show a strong need to address this issue.
Why the majority of our students are underachieving in maths, what can be done differently? 

To help me generate a hypothesis about aspects of teaching that might contribute to current patterns of learning, I referred to a number of professional reading and had a conversation with a cognition maths facilitator Rebecca Bishop.

#1  Ambitious mathematics for young Pacific learners

This video episode is one of the Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities lessons that I keep referring to.

The pedagogy is consistent with the findings of best evidence syntheses. The lesson shows the main components of the structured maths programme: a teacher-directed Launch, moves into Group Work followed by each group Sharing Back with the whole class. 

I try to implement all of these elements in my class maths programme too and found that it is very difficult to have a whole-class launch or Number Talk with my class as I have learners at Stage 5 and Stage 1-2. So I have to split the class into groups during the explicit teacher teaching time. For problem-solving, I often use Low floor - High ceiling problems so my students could participate and develop their confidence and creativity in maths.

Hands Up if You Think that You Are a Good Mathematician... - #5

In my first Class OnAir episode, I asked my students to raise their hands up if they think that they are good mathematicians... only 3 hands went up. It showed me that the students didn't have a positive attitude towards maths and didn't believe in themselves.

I also collected student voice - disposition data and discovered that all of my underachieving students had rather negative beliefs about themselves as mathematicians. It was a strong signal to start building up their confidence by talking about Growth Mindset and implementing Talk Moves to support the positive norms in maths class.

I believe that the positive learning classroom culture goes beyond the ‘classroom treaty’ created in the first week of school. The positive norms in maths class needed to be constructed together so that students know what is expected of them and for them to have the tools to respond to and meet those expectations.

I want my students to work collaboratively and engage in mathematical discussions by sharing and explaining their thinking and reflecting on the thinking of others. To achieve this we have ongoing discussions around how we work together and what is important to become better mathematicians.

I believe that my students have now started to value productive struggle and they are now keen to participate in our Number Talks as they aren't afraid to take risks and make mistakes.

The COVID period and its impact on my learners and inquiry.

Question: How has the Covid-19 period impacted the learners in your focus group? Will you need to make any changes to your Inquiry?

My focus students have shown consistent progress since T1 and that was assessed at the end of Term 2. I did Running records and other formative assessments including online and in-class observations. I also collected student voice about their distance learning experiences and literacy dispositions. 

For me, the COVID period was interesting for 2 reasons. First of all, it confirmed that the outcomes of my last year teaching inquiry and the tools I implemented are effective and help my students stay engaged and motivated. 

Secondly, my new teaching experiences and the structured Manaiakalani COL inquiry framework helped me shape my hypothesis and develop an intervention that I will start implementing this term. 

Before the COVID experience, I was thinking of a wider range of tools to accelerate my students in literacy; however, after referring to the research literature, analysing my own practice and my students’ voice, I decided to narrow my focus down to vocabulary and comprehension work.

Tomorrow, we’re having our reading PDL with Sheena Cameron and I hope it will help me to select the most effective strategies and tools that I could implement to support my inquiry.

Elena's COL Inquiry 2020 

Professional Reading #3: Teaching Children to Read

This review of the evidence-based scientific research literature helped me to think of my own teaching practice of reading and how can I improve it to achieve good progress for my students.

This review contains a lot of information about teaching at different levels including the early school years, and it resonates with another research that I shared in my last post. 

The researchers looked at different types of instructions and discussed their effectiveness in teaching vocabulary and comprehension strategies.

Analysing both of these research reports, I've identified my next steps and will focus on these areas when inquiring into my own teaching practice and reflecting on it in order to form my hypothesis and plan my intervention:

 - teaching vocabulary (activities, approaches, material)

 - selection of texts 

 - explicit teaching instructions 

 - reading comprehension strategies

Professional Reading #2: Read about it : Scientific Evidence for Effective Teaching of Reading by Kerry Hempenstall

Title: Read about it: scientific evidence for effective teaching of reading / Kerry Hempenstall; edited by Jennifer Buckingham.

Major reviews of research on reading agree on the key components of effective reading programs:

• Phonemic awareness: Knowledge of, and capacity to manipulate, the smallest distinct sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. 
• Phonics: Learning and using the relationships between sounds and letter-symbols to sound out (decode) written words. 
• Fluency: The ability to read accurately, quickly and expressively. Fluent readers are able to focus on reading for meaning. 
• Vocabulary: The words children need to know in order to comprehend and communicate. Oral vocabulary is the words children recognise or use in listening and speaking. Reading vocabulary is the words children recognise or use in reading and writing. 
• Comprehension: Extracting and constructing meaning from written text using knowledge of words, concepts, facts, and ideas. 

The author unpacked every key element providing multiple sources of research behind each of them. I believe that our schools have been doing a lot of instructional teaching of decoding and fluent reading and we now need to explicitly target vocabulary and comprehension strategies at early levels.

Kerry Hempenstall quoted a number of researchers stating that 'vocabulary has significant corpus of research. Hairrell, Rupley, and Simmons documented six reviews and two meta-analyses published between 1998 and 2009.168 The findings across age groups from preschool through to Year 12 highlighted how important was early vocabulary knowledge and hence instruction to academic success.'

Most of our students arrive at school still operating at the 3-year-old level of language development and they definitely require supplemental intervention in addition to classroom-based vocabulary instruction in order to make desired progress. As stated in the article, in a study by O’Connor, Bocian, Beebe-Frankenberger, and Linklater, intervention at the beginning of school produced far better outcomes than did intervening later in that first year.

This reading confirmed my hypothesis sharing the research findings and emphasising 'that a multiple strategy approach is necessary for vocabulary building. The features highlighted are direct instruction/explicit teaching, guided instruction, multiple encounters of the same words in varying contexts, working with a partner or small group, story retelling, use of props or concrete objects, comprehension and vocabulary discussion, and ensuring vocabulary instruction is embedded in all

curriculum areas.'

The author explored a number of research papers, summarised and explained the proven effective teaching instructions that have been effective for teaching vocabulary and comprehension. He also compared two approaches to teaching reading: explicit vs discovery.  'There is a strong body of research supportive of a

systematic, explicit approach generally, but particularly when it involves learning of new concepts and operations, and also for students who struggle with learning. By contrast, approaches that are student-led, systematic, and rely largely on personal discovery have not been supported by evidence.' 

I found his literature review very interesting and it resonates with my hypothesis that using DATs and explicit teaching of the 5 key elements of reading will accelerate our learners. I will definitely use this review when planning (or improving) my reading programme.

Professional Reading #1: Closing in on Close Reading by Nancy Boyles

After I have finalised my teaching focus: vocabulary (H-F, word building and meaning), increasing their general knowledge and comprehensive strategies, I referred to research literature to find out the most effective strategies, approaches and tools.

I looked at the professional blogs of my COL colleagues and looked at the research literacy they recommended. I was interested in what approaches can help with the students' vocabulary and text understanding at the same time. 

Article: Closing in on Close Reading by Nancy Boyles

N. Boyles describes three things junior teachers can try to effectively use close reading: 

• use more short text;
• aim for independent reading by posing questions that go beyond the content of the text to look at the structure, craft, and integration of ideas throughout the work; 
• teaching students to observe details clearly in anything they read and analyze how those details work together

I have been using close activities in my teaching practice; however, I now look at them from a slightly different angle. I guess I see more purpose behind this exercise and also some ideas of how to run them more efficiently.

I've noticed there is a big emphasis on sentence structure along with the word choice and comprehension strategies. I'll take this on board and include into my group teaching practice.

Student Voice: Literacy Dispositions

In my last post, I discussed how an understanding of my students' learner identities is crucial for effective teaching and learning. During the lockdown, I collected evidence of how taking into account their learner identities (e.g. personal identities, cultural and social backgrounds, academic performance and learning preferences) helps improve motivation and enhance students' learning outcomes. This confirmed that my hunch about coherence in putting my students at the very centre of their learning and making their learning experiences authentic is crucial for their engagement and achievements and it makes a big difference in their learning outcomes.

As one of my inquiry next steps, I asked my students to complete a questionnaire about their literacy dispositions. It required my students to think critically about their own learning, self-evaluate and self-reflect. It was not very easy for my year 2 and 3 students. In the beginning, they said it was very hard and they were not sure. However, with my prompts, they started to talk about their learning in small groups sharing their ideas. It was very interesting to observe them making the first steps in thinking about their learning! After the small group discussions, I asked them to complete the questionnaire. Most of the year 3's students became very excited to express their thought and even asked if they could help younger learners with their forms. To keep the results and data truthful, all the students were asked to complete the survey independently. 

My preliminary findings showed:

• differences in students' personal interests (as expected)
• 53% students would prefer to create their own stories over recounts, reports and poems (was a surprise for me)
• girls like reading more than boys (as expected)
• the vast majority said that shared brainstorming helps them in writing (73%)
• 40% of students found that doing 'hands-on' activities help them understand topics better
• 53% use vocabulary displayed around the class to support their learning
• the vast majority identified that they need help with an understanding of unfamiliar words

Analyzing their answers and referring back to my own findings drawn from the formative and summative assessments, I finalised my teaching focus to accelerate my students in literacy: vocabulary (H-F, word building and meaning), increasing their general knowledge and comprehensive strategies. 

My next step is to make a hypothesis and do literature research to best advance my teaching practice and make an informed decision about tools and approaches that I need to implement in order to improve my students' achievements.

2019 Inquiry Stocktake

During my last year inquiry about students' intellectual and cognitive engagement, I focused on providing real opportunities for my students to become interested in their learning. I believe that my cross-curricular approach led to their increased motivation, genuine cognitive engagement and the rewarding achievement data at the end of 2019.

I’ve used the ‘Inquiry Stocktake’ doc to reflect on my TAI 2019 and think about how I can improve my teaching practice this year.

What worked well in 2019: 

cross-curricular teaching, collecting student voice and building on their interest and prior knowledge, being observed by my COL colleagues and ALiM facilitators and receiving their feedback, working with data

Last year, I used a cross-curricular approach trying to extend our inquiry learning through various reading, writing and math activities and show my students a real purpose of each part of the Learn-Create-Share process.

I believe that I developed a range of teaching strategies and created tasks, follow-up and independent activities that supported my students not to just stay engaged and motivated during our projects but retain their new knowledge and skills and be able to apply them in real life for a real purpose.
Learning from observations: It was good to have a COL observation and numerous ALIM observations followed by discussions and feedback from my COL colleagues and the AliM facilitator.
Collecting my colleagues' voice was an interesting experience as I'd never done this before. It helped me to critically reflect on my practice, feel appreciated but also plan my next steps for improvement.
Collecting student voice in T2 about relationships and in T3 about communication helped me to identify the areas to pay more attention to. I'm glad that the students were feeling safe, happy and learnt a lot in my class (according to what they said:-)
Analyzing data and effectively using it for my planning. As a result, all of my students showed great progress in all areas of learning.

Challenges that I had in 2019: 

having a Y2/3 composite class and time challenge 

Having Year 2 and 3 students in a class was a bit challenging due to their age-specific differences (same as this year). Reflecting on my 2019 TAI, I need to better control myself in order to slow down as I don't want my students to rush through their activities as it will affect their learning outcomes and experiences. On the other hand, my advanced learners also have to be continuously challenged and engaged. It requires a lot of planning and preparations. I have to remind myself that although I have high expectations for all of my students, I must keep it less challenging for my younger students to make sure they are feeling successful and motivated.

As a professional, I am constantly learning. Whether we (teachers) are learning through PD reading or during internal or external PLD sessions, we are being exposed to a lot of new and important information that is supposed to enhance our skills and knowledge. However, there's a big difference between absorbing information and putting it into practice. Without applying newly gained knowledge, the training people have received will go to waste. It's important to have a strategy and time for implementing new learning.

The support I need in 2020

I am going to reach out to other teachers who proved to be effective practitioners, members of the Woolf Fisher research team and the Manaiakalani team to help me connect with other teachers who are passionate about the integrated curriculum.
Currently, I am meeting with GTS Principal and DP fortnightly to discuss what I’m doing to support other teachers and plan the next steps.

Motivation and Cognitive Engagement in Learning Environments

Reading: Motivation and Cognitive Engagement in Learning Environments

Blumenfeld, P. C., Kempler, T. M., & Krajcik, J. S. (2006). Motivation and Cognitive Engagement in Learning Environments. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of: The learning sciences (pp. 475-488). New York, NY, US: Cambridge University

Press.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232418824_Motivation_and_Cognitive_Engagement_in_Learning_Environments 

Synopsis

In this reading, the authors briefly review the literature on motivation and cognitive engagement and discuss how the key features of learning environments are likely to influence them. They indicate some challenges for students and for teachers, which may have negative effects on motivation and describe strategies for meeting these challenges.

Motivation

When we think of student engagement in learning activities, it is often convenient to understand engagement with an activity as being represented by good behaviour (i.e. behavioural engagement), positive feelings (i.e. emotional engagement), and, above all, student thinking (i.e. cognitive engagement) (Fredricks, 2014).

I'm constantly trying to target all three types of engagement. I clearly see that project-based learning fosters student motivation and, as a result, student engagement. Reflecting on my practice, I see a big shift in my understanding of how to motivate and get my students intellectually, emotionally and cognitively engaged. However, I believe that personal and professional learning never stops, so I like to read more about this aspect of pedagogy and implement successfully-proven practices in my classroom.

How will it help me? How has it helped me?

Interestingly, the authors identified the same challenges that I face and have to meet in my daily work. They talk about using students' interests and the importance of incorporating topics that students find interesting (dinosaurs, space, etc). The challenge for the teacher is to make sure that while students are working on these topics, they focus not only on seductive details but the new and essential learning is happening. My role as a teacher is to guide my students and create meaningful and purposeful learning experiences that have value and cater to my students' interests and their needs at the same time. Relatedness is another aspect that contributes to student engagement. Our school values of FIRE (Fun, Integrity< Respect and Excellence) are extremely important as they allow my students to feel safe and appreciated during their learning experiences. This promotes collaboration, which in turn results in a higher level of cognitive and emotional engagement. Another challenge for keeping students cognitively and intellectually engaged is a lack of skills and knowledge.

So What?

To overcome these challenges, I will continue to create a positive learning environment, use a cross-curricular approach and some of the ALL/ALiM strategies e.g:

• Plan for teaching/learning
• Frontload topic-related knowledge
• Ensure that the learning environment is safe for sharing ideas.
• Develop students' confidence to present their ideas, knowing that they will be listened to and valued.
• Have a shared understanding that mistakes are an important part of learning.
• Building up their topic-related vocabulary
• Support students to communicate their ideas. (Maths talk strategies e.g. revoicing, wait time, etc) 
• Use of technology to enhance their learning 
• Foster and maintain students' interests