Professional Readings

Professional Readings that helped me formed my Hypotheses:

1. "Visible Learning for Mathematics" – Hattie, Fisher & Frey (2017)

Key Insight:
This book emphasises what works best to improve student learning in maths, based on meta-analyses of thousands of studies. It highlights that one of the most impactful strategies is when teachers make learning intentions and success criteria visible to students, and actively teach students how to monitor their own progress.

How it helped form a hypothesis:
Based on this, I hypothesised that students in my class were struggling not just because of the complexity of the Maths No Problem programme, but also because they weren’t always clear about what success looked like. This supported my decision to integrate more co-constructed success criteria and verbal scaffolding, especially when unpacking word problems.

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2. "Mathematics for Young Children: An Active Thinking Approach" – Bobis, Mulligan & Lowrie (2013)

Key Insight:
This text explores how conceptual understanding in number develops through structured visual models and pattern recognition. It argues that children need repeated, explicit opportunities to see how numbers relate to each other—not just to compute answers.

How it helped form a hypothesis:
From this, I began to question whether students were being asked to solve complex problems too early, without first developing flexible number sense. This reading validated the need to "peel back" the Maths No Problem questions and revisit basic strategies—helping to ensure students had the mental models needed before tackling more abstract reasoning.

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3. NZC Resource: "Teaching Primary Mathematics" – Ministry of Education (TKI)

Key Insight:
The New Zealand Curriculum and associated resources on TKI stress the importance of culturally responsive teaching, cross-strand integration, and using rich tasks that connect maths to real-world experiences. It also promotes differentiated instruction that meets students at their learning level.

How it helped form a hypothesis:
I reflected that while Maths No Problem is a strong programme, it may not always connect to the lived experiences of my students or align with the contexts that engage them most. This led to the hypothesis that integrating strand content and hands-on, relevant tasks earlier in the year would boost both understanding and motivation—especially for learners who find abstract number work challenging.

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Additional Sources That Influenced My Thinking:

• Student voice and reflections – helped me see that students often felt “shut down” when faced with unfamiliar problem contexts.

• Classroom observation notes – showed that some students were highly capable with number when strand or real-life applications were introduced.

• Colleague collaboration and PLD discussions – reinforced the idea that structured scaffolding and vocabulary unpacking were critical for student success with problem solving.

Using Baseline Data to Track Maths Progress

 As part of my student achievement challenge—to raise maths achievement for my Year 7 and 8 learners and ensure they are well-prepared for high school—I have collected a range of data to build a clear profile of where each learner is currently at. This data will serve as baseline evidence to compare against end-of-year achievement and measure the impact of targeted teaching strategies.

1. Formative Assessment Tasks (Term 1 & 2)

In-class activities, such as number knowledge quizzes, problem-solving tasks, and exit tickets from the Maths No Problem programme, have helped me identify gaps in students’ understanding of core number strategies. These formative tools give insight into students’ confidence and fluency in:

• Place value understanding

• Basic facts recall

• Applying the correct operations in multi-step problems

At the end of the year, I will repeat similar formative tasks (modified for progression) to measure growth in confidence, accuracy, and reasoning.

2. Diagnostic Testing and Observations

I used initial PAT Maths data and school-wide numeracy assessments to identify students below, at, and above expected curriculum levels. Combined with observational notes taken during collaborative problem-solving, these data points give a rich picture of both cognitive and affective aspects of learning (e.g. persistence, use of strategies, peer collaboration).

End-of-year diagnostic tools will allow me to directly compare shifts in these achievement levels, and determine whether more students are working confidently at or above curriculum expectations.

3. Student Work Samples

Work samples from maths books and Maths No Problem workbooks have been collected across the term. These samples illustrate:

• How well students unpack and solve word problems

• Their ability to explain their thinking (written and oral)

• Growth in using visual strategies like bar models

These will be compared against samples from Term 4, looking specifically at whether students can independently solve complex problems and show their thinking clearly and accurately.

4. Student Voice and Reflections

Students have completed goal-setting and reflection tasks about their learning in maths. This qualitative data gives insight into their self-perception, confidence, and attitudes toward maths. By gathering similar reflections at the end of the year, I can track whether students feel more capable and prepared for high school maths expectations.

Blog Post: Unpacking the Challenge – Raising Maths Achievement for Intermediate Learners

One of the biggest student challenges I’ve identified this year is the need to lift achievement levels in mathematics for my Year 7 and 8 learners. This challenge isn't just about improving test scores—it's about ensuring my students are equipped with the foundational skills and mathematical thinking needed to transition successfully into high school, where expectations increase and content becomes more complex.

The Nature of the Challenge

Despite the implementation of the Maths No Problem programme across our school, it has become evident that a significant number of students in my class are still operating below the expected level. Many struggle with applying basic number strategies confidently, particularly when these are embedded in the complex, multi-step word problems that the programme presents. This has required a shift in how I deliver the content and the type of scaffolding I provide to support understanding.

Finding 1: Students Require Deeper Conceptual Understanding of Number

Evidence:
During Term 1, formative assessment data, including pre-tests and observations from guided practice sessions, revealed that while students could sometimes solve problems, they lacked a deep understanding of the underlying number concepts. For instance, many students could not explain why a particular strategy worked or how it could be adapted for a different context.
In response, we began "peeling back" the Maths No Problem problems—removing the context and isolating the number operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). This step allowed students to focus on mastering key number strategies without the added complexity of unfamiliar language or multi-step problem contexts.

Finding 2: Word Problems Need to Be Deconstructed for Accessibility

Evidence:
As we worked through Chapters 1 to 5 of the workbooks, students often stalled during the problem-solving phase due to the language and complexity of the word problems. Through student voice (class discussions, conferences, and written reflections), it became clear that vocabulary, problem phrasing, and the expectations of multiple steps were acting as barriers to engagement and success.

This led to a deliberate move toward co-constructing problems with students and using visual supports like bar models and number lines. We also made the decision to integrate oral language strategies into maths time, helping students talk through their thinking before writing it down.

Finding 3: Earlier Integration of Strand is Necessary

Evidence:
Although Maths No Problem places a strong emphasis on number in the first two terms, student engagement noticeably increased when strand elements (geometry, measurement, and statistics) were introduced in context. For example, incorporating measurement into our practical lessons this term (as our topic focus was Planet, Earth and Beyond)—provided students with opportunities to apply number skills in meaningful ways.
Class assessments and work samples showed improved outcomes when learning was connected to hands-on, visual tasks. This confirmed the need to weave strand content into our number focus earlier in the year, rather than waiting for Term 3 and 4.

The Way Forward

Lifting achievement in mathematics is an ongoing journey that requires flexibility, responsiveness, and a commitment to deepening understanding—not just covering content. As I continue this inquiry, my focus is on:

• Embedding number strategy teaching within rich, real-world contexts.

• Continuing to differentiate support by unpacking and simplifying problems where needed.

• Integrating strand content earlier to support engagement and mathematical connections.

• Using assessment and student voice to inform teaching decisions regularly.

Ultimately, my goal is to build confident learners who can reason, justify, and apply their knowledge flexibly—skills that will serve them well as they transition into the demands of high school learning.

Preliminary Findings 2025

My preliminary findings highlight a clear need to adapt my teaching practices to better support the transition of my primary students into secondary mathematics, particularly around the teaching sequence and teaching considerations of Phase 3 of the refreshed Maths curriculum. 

My current assessment data indicates that a third of my learners are currently working at Phase 2, suggesting a potential gap between their current understanding and the demands of the next phase. 

This discrepancy could contribute to students feeling unsupported as they navigate the increased complexity and different pedagogical approaches often encountered in secondary mathematics. 

Further investigation into specific areas of Phase 3 that pose the biggest challenges for my learners will likely be beneficial in tailoring my instructional strategies. 

I have come up with some goals for myself, to help with my inquiry this year:

1. Develop my teacher content knowledge - start doing the maths - understanding the concepts, anticipating student thinking, and choosing the right strategies and models.
2. Develop an effective Maths Programme: Ensuring my teaching instructions are explicit and the learners understand it - making sure I am creating rich tasks for my students - communication is clear and that I develop a positive relationship with maths. This is huge for me because growing up, maths was always a complicated learning area for me. Now, as a teacher, I have to change my mindset and grow to love the subject. 
   

I'm really fortunate to be working closely with our Manaiakalani Maths Facilitator - Elena. Fortunately we used to be colleagues but now, I look to her for expertise and top tips for my journey with year with Maths.

Maths Staff Meeting

 

Glen Taylor School was very fortunate to have Elena facilitate an exceptional and highly beneficial staff meeting on the last day of Term 1.

The session effectively addressed the critical importance of teacher competence and confidence in mathematics education. Elena's unpacking of the refreshed New Zealand Mathematics and Statistics curriculum, with a particular focus on the UKD structure, provided valuable clarity and direction. 

The integration of the science of learning into practical planning strategies, spanning comprehensive programme design to weekly and lesson-level implementation, was particularly insightful. 

The emphasis on assessment practices further enhanced the session's practical value, equipping us with the tools and knowledge to develop a truly comprehensive teaching and learning programme. The meeting was well-structured, informative, and directly applicable to our classroom practice.