Mia's Teaching Journey

In the past we would learn the skill, whereas now we start with the mathematical understandings. Planning takes time. Consider what you want for your students to learn in terms of big ideas - rather than strategies you're going to teach. NZ Maths Home Page - Curriculum Elaborations, under this 'Key Ideas of Mathematics'. These are no finite, they are infinite. Big idea is CENTRAL to the learning of mathematics, big ideas make connections. Big ideas develop a deep understanding of mathematics.  Step 1: You need to know the curriculum. Do you research google: 'Key mathematical ideas', you must understand these ideas. Books such as Van de Walle are great.  Step 2: Think about your students Think about what they bring to the classroom culturally and mathematically.  Put current knowledge and interests at the centre of your instructional decision making How can you best present mathematical concepts can match your students prior knowledge base? Step 3: Deci...

There is no learning that doesn't require a lens on language. LANGUAGE carries the concepts and meaning. When you put the LENS of the language on the topic of the domain you are working in, you need to think, how are you going to do this so it results in heightened levels of language. You have got to be really discerning about what you are doing, could we honestly say in all the work that we are doing, whatever level, are our children having heightened level of complexity as their capabilities? This is something we need to constantly be thinking about. Where does language occur? Spoken form, print. What we have got to be thinking of.. we could have mileage in print and spoken form - but our question has to be - is it heightening their level of understanding and being able to produce themselves.  ORAL LANGUAGE  Thinking and Meaning Concept Knowledge Vocabulary Langaue Structures READING - WRITING Learners need to try out language and expr...

In our community, a long time ago (1990), we decided we had significant problems. A group of principals wrote to the crown to seek improvement. First contract application to the crown brought 1 million dollars. Working in clusters, using meta analysis has improved our student outcomes.  Leaping forward to the year 2007 - Schooling Improvement - Beginning of Manaiakalani Movement from the analogue age into the digital age. Above are the 4 things, that for sure , that change schools, classrooms, teachers and outcomes for our tamariki. Developing Pedagogical Knowledge - What changes school for kids? How do you test your friends and colleagues the theories that you have about the pedagogy that you are trying to use with your learners? How do we share our processes and knowledge so that more people can do it.  Teacher's who can strategise to maximise learners - What we are trying to do is make sure we are linking evidence to practise - school learners will soc...