IMPACT ON STUDENT

LEARNING
By Hannah Pugliese
Classroom Context
◦ Located within North Eastern suburbs with approximately 400 students
◦ Whole school focus on engagement of students in learning
◦ School strongly support wellbeing as a priority for students
◦ 3/4 class of 30 students
◦ 6 students on Negotiated Education Plans (NEP) of different levels
◦ 3 students who learn English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD)
◦ 3 students on Individual Learning Plans (ILP) as they identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
◦ Several students with learning difficulties
◦ Complex behavioural issues
3 Focus Students
◦ Student 1
◦ Year 3 on a NEP who frequently disengages needs SSO support when available
◦ Struggled with using algorithms
◦ Goal for this student was to be able to count a sum of coins
◦ Achieving below average year 3 level
◦ Student 2
◦ Year 3 student on an ILP
◦ Often rushes to finish work to move on to next task leading to mistakes
◦ Goal for this student was to slow down and refine skills
◦ Achieving at average year 3 level
◦ Student 3
◦ Year 4 student often is distracted and off task need redirecting
◦ Goal for this student was to use algorithms correctly as they could articulate concepts but were unable to record working out
◦ Achieving at average year 4 level
 Sequenced Lessons Focus
◦ Year 3: Represent money values in multiple ways and count the change required for simple transactions to the
nearest five cents ACMNA059
◦ Year 4: Solve problems involving purchases and the calculation of change to the nearest five cents with and
without digital technologies ACMNA080
◦ Backward learning design approach to planning and assessment (Teaching for Effective Learning Framework in
The Department for Education 2017)
◦ Following lessons structure
◦ Assessment of prior knowledge http://hannahpugliese.weebly.com/lesson-1.html
◦ Finding total amounts of coins http://hannahpugliese.weebly.com/lesson-2.html
◦ Total cost of more than one shop item http://hannahpugliese.weebly.com/lesson-3.html
◦ Student 1
◦ Had no working out, I don’t believe she knew how to make sums using algorithms
◦ Addition of total cost was incorrect
◦ Student could identify that she put $10 in the bag and drew the correct note and that she
would receive $1 change and drew the coin correctly
Lesson 1
◦ Student 2
◦ Could correctly identify total cost of lunch order Learning intention is to gather
baseline data of students
◦ Could not calculate change correctly
current understanding of
◦ Very little working out detailed and does not make a lot of sense money and financial maths
◦ Student 3 Assessment:
◦ Uses chunking addition strategies and attempts algorithms - Checklist of skills outlined
◦ Can successfully find total cost and change in previous slide
- Baseline data provided to
◦ Reflections: inform scaffolding and
differentiation needed
◦ Need to work on algorithms and finding totals as a starting point
◦ Differentiation needed to be stronger with much more scaffolding for students in - Formative observation
following lessons through whole class
discussion
◦ This lesson was an investigation lesson to discover prior knowledge whereas now I have
my baseline data I could provide a scaffolded lesson focused on direct instruction and
modelling (Reys et al. 2012)
Changes in Practice
◦ Needed to begin with finding totals using addition strategies
◦ Trialling a Mental Routine
◦ Based on Baker (2018) structure
◦ Students are provided with differentiated questioning that caters success for all
◦ Students have concrete material to work with
◦ Using mental computation
◦ Aims to develop understanding of the necessary mathematical vocabulary and supports 4 mathematical proficiencies of
the Australian Curriculum
◦ Scaffolding by giving students option to continue with a more complex task when they have finished initial
task
◦ Student 1
◦ Still used concrete manipulatives to complete task
◦ Followed loosely the modelled structure of the algorithm but did not use it
◦ Used a form of chunking addition to find totals
◦ Received SSO support to set out initial algorithm
Lesson 2
◦ Student 2
Learning intention is to develop
◦ Recorded working out in a form of chunking understanding of finding totals
◦ Errors in addition
Assessment
◦ Student 3 - Formative assessment with
◦ Used chunking strategies to find totals a show of thumbs
◦ Did not utilise anchor chart and made own in book which took up time and student was
- Thumbs up – feeling
unable to move past first task
confident
- Thumbs down – not
◦ Reflection understanding at all
◦ Again needed much more differentiation, I found myself forgetting the students - Half half thumbs – need
performing well below average, need a scaffolded middle ground to successfully achieve
more practice
the gradual release of responsibility as students work independently (Groundwater-Smith,
Ewing & Le Cornu 2015)
◦ Need to further refine my mental routine to support quicker mental computation
Follow up Lessons on Algorithms
◦ In the week between previous lesson and following lesson students have…
◦ Found totals using algorithms and a similar alphabet sheet which shows only coins, not notation
◦ Students have trialled doing worded problems without modelled support (unsuccessful and students needed explicit
support)
◦ Further development of mental routine with increasing competency

◦ Influence on future planning

◦ Needed to again focus on an instruction based lesson (Reys et al. 2012) with explicit modelling of what words to look
for in worded problems
◦ Need to trial challenge aspect of mental routine (Baker 2018)
◦ Formative assessment is very difficult with thumbs process, I am trialling a jar system with the same concept so I can
record the results
◦ Student 1
◦ Student still wasn’t using algorithms until I pointed it out to them during the lesson
◦ Could successfully use mental computations to solve problems but not able to record
◦ Uses counting on strategies
Lesson 3
◦ Student 2
Assessment
◦ Began to see the usefulness of using algorithms when there's a decimal
- Aimed to me assessment as
◦ Is lining numbers up on the left of the page rather than vertically learning where students are
◦ Incorrect placement of numbers lead to some errors reflecting on their own
ability providing the
◦ Student 3 beginnings of self
◦ Use algorithms to begin with but then resorted back to chunking addition regulation in learning in
terms of where their
◦ Using a method of counting on with this chunking current understanding is
and where they aim to be
◦ Reflections (William et al. 2010)
◦ The students need to move on to counting change but given later tasks that are - This will be clarified at the
planned with budgeting and shops they will use these strategies again for further end of the unit with student
practice feedback
◦ Still find they are using chunking addition
Follow up Lessons
◦ Moving on to calculating change in word problems
◦ Using simple budgets to make shopping lists
◦ Creating a budget for a day at the Royal Adelaide Show
◦ Engaging in simple money transactions to create their own showbags buying a
new item each day
◦ Differentiated groups to focus on specific skills for the final week of the unit
◦ Completing feedback forms to self assess their learning
Assessment
◦ Calculating total cost was a skill used during a budgeting assessment piece and ability to calculate
shopping lists and change in a mini shop scenario
◦ Students completed a self review at end of the unit against skills assessed
◦ Student feedback revealed students views on their own learning
◦ Student 1 did not feel confident at the end of the unit, her tasks ended up being purely addition of coins
as this was something she struggled with
◦ Student 2 was very confident in his ability to complete each of the learning goals
◦ Student 3 was highly reflective and took ownership of her learning in refereeing her ability to use
algorithms towards the end of the unit
References
Baker, A 2018, ‘Natural Maths Mental Routine Ebook’ in Natural Maths cited 23rd September 2018
<https://naturalmaths.com.au/store/mental-routines-course>.
Department for Education 2017, ‘Teaching for Effective Learning Framework’ in South Australia Department for
Education cited 20th September 2018 <https://www.education.sa.gov.au/teaching/teaching-effective-
learning/teaching-effective-learning-framework#overviews>.
Groundwater-Smith, S, Ewing, R, Le Cornu, R 2015, ‘Teaching Challenges and Dilemmas’, Cengage Learning,
Victoria Australia.
Reys, R, Lindquist, M, Lambdin, D, Smith, N, Rogers, A, Falle, J, Frid, S 2012, ‘Helping children learn
mathematics’ John Wiley & Sons Australia, Qld, Australia.
William, D, Lee, C, Harrison, C, Black, P 2010, ‘Teachers developing assessment for learning: impact on
student achievement’ in Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, vol. 11, no 1.