Focussed for Term 4

I'ts already Term 4 (how did that happen?!). This inquiry has been in motion for three terms so far. More importantly my learners are approaching their end of year testing, and I am going to find out just how successful this inquiry has been.

Some things I have learned:

• A number of my learners who are working Below the national standard are low in maths knowledge. This is affecting their ability to use higher level strategies, and to solve higher level problems correctly or efficiently.
• There are no short cuts when it comes to learning basic facts. To learn them means to memorise them, and you can only progress so far in maths without them.
• Kids need to be taught specifically how to learn basic facts. You cannot simply provide time and resources for them and expect them to be successful. It is vital that a percentage of your teaching time is being used for knowledge learning.
• Kids enjoy learning basic facts (well perhaps not the wrote learning part, but they love them once they know them), and it can be an area where they see success and therefore grow confidence.

With less than 2 weeks left before testing begins, there is little time to teach new knowledge or strategies. Instead I will be spending the remaining time before testing consolidating strategies and knowledge, in the hope that we have brought up their maths knowledge to a more even level with their strategy use.

After that, I will have to reflect on and analyse the data to first see how we went, but also to work out how to best fill holes before they move onto a new year level.