St Joseph’s School Payneham Numeracy Agreement
2023
WHOLE SHOOL MATHEMATICS AND NUMERACY COMMITMENT 2023 Rationale: Teaching and learning of Mathematics at St. Joseph’s Payneham is a key improvement priority. Over time, data measures such as NAPLAN Numeracy and PAT-Maths have fluctuated. This is evident across all three strands of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics but is most evident in the Number and Algebra strand. Therefore, consistency around teacher knowledge and practice in Mathematics is essential, particularly in relation to Number Sense. Big Ideas in Number Number is related to all Australian Curriculum mathematics strands through the aspects of counting, magnitude and order. Number also underpins the General Capability of Numeracy. Research indicates that number impacts on more than 70% of the mathematics within our curriculum (DECD Literacy and Numeracy First: Primary Years Focus). Number should therefore constitute approximately 70% of mathematics teaching and should be reflected in planning. Curriculum •
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Teachers plan, teach, assess and report according to the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. Teacher planning incorporates the 3 strands of Number and Algebra; Measurement and Geometry and; Statistics and Probability. Teacher planning also incorporates the 4 proficiency strands of Fluency; Understanding; Reasoning and Problem Solving. Teachers refer to the Numeracy Continuum (ACARA) to determine each student’s individual capabilities and development in Mathematics. Teachers provide a minimum of 300 minutes of instruction time in Mathematics per week.
Components of a Mathematics Lesson The structure of a Mathematics lesson is outlined below. The order in which components are implemented may vary depending on the nature of the lesson. For example, whole class explicit teaching may take place before small group instruction/differentiated activity if the teacher is teaching a particular skill or concept. On the other hand, it may take place directly after small group instruction/differentiated activity when the teacher has identified common misconceptions. Likewise, the reflection component can be incorporated into a lesson when the teacher deems that there is valuable information that needs to be shared with the larger group. This works to provoke student thinking during the lesson and enable them to adjust/adapt if necessary.