Pre-requisites

ES6110 Primary Mathematics: Founations

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the significance of numeracy skills across various subjects and educational contexts, including the ability to articulate the importance of numeracy integration.

• Analyse and understand how socio-cultural circumstances, school policies and procedures, educational theory and other educational contexts can facilitate and/or impede students’ numeracy learning and explore ways for advancing numeracy learning and teaching in the classroom to ensure all students are able to maximise their learning.

• Critically review and demonstrate understanding of formal and informal diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student numeracy proficiency, and strategies for reporting progress to students and parents/carers.

• Develop strategies to actively engage parents and carers in their children’s numeracy education, recognising the crucial role these stakeholders play in students’ numeracy development.

• Apply knowledge and judgement to interpret assessment data to evaluate students’ numeracy proficiencies and learning needs, and plan differentiated teaching practices and learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students across the full range of abilities.

• Demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of research into how students learn numeracy, appropriate pedagogical practices to support numeracy learning, a range of numeracy teaching strategies and resources, including ICT to expand learning of diverse students, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and EAD/L students.

Unit Description

This unit analyses the requirements for numeracy in teaching and learning across the curriculum. The unit includes developing knowledge and understanding of policy documents and school processes, and knowledge and understanding of research-based educational theory required for improving numeracy teaching and learning across the curriculum. You will develop an understanding of a range of factors that impact on students’ numeracy learning and knowledge and understanding of how students become numerate.

Through the unit, you will examine a range of diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies for assessing students’ numeracy proficiencies, and strategies for reporting this information to parents/carers. You will develop knowledge, skills and understanding required to analyse assessment data, determine students’ proficiencies and learning needs, and plan differentiated learning goals and experiences to address a range of learning needs for diverse groups of children, including EALD, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The unit covers appropriate pedagogies, teaching strategies and resources to support numeracy learning which you will apply to plan responses to students’ numeracy needs. Further to teachers’ practices, you will recognise the role of parents/carers in progressing students’ numeracy and will develop strategies to support their engagement. The unit incorporates Christian faith, worldview and scripture related to teaching and learning processes.

This unit also focuses on developing your own high standards of numeracy as you complete the unit.

Topics

1. Understanding the numerical dimension of everyday life and why it is “across the curriculum”

Key Reading Goos, M., & O’Sullivan, K. (2022, November 22). Numeracy Across the Curriculum. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Retrieved 27 May. 2025, from https://oxfordre.com/education/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-1530.

1. Understanding the range of knowledge, skills and elements of numerical competency
2. Assessing numeracy and identifying needs – becoming familiar with assessment and reporting tools (e.g. PAT, NAPLAN, Essential Assessments)
3. Factors that impact on students’ numeracy learning - socio-cultural circumstances, school policies and procedures, educational theory and other educational contexts
4. How students develop numeracy skills
   a) pedagogy b) explicit teaching strategies c) Progressive removal of scaffolding as students become more proficient through a range of mathematical concepts and skills, thinking skills as appropriate across curriculum areas. d) resources
5. Working with diverse student groups to develop numeracy proficiencies
6. Designing effective lessons across the curriculum - the importance of vocabulary, identifying the mathematical ideas and applying numerical ideas to solving and describing problems
7. Learning how to analyse numeracy assessment data to identify learning needs and modify teaching practice
8. Designing effective multi-tiered frameworks to support numeracy learning for diverse learners
9. Differentiating numeracy learning goals
10. Strategies for supporting parents/carers’ engagement in children’s numeracy learning including reporting and feedback strategies.

Learning Experiences

Topic 5(c) cc2.5.3
From modelling to Independence.
1) In Groups, PSTs are given a scenario card that specifies:
- Year level
- Curriculum content descriptor
- Numeracy skill in context

PSTs identify:
- The underlying mathematical concepts
- The discipline-specific application

2) PSTs use the “I do - we do - you do” model to plan explicit instruction of the identified mathematical concepts within the context of the subject discipline.
- including mathematical thinking prompts
- General thinking skills
- link to the Australian Curriculum numeracy progression.

3) Micro-teaching opportunity. PSTs choose one group member to be the teacher who teachers the lesson sequence:
- 2 - 3 minutes per stage of scaffolding
- include intentional fading of supports

4) Reflect as a group on the process.
Include:
- Clarity
- Appropriateness of scaffolding and pace of removal.
- Integration of mathematical thinking prompts.

5) Write an individual reflection:
- how they balance concept and skill teaching.
- what they learnt about scaffold removal timing.

Assessment and Indicative Load

Assessment types include Minor Essay and Project. Indicative study load is 140 hours.

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Unit offerings

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.