Pre-requisites

ES6110 Primary Mathematics: Foundation

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

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

• Demonstrate and apply expert content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and knowledge and understanding of research on current theory and practice with a biblical worldview in order to plan for highly effective and differentiated teaching in Mathematics, including the evaluation of technologies for enhancing teaching and learning, in order to promote mathematical thinking

• Analyse and synthesise numeracy requirements across the whole primary curriculum, teaching and learning

• Analyse and understand how socio-cultural circumstances, school policies and procedures, educational theory and other educational contexts can facilitate 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.

• Apply sound judgement and knowledge to analyse assessment data from a range of assessments such as formal and informal diagnostic, formative and summative assessment and determine students’ numeracy proficiencies and learning needs, and plan differentiated learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students across the full range of abilities, including students with additional needs and gifted students

• Demonstrate knowledge, understanding and application of research into how students learn numeracy, appropriate pedagogical practices to support numeracy learning, and a range of teaching strategies and resources, including ICT to expand learning of diverse students, including EALD students and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, while respecting their histories, cultures and languages.

Unit Description

This subject builds on ES611 Primary Mathematics and focuses on developing expert content knowledge in Mathematics as well as pedagogical content knowledge, and the integration of these for developing highly effective teaching strategies relevant to teaching Mathematics.

Current developments in understanding factors impacting upon the teaching of Mathematics and numeracy (such as diverse learning needs including gifted and talented students, whole school mathematics and numeracy programs) will be critically analysed. The unit also covers the impacts of integrating ICT into mathematics and numeracy programs to advance students’ numeracy proficiencies.

The unit enables students to extend their knowledge and skills in the teaching of mathematics and numeracy for the primary years. It develops understanding of assessment and data-analysis for identifying the learning needs of students, including those with additional needs and gifted students. The unit examines current developments for advancing and integrating numeracy in Mathematics and across the curriculum. The unit will engage with educational theory to advance knowledge and skills in developing curriculum, and planning learning experiences and assessment strategies for students with diverse needs in order to improve numeracy proficiencies through the mathematics discipline as well as across all curriculum areas. The research showing numeracy as a fundamental component of learning, discourse and critique across all curriculum areas will also be analysed.

Key Reading: Goos, Merrilyn; Dole, Shelley; Geiger, Vince. In Australian Mathematics Teacher. 2012 68(1):3-7. Accessed from: Numeracy across the Curriculum: EBSCOhost

Topics

1. Core elements of mathematical knowledge and competency
2. Educational theory and pedagogies for teaching Mathematics including the importance of explicit instruction, scaffolding, practice and problem solving in developing student proficiency in mathematical skills and concepts.
3. Policy documents and school processes for advancing numeracy learning and teaching in the classroom.
4. Research-based highly effective teaching strategies in Mathematics
5. Biblical worldview in the Mathematics classroom
6. Apply a Christian perspective to factors impacting upon the teaching of mathematics and numeracy.
7. Analysis and evaluation of numeracy programs
8. Analysing student data to identify numeracy proficiencies and learning needs (e.g. PAT, Essential Assessment, NAPLAN data)
9. Differentiating teaching and supporting students with additional needs in mathematics and numeracy learning (showing understanding and development of a multitiered framework in a classroom setting.)
10. Analysing programs and strategies to challenge and engage gifted students in Mathematics

Learning Experiences

Topic 2: The importance of Independent Problem-Solving cc 2.5.4 Objective: To help students understand the significance of independent problem-solving, practice teaching skills and develop communication skills. 1) Pair up students and assign each pair a challenging mathematical problem. 2) Each student should first attempt to solve the problem independently. 3) Then, students come together to discuss their solutions and methods. 4) One student teaches the other how they approached and solved the problem, and vice versa. 5) Encourage pairs to develop a joint solution, integrating the best strategies from both.

Assessment and Indicative Load

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

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Unit offerings

Face to face: (Demand based)

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.