Unpacking coaching conversations in Numeracy in primary and secondary school settings

1. Unpacking coaching conversations in Numeracy in primary and secondary school settings Ghiran Byrne Linda Dimos Silvia Kalevitch NMR

2. Structure • Silvia Kalevitch - Whole school approach • Ghiran Byrne - Conversations to build a maths culture in the classroom 3. Linda Dimos - Conversations at the individual level

3. Unpacking coaching conversations in Numeracy in Secondary School settings Silvia Kalevitch

4. First impressions… • 2o school settings: structure not as clear (huge schools) • Issues getting started as a coach, managed these & started getting accepted/credibility • Teachers picked for coaching not necessarily most suited (class room management issues, not ready…) • Observed everyone doing own thing – no consistency, course not there, kids doing different things in different classes & given different assessment… • No base line  How can we teach to improve student outcome??? ??? Impact of Coach??? • Asked to get course outline from somewhere else…

5. Course Plan • Each semester consists of • 30 classes of core mathematics skills work • 18 classes doing task centre activities • 18 classes working mathematically activities • 14 homework sheet tasks • Topic, Dimension and Chapter Course used at a secondary school in 2008… Textbook – Essential Mathematics VELS Edition Year 8 (Cambridge)

6. Year 10 2008 – Semester 1 Timeline

7. Context • There were some agreed course aims, however there is considerable variation in how individual teachers interpret, implement & deliver the curriculum • Many inexperienced teachers in need of assistance & some willing to develop • Similar situation in both schools

8. Aim To develop a documented course outlines, assessment tasks, capacity matrix and assessment rubrics and agreed teaching practice for consistent application from Year 7 – 10 Mathematics in both schools

9. Action: • Ongoing discussion between Coach, Principals & RNL • RNL & Coach put forward proposal to schools • RNL approached leadership from schools for agreement that there was an issue

10. Administration (1) • With the agreement of the two principals and support from RNL, a team of four teachers from each school was selected whose task was to meet and develop course outlines (2 hr meetings per fortnight) ~ 5 meetings in Term 4 2008 • Teachers released for meetings • The selected staff were given time or payment for additional duties if the work to be done was additional to their current role (negotiated with their principals) • Each staff involved was responsible & expected to write/document specific sections of the course outlines as agreed in the working group meetings

11. Administration …(2) • Meetings facilitated by T & L Coach and RNL • Teams from both schools plus their Principals attended the meetings • Learning area /faculty convenors in both schools had the additional responsibility of coordinating staff members involved from their schools, liaising with Coach & communicating the process to the remainder of the faculty

12. Framework(1) • Work done by core group of teachers from each school that met fortnightly to develop the course • Initially developed outlines for Semester 1 2009 (currently used and evaluated in the process) with Semester 2 to be developed early in 2009 for delivery in Semester 2 2009 • Used an agreed documentation format … • Incorporated good practice that already exists at both schools • Based on VELS, incorporating HRLTP (John Munro)

13. Framework … This group is also developing process and strategies: • To ensure all maths staff in the two schools adhere to the course outline, assessment tasks and agreed teaching practices developed • Develop a plan to grow ownership and ongoing evaluation and development of mathematics continuum • Develop a plan to induct new staff & professionally develop new & existing staff

14. Role of this group: What it will mean to be part of this group?? • Leadership discussion at first meeting Invest the Team with amoral purpose & a sense of leadership, challenge & ownership of the problem.

15. Plan & Document Curriculum→Introductory session Purpose: • Setting the scene. Where are we at? Look at schools data (On Demand, SNMY, VELS teacher judgement & NAPLAN) Beliefs & Understandings (role of this group): • What do we know about our clientele (DATT – consider all factors, blockers…) • Bone diagram & Pedagogy teaching tool (structured discussion tools) Setting goals for teachers to improve outcomes • What does good Maths teaching & learning look like? A shared understanding of the problem and the task • Fractions & Decimals DVD (snippets)

16. Homework… • At end of session each session teachers were allocated tasks to be completed in two weeks • Teachers worked in pairs - became experts in one dimension (Number, Space, MCD & Structure) each plus Working Mathematically • To summarise the Learning focus within their designated dimension VELS 3 – 6 and Working Mathematically within their dimension (using Venn diagrams).

17. Natural numbers as products of powers of primes • Fractionequivalents: • for a fraction in simplest form • as decimals, ratios and percentages • Decimal equivalents for the unit fractions • Calculate and estimate squaresand square roots, and cubes and cube roots of natural and rational numbers • Evaluate natural numbers and simple fractions given in base-exponent form • Express natural numbers in binary form, and add and multiply numbers in binary form. • Compare quantities using ratio • Estimation and rounding • Arithmetic computation involving rational numbers • Approximations to π in related measurement calculations • Using technology for arithmetic computations • Real numbers • rational numbers in fractional and decimal (terminating and infinite recurring) forms • irrational numbers have an infinite non-terminating decimal form • decimal rational approximations for square roots of primes, rational numbers that are not perfect squares, the golden ratio φ, and simple fractions of π • Euclidean division algorithm to find highest common factor of two natural numbers • Arithmetic computations involving natural numbers, integers and finite decimals. • Computations involving very large or very small numbers in scientificnotation • Arithmetic computations with fractions, irrational numbers (eg square roots) and multiples and fractions ofπ • Computations to a required accuracy in terms of decimalplaces and/or significantfigures • Whole numbers (+ and -) • Size and ordering of whole numbers • Fractions and equivalent forms of • Decimals, +,-,x,ing decimals and fraction • Multiples (LCM) • Factors (LCF) • factor sets/trees • rectangular arrays • Square, composite and prime numbers • Simple powers of whole numbers • Ratio and percent of common fractions • Division and remainders as fractions • Estimations • Integers, decimals and common fractions on a number line • Money • Fraction equivalents • Ratio • Estimations • Factors and primes • Squares • Arithmetic computation involving rational numbers • Powers of numbers • Rational numbers in fractional and decimal form • Arithmetic operations with rational numbers • Estimation and rounding for decimals • Some calculations with powers • Some approximations with π Number – Level 4/5/6

18. Further sessions… • Course outlines were mapped out from each dimension for Years 7 – 10 (Slide 19) • As a group - discussed and put together as sequence and content • Time frames were allocated for the units • Teachers then collected suitable resources to add to their course outlines within their dimensions (this was the longest and most difficult part) • Progress was monitored and discussed at each meeting

19. Year 7 Course Outline Dimension: Number

21. Achievement Milestones (end of 2008) • By end of 2008, Semester 1 Year 7 – 10 Curriculum documented and ready to launch for 2009 • Developed ownership and shared approach among group (no longer working in isolation) • Effective team (Maths) leaders – assigned a year level each to manage within their own school • Agreed high expectations for staff (teams) and students

22. What next… 2009 Team leaders in their school have responsibility (Year 7 – 10). Their task (made explicit): • Lead regular team meetings (effective teams – common planning time) • Ensure curriculum adhered to and developed • Support teachers in their level team – improve Maths dialogue, moderate work • Assist with introduction of formalised process of classroom observation, modeling and coaching • Develop courses for Semester 2 (to be completed by mid Term 2) • Use regular assessment for learning. Over time gather and analyse own data, becoming better informed • Give teachers a moral purpose - Case manage kids who are shared with whole team (develop bank of strategies to teach them)

23. Milestones needed for change in practice and behaviour: • Open up their practice in a supportive environment, build consistency in content and methodology, capacity and ownership of curriculum • Establish formalised coaching and modelling of good practice between members of the year level teams. • ‘Learning Walks’ – the model for classroom observations to be implemented in Term 2 • Our approach to teacher capacity building will be built around teachers sharing professional dialogue (effective teams) and using data (to inform their understanding of students and of their practice as teachers)

25. Developing a Maths Culture Building Relationships Ghiran Byrne

26. Developing a Maths Culture Weekly Outline

27. Purpose To provide teachers with tools that can be used to discover students’ beliefs, attitudes and perceptions/misconceptions Providing teachers with opportunity to observe what students have to say and think about maths To provide an opportunity where coach and teacher can share in professional discussions To enable teachers to use this information for future planning purposes

28. What does maths look, feel and sound like?

29. Teacher’s Observations and Comments - “Students see maths as number” “So many students think being good at times tables makes someone good at maths” “They are not making the connection between terms eg fractions decimals percentages” “many of the students hold the same beliefs about maths as their parents e.g.: maths is times tables, maths is hard or maths is about thinking, problem solving, taking risks” “No mentions as maths being about patterns or estimation”

30. Day 2: Where is the maths?

31. Day 2: Where is the maths?

32. Day 2: Where is the maths?

33. “seeing task as how many of something, how much something costs” “interesting the use of words, instead of being specific, they are very general” Teacher’s Observations and Comments

34. Day 3: Attitude to Maths

35. “Did they mark themselves high to please me?” “Girls were fairly positive in their response” “These boys are good at maths, but they gave themselves a low score” “It has been interesting when we have revisited, students have changed their rating for different maths topics” Teacher’s Observations and Comments

36. Day 4: Analogies

37. Day 4: Analogies

38. Day 4: Analogies

39. “They were able to think outside the box with this activity and become creative about maths” with a little bit of prompting they started to give ‘real life’ examples – this highlighted the need to teach using real life activities” Teacher’s Comments and Observations

40. Teacher Reflection “I noted the importance of finding out how the students think and feel about maths and developing a new maths culture in order to dispel or challenge any misconceptions about mathematics that the students may have and to guide future teaching”.

41. As a Coach The teacher gets to know their students before delving into the content It has made the thinking visible Encourages teachers to actively promote mathematics Valuing and encouraging maths in a range of contexts

42. Coaching conversations at the individual level Conversations at the whole school level Conversations at the PLT/classroom level Coaching conversations at the individual level

43. Skills/Motivation Matrix High Skills • Low motivation • Confident teacher • Strong leadership skills Coachee A Low High • Relatively low motivation • Sound teaching and learning skills • Willing to try new things with support Motivation Motivation Coachee B • Low motivation • Lacked confidence in teaching skills • Overwhelmed Coachee C Low Skills

44. Skills/Motivation Matrix High Skills Inspire Delegate Low High Motivation Direct Guide Motivation Low Skills • COACHEE A • Low motivation • Confident teacher • Strong leadership • skills • COACHEE B • Relatively low • motivation • Sound teaching • and learning skills • Willing to try new • things with support • COACHEE C • Low motivation • Lacked • confidence • in teaching skills • Overwhelmed

45. Conversations… • COACHEE A • Low Motivation • Confident teacher • Strong leadership skills Inspire Delegate • Conversations revolved around… • Building leadership skills through engaging in conversations about improving student outcomes • Inspiring innovation and ownership over the initiative – sharing/reflecting • Delegate leadership responsibilities to Coachee A – coaching/facilitating • Short term actions with immediate success

46. Conversations… • COACHEE B • Relatively low motivation • Sound teaching and learning skills • Willing to try new things with support Guide Delegate • Conversations revolved around… • Building on current teaching skills • Trying new things – share and reflect • What success the coachee is looking to achieve • Risk taking/challenging

47. Conversations… • COACHEE C • Low motivation • Lacked confidence in teaching skills • Overwhelmed Direct Delegate • Conversations revolved around… • Identifying and setting clear goals with clear timelines • Having conversations about ‘what might need to happen next’ • Risk taking • Reflection

48. Skills/Motivation Matrix • More focussed on data and student outcomes • Developing ability to ensure purposeful teaching at a range of levels • Developing leadership skills High Skills Coachee A Coachee A • Planning lessons to cater for student diversity – data use • Building on repertoire of teaching skills • Structure and delivery of lessons Low High Motivation Motivation Coachee B Coachee B • Mathematical content knowledge increased • Sequential planning • Lesson delivery Coachee C Coachee C Low Skills

49. Action Research Boreman et al (2005, pp 70-71) found: “only tenuous links between professional development and classroom instruction for many teachers. Most teachers seemed to experience a disconnection between their professional development experiences and their day to day classroom experiences.” (cited in Fullan, M; Hill, P; Crevola, C (2006); Breakthrough, p. 23) • Prompted me to work within an Action Research model to promote ‘collective responsibility’ and gather tangible evidence of improvement

50. Action Research • Discussed the action research model • Linked theory to practice • Collected baseline data • Set ‘action’ • As action research progresses, can see a more tangible improvement in skill level