Meeting+Minutes

//Meeting minutes are uploaded onto wiki-space by one group member - however all group members present contributed to the meeting and the minutes recorded.//
 * **Group Meeting -** Friday 9th March 2012


 * Meeting Commenced:** 11:30am
 * Attendees:** Carla Battaia, Ben Wolfenden and Naomi Hodgson, Lee Staddon

This was our group's first team meeting. We discussed times for meetings, our wikispace and created a brief outline of the steps we will take each week to complete the task collaboratively.

Each member perused through the Australian Curriculum to analyse strands for Assessment Task 1. The Number and Place Value strand was selected as it continues through the curriculum from Foundation to Year 8. Each group member selected 2 year levels to analyse and draw findings on for the next meeting. Members are to provide information on the year's content to be taught (looking for the Verbs, what is it that is being taught), connections between earlier year and future year and any foreseen gaps that may occur in student learning as a result of the curriculum content between one year to the next.

During our discussions and reading the postings on the discussion board, we feel that we first needed to answer these questions before proceeding in breaking down our chosen sub-strand of //number and place value:// Why study Mathematics? How is does the overall Mathematics Curriculum work? How does the Number and Algebra strand work and what are the interconnections and relationships between sub strands? eg. We can break this down further into: Why is Number and Algebra put together, how are they closely interlinked? How is Number and Algebra interlinked with the sub strands?
 * Meeting Finished:** 12:30pm ||
 * **Group Meeting –** Monday 13th March 2012
 * Meeting Commenced:** 11:30am
 * Attendees:** Carla Battaia, Ben Wolfenden and Naomi Hodgson, Lee Staddon
 * Thinking **
 * Research **
 * Why study Mathematics?**
 * For students to become confident, active informed citizens, they will need to have the essential skills in literacy and numeracy that enable them to be creative and productive users of technology, especially ICT, as a foundation for success in all learning areas (MCEETYA, 2008, p.8).
 * ‘…..Numeracy empowers people by giving them the tools to think for themselves, to ask intelligent questions of experts, and to confront authority confidently (Steen, 2001, p.2).

Each learning area or subject includes:
 * How is does the overall Mathematics Curriculum work?**
 * To develop the necessary set of skills, behaviours and dispositions needed to be lifelong learners, Numeracy is included in the Australian curriculum as one of seven general capabilities. A continuum of learning has been developed to describe the relevant mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills to use at particular points of schooling. These have been embedded where relevant and appropriate in each learning area and can be viewed explicitly in the curriculum online (ACARA, 2011, Overview). When mathematics is used across the curriculum students are able to learn how mathematics can be used outside the classroom in all types of situations (ACARA, 2011, Scope of the Numeracy capability).
 * It is important that students have the opportunity to apply mathematical understanding and skills in context, both in other learning areas and in real world contexts.
 * a statement of rationale and a set of aims
 * an overview detailing how the learning area is organised
 * The **year level descriptions** provide an overview of the relationships between proficiencies (**Procedural knowledge**) and the content to be covered **(Declarative knowledge)****.**
 * The proficiency strands are //Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning (the ways of working).// This is the **Procedural knowledge** needed for students to work mathematically within the content and understand how the content is explored and developed.
 * The **Procedural knowledge**(proficiency strands) have been incorporated into the content descriptions.
 * **Declarative knowledge**-The learner knows or understands a numerator.
 * **Procedural Knowledge**- the learner is able to add and subtract.
 * **Content elaborations** are provided for Foundation to Year 10 to illustrate and exemplify content and assist teachers to develop a common understanding of the content descriptions. They are not intended to be comprehensive content points that all students need to be taught (ACCARA)
 * Across Foundation to Year 10, **achievement standards** show the extent of knowledge, the depth of understanding, and the sophistication of skills that students should normally demonstrate by a certain point in their schooling, these can be seen as a written statement at the bottom of each sub strand and work samples are provided. If a student shows this standard of work they are ready to proceed to the next level of achievement. The sequence of achievement standards shows the progress, being the growth and development a learner has in the learning area (ACCARA).

(Prof. Peter Sullivan)
 * Why is this curriculum an improvement on others?**
 * Identifies the important parts of maths.
 * Has less to cover, gives students time to engage in a topic.
 * Students are using mathematics authentically.
 * Maths curriculum is to be used with the other topics. e.g. science and maths
 * Students are engaged in doing maths- the verbs describe the actions
 * Teachers use the verbs as a way of guiding the activities in the classroom.
 * How does the Number and Algebra strand work and what are the interconnections and relationships between sub strands?**
 * Up until the 1980’s number concepts and the four arithmetic operations were the focus of learning mathematics. Research now highlights the importance of spatial and measurement concepts, data exploration and problem solving. With information technology being a part of students’ lives at an early age, increases the need to include mathematical repetitions such as graphs, tables and diagrams (Bobis, Mulligan, Lowrie, 2004, p.117).
 * ‘The curriculum focuses on developing increasingly sophisticated and refined mathematical understanding, fluency, logical reasoning, analytical thought and problem solving skills (ACARA, 2010, p. 4).


 * Why is Number and Algebra put together, how are they closely interlinked?**
 * The content strand of //Number and Algebra// describes what is to be taught and learnt.
 * ‘Number and Algebra are developed together, as each enriches the study of the other. Students apply number sense and strategies for counting and representing numbers. They explore the magnitude and properties of numbers. They apply a range of strategies for computation and understand the connections between operations. They recognise patterns and understand the concepts of variable and function. They build on their understanding of the number system to describe relationships and formulate generalisations. They recognise equivalence and solve equations and inequalities. They apply their number and algebra skills to conduct investigations, solve problems and communicate their reasoning’ (ACCARA).


 * How is Number and Algebra interlinked with the other sub strands?**
 * Number and Algebra is interlinked with the other sub strandsproviding clarity and sequence of development of concepts through and across the year levels. Teachers are able to see the connections across strands and the sequential development of concepts from Foundation to Year 10 (ACCARA, Content structure).

Discussion on how the introduction of the Australian Curriculum, has affected learners and how teachers are teaching the content.
 * Ideas **
 * The difficulties implementing the new Maths Australian curriculum include the large gap in students learning, teachers will have to basically catch up the year they’re behind and teach the current year in 12 months.
 * There is a big step from say, Year 2 learning numbers up to 999 then 10 000 in Year 3. Whereas, this would have only been introduced later in school in Year 4.
 * Teachers may now see NAPLAN as linking with the new curriculum – Queensland students have scored poorly due to being behind - but with the new Australian Curriculum those students learning this content will improve in this test.
 * Teachers will be trying to prepare for it and catch up on missed content.
 * This can be very stressful for kids and they can pick up on the fact that things are harder and being done a lot faster to catch them up.
 * Some schools have had to change text books, which means re-doing all planning.
 * This would take a lot of time and organisation to get all year level teachers together - after school hours.
 * The main difficulty with given the example of the Year 2 and 3 students is that they have "missed a year of learning". Therefore they are jumping from learning hundreds straight into ten thousands.

How best to find the procedural knowledge ….look for verbs e.g. Recognise, model, read, write and order, represent and solve. How do we best find the declarative knowledge- the rest of the descriptor?
 * Questions **
 * Meeting Finished:** 12:30pm ||
 * **Group Meeting –** Wednesday 4th April 2012
 * Meeting Commenced:** 10:00am
 * Attendees:** Carla Battaia, Ben Wolfenden, Naomi Hodgson and Lee Staddon

Collaboratively as a group we came together to review each others declarative and procedural knowledge. What do students need to know? What do students need to be able to do? What gaps are there between year levels within this curriculum?
 * Thinking **

Individually we had each approached schools and teachers about likely difficulties they have experienced within the Mathematics Australian Curriculum. We reviewed these difficulties both individually and collaboratively and created lessons and strategies to implement into a class in order to prevent or fix these problems.
 * Research **

"The early years (5-8 years of age) lay the foundation for learning mathematics. Children at this level can access powerful mathematical ideas relevant to their current lives. Learning the language of mathematics is vital in these years" (ACARA, 2010, p. 129).

Discussing activities to fix the gaps in the Australian Curriculum. Introduce currency into the lessons to help increase the learning for some students experiencing difficulties (addition, multiplication, division, subtraction, etc.). Create more physical objects and resources for students to engage with, especially to be inclusive of kinaesthetic learners (i.e. number lines, rainbow fact charts, etc.)
 * Ideas **

What gaps are there within the Australian Curriculum from year to year? What strategies can we implement to fix these gaps? What reliable resources can we use?
 * Questions **


 * Meeting Finished:** 5:00pm ||
 * **Group Meeting -** Wednesday 11th April 2012


 * Meeting Commenced:** 11:30am
 * Attendees:** Carla Battaia, Ben Wolfenden and Naomi Hodgson, Lee Staddon

Today we collaboratively worked on the difficulties and proposed activities/lesson plans to implement for each year. We each chose two year levels and research theory and information, which was then brought back to discuss, review and determine its place within the curriculum.

We continued working on the wikispace, creating pages and adding to the reference list. We found, Booker to be a particularly useful text for this element of the assignment as it demonstrated difficulties within mathematics and explained through theory the reasoning behind it.


 * Meeting Finished:** 5:00pm ||

Group Meeting - Friday 9th March 2012

Meeting Commenced: 11:30am Attendees: Carla Battaia, Ben Wolfenden and Noami Hodgsen Apologies: Lee Staddon

This was our group's first team meeting. We discussed times for meetings, our wikispace and created a brief outline of the steps we will take each week to complete the task collaboratively. Each member perused through the Australian Curriculum to analyse strands for Assessment Task 1. Carla suggested the Number and Place Value strand as it continues through the curriculum from Foundation to Year 8. Naomi and Ben agreed on this strand. Each group member was given 2 year levels to analyse and draw findings on for the next meeting. They are to provide information on the year's content to be taught, connections between earlier year and future year and any foreseen gaps that may occur in student learning as a result of the curriculum content between one year to the next.

Meeting Finished: 12:30pm