Collegial+teaching+activity+2

Collegial Teaching Activity 2


 * Discussion prior to activity **


 * Teachers involved: **

Rachel Caras Narelle Bean


 * Date: ** Tuesday 30 August


 * Professional learning focus for practice: **

// What do I want to learn from working with another colleague? The answer becomes the learning focus of this teaching activity. Refer to Standards 5 and 6 as a guide and consider focusing on engaging students in meaningful learning, assessing student learning and providing feedback to students, or managing a safe and challenging learning environment. //

> > - Management of student behavior: engaging students who have previously shown a lack of focus in class. > - Management of clear and consistent expectations, resources and space to create and maintain a safe and challenging learning environment for all students. > > > - Effective communication: clear explanations, instructions and feedback.
 * Teachers create and maintain safe and challenging learning environments
 * Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective learning

I want to adopt the strategies learnt by observing another teacher taking the same maths session in order to ensure that I engage all students, challenge them and enable them to achieve success. I will have students undertake a hands on warm up activity, I will randomly select students to participate in the modeling activity and I will strategically and subtly place students in a seating plan based on their abilities in order to promote peer tutoring/assistance.


 * Outline of the planned learning activity **

// What are the learning outcomes in relation to the content? What do I want students to learn? //

This lesson was planned in order to revisit and refresh the students on naming, estimating and measuring different angles. It was planned as a revision lesson as most students had shown in their pre assessment that they were familiar with the types of angles and how to measure them.

The learning focus for this session was ‘Review our understanding of angle types, estimating angles and measuring angles.’ The success criteria was as follows: The warm up activity involved students finding an angle within the classroom and sticking two strips of paper to identify the angle and the name of the angle.
 * 1) I can identify and correctly name different angle types
 * 2) I can estimate angles and then measure them using a protractor.

Other contextual information


 * This class is a year 8 class consisting of 24 students.
 * There are a number of students who do not particularly like maths sessions and have started to become disruptive and distracting during these sessions, unless they are working in a focus group with the teacher.
 * As a result of the pre assessment that was conducted before this unit was planned it was evident that all students were aware of the basic angle types and were able to identify them.


 * Discussion following the activity **

// A summary of teaching and learning //


 * Warm up game had students instantly thinking mathematically this meant they were ready for the following activity
 * The students were engaged as a result of the warm up activity being a hands on activity. Students were instantly interested in what they were required to do and were competing against each other as to who could find the most creative angle within the classroom
 * Communication of all explanations and instructions were clear and concise, there was not too much for the students to take in. The instructions were also written on the board because some students need to read the instructions as well as listen to them
 * The random selection of students to offer the answers demonstrated throughout the modeling activity. This was a new concept within this classroom so some students were reluctant to participate but they were willing once they were positively encouraged.
 * Students were strategically and subtly placed in their table clusters, which enabled them to comfortably and confidently ask questions and share answers.
 * The individual activity differentiated in a way so that all students felt they were able to access the learning and so that all students achieved success. It was differentiated according to their table cluster, which minimised students feeling as though they were doing different work from the rest of the class.
 * Teacher roamed the classroom ensuring that all students were on task and that they had grasped the concept of naming, estimating and measuring angles.


 * Reflection on the activity **

// What did you observe the students doing? How did this link to the teaching focus? //

Students were instantly engaged when the teacher explained that they were to find the most creative angle around the classroom and stick their paper strips to it with their name. Most students became instantly competitive with the activity, which then lead to them being engaged and interested in what they were doing. The students were very keen to share their existing knowledge about angles and participated in the class brainstorm about the different types of angles. Students also responded well to being asked to participate in the modeling activity after some positive encouragement. They were then willing to share what they know and teach the other students. As a result of students feeling success in the warm up and modeling activity students were then engaged in the independent task where they could apply their knowledge.

// What did you observe happening in the class that supported the learning of students? //

I noticed that all students were engaged in their independent tasks because they all felt that they could access it and achieve success as a result of the class being very much a revision lesson for them and because of the whole class model that was undertaken. The arranged seating clusters allowed for students to comfortably ask questions and allowed for them to help one another before having to ask the teacher for help. Students were particularly helpful with reminding other students how to use a protractor.

// What have you learnt about your own teaching practice? How can this learning be applied? //

I discovered that the use of hands on, engaging warm up activity really caught the attention of all students and helped them to start thinking mathematically. I will use this strategy to promote engagement within future maths classes, in particular for those students who ‘do not like’ maths. I also learnt that the strategic placement of students in their seating clusters is an effective way to promote peer to peer learning and to encourage students to feel confident in asking questions when they are not sure of something. It also enabled those students who did understand to be able to consolidate their learning by teaching/assisting other students.

// What professional learning does this prompt you to pursue as a result of this reflection? //

I will continue to observe other teachers and adapt their strategies in order to develop the most effective maths sessions. I will also endeavor to attend professional learning seminars based around effective numeracy and differentiation within the classroom.