What's literacy got to do with it?

14th April was Literacy Leaders day -  as you were probably enjoying your holiday and blissfully unaware of Literacy Leaders day I thought it fine to visit the idea of literacy now.

When literacy is mentioned in a mathematical context the first thing that comes to mind is statistics & preparing students to write reports. 

Google uncovered many kinds of  literacy - digital, financial, cultural, emotional, geographical, environmental, academic, information ..... 

Looks like all teachers are teachers of literacy - this prompted 3 questions

1. What is mathematical literacy?
2. Why is it important?
3. What do we need to know about effective literacy teaching?

The NZ curriculum says

Literacy is the ability to understand respond to, and use those forms of written language that are required by society and valued by individuals and communities (MOE, 2003)

PISA defines mathematical literacy as:

an individual’s capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics play in the world, to make well-founded judgements and to use and engage with mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen. (OECD, 2009, p.14)


Why has literacy become more important ?

1. Tasks in the senior school have changed. Once they were skills based and now they are context based

2. Expected responses to tasks has changed. Once students could simply find the answer or give single word/sentence responses, now they are expected to communicate their thinking and in the case of statistics write reports.

Being able to communicate ideas has become as essential as fluency with the language & symbols.  
It is important that we find ways to encourage reading & writing while maintaining fluency of language & symbols.

How can we encourage natural reading & writing in our classroom ?

Here are 5 tried & true strategies 

1. Exit Slips - maybe overused but still offer a quick opportunity for students to communicate in writing with you. An exit slip could be a sticky note, a card, a google form, twitter  and be about what they learned, how they found the lesson, a question they have for tomorrow.

2. How much emphasis do we put on ensuring students understand the mathematical meaning of common words. 

The word RULE springs to mind. After spending some time using the word rule to describe the equation of a line, I then asked a student what a rule meant to her ... her response  "something my mother says I have to do" 

 The Frayer model is one I like,  especially the non examples section which encourages  students to think more deeply about a concept or word

This template could be adapted to include an illustration or maybe a section for what the word means in terms of their own experience.  

3. Writing Frames in statistics help build structural fluency in report writing as well as developing vocabulary. Reduce the scaffolding as students develop confidence.

4. Foldables made with 2 A4 sheets of paper offer an alternative to writing in an exercise book or writing online

they also make a great reference tool

5. Age old games like bingo build fluency with language and symbols. 
Use for number facts, algebra expressions, vocab, quadratic expansions ...

 Another Ten Ways Literacy can promote a deeper understanding of maths

For more information try: 

Literacy in Maths on TKI

Ideas for Leading literacy from Literacy Online 

Fact or Fiction

Towards the end of Term 1 while teachers were finalising their first round of assessment grades a number of questions came up around resubmission. Who to offer a resubmission to, how much can the student "fix" up, can I tell them what to fix, how much time can they have, can we reteach them ....

I thought it would be good to share with you some of the "myths" surrounding resubmissions

Myth #5 Resubmissions

Myth #1. If I want to offer a resubmission to one student then I have to offer it to all students
Myth #2. I can show students what they should fix up
Myth #3. I can offer multiple resubmission opportunities
Myth #4. A student cannot be awarded anything higher than Achieved for a resubmission

A resubmission is offered to an individual student on a case-by-case basis.

Extracts from SecQual S2009/022 New Rules & Procedures for Further Assessment Opportunities

A resubmission should only be offered where a teacher judges that a mistake has been made by the student, which the student should be capable of discovering and correcting themselves.

A resubmission should be limited to specific aspects of the assessment and no more than one resubmission should be provided [per assessment event]. 

A resubmission can be offered after either the first or the second assessment opportunity or after both. 

Teachers should give only general advice…[and] ensure the resubmission takes place in a timely fashion. 

If a resubmission is offered, it must take place before the teacher gives any feedback to the whole class (or any student) on the work done. 

If more teaching has occurred…resubmission is not possible.

just when you thought you had it all sorted .... a few extra things to ponder

• If conferencing with a student, write transcript notes to form part of the assessment evidence.
• Will offering a student a resubmission improve their grade? if so go ahead.
• How do we ensure authenticity of the resubmission.
• What is a reasonable time to offer, bearing in mind that no further teaching or learning should take place prior to a resubmission - professional judgment will be key here 
• How much needs to be fixed ? ..  if there’s a lot to be fixed, then it’s not a resubmission

More myths can be confirmed and busted here