As part of the Mathematics Year 7-10 Syllabus (BOS NSW, 2012), Working Mathematically has become an essential and integral part in all lessons. Working mathematically is a term unique to the Australian Syllabus in which it is used to describe and demonstrate the practical implication of mathematics in real life situations. As described in the syllabus, it includes developing students' knowledge and skills in mathematics through the processes of questioning, applying strategies, communication, reasoning and reflecting. The main rationale behind this is to enhance students' mathematics capabilities through inquiry based learning and problem solving. (BOS NSW, 2012). A successful integration of the components of Working Mathematically into all
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It is important as a teacher of these students to not only teach them numeracy but also literacy. Due to the high proportion of students from NESB, teachers need to allow time to support the students' difficulties in learning a new language. NESB students may be inclined to name mathematical terms in the way of their first language which often do not resemble the way of naming in English. In particular, as highlighted by Gould (2005), fractions in English 'mixes ordinal names (He finished third, fifth......) with ways of describing parts of a whole' (Gould, 2005, p. 4), e.g., third fifth, which can be particularly challenging for NESB students and therefore teachers need to be aware of this issue when developing their lessons for the fraction topic. In addition, insignificant small words such as 'to', 'of', 'by' are often left out when skim reading, however these words become a vital clue in a mathematical problem which cannot be ignored. An example from Gould illustrates this idea where there is a significant different between 'increase by one third' and 'increase to one third' which would be difficult for NESB students to differentiate. Furthermore, in certain problem solving questions, the time/logical sequence needs to be reverse which creates another level of difficulty …show more content…
As a new member of staff in a school, beginning teachers need to actively observe the culture of the staff room and within the Mathematics Faculty in order to understand the dynamics between staff members. Due to the lack of experience, beginning teachers may be reluctant to contribute or give advice during team collaborations as they may be intimidated by the more experienced staff. They may also be hesitant in sharing innovative teaching ideas or give advice to other teachers as they fear the possibilities of rejection which does not facilitate an effective collaboration process. In addition, collaboration across faculties may also be a challenge depending on the culture of the school which may result due to the lack of cohesion between faculties. Collaboration across faculties has a significant value as highlighted in the Australian Curriculum where '... the foundation for numeracy (is built) primarily in mathematics. However, both literacy and numeracy must be reinforced and strengthened through learning in other contexts, including science, history and geography.' (ACARA, 2012) Furthermore, as highlighted previously, mathematics learning should be relatable to students' everyday life and therefore cross faculties collaboration would allow students to observe the connections across different subjects and promote students to become confident and
It is important as a teacher of these students to not only teach them numeracy but also literacy. Due to the high proportion of students from NESB, teachers need to allow time to support the students' difficulties in learning a new language. NESB students may be inclined to name mathematical terms in the way of their first language which often do not resemble the way of naming in English. In particular, as highlighted by Gould (2005), fractions in English 'mixes ordinal names (He finished third, fifth......) with ways of describing parts of a whole' (Gould, 2005, p. 4), e.g., third fifth, which can be particularly challenging for NESB students and therefore teachers need to be aware of this issue when developing their lessons for the fraction topic. In addition, insignificant small words such as 'to', 'of', 'by' are often left out when skim reading, however these words become a vital clue in a mathematical problem which cannot be ignored. An example from Gould illustrates this idea where there is a significant different between 'increase by one third' and 'increase to one third' which would be difficult for NESB students to differentiate. Furthermore, in certain problem solving questions, the time/logical sequence needs to be reverse which creates another level of difficulty …show more content…
As a new member of staff in a school, beginning teachers need to actively observe the culture of the staff room and within the Mathematics Faculty in order to understand the dynamics between staff members. Due to the lack of experience, beginning teachers may be reluctant to contribute or give advice during team collaborations as they may be intimidated by the more experienced staff. They may also be hesitant in sharing innovative teaching ideas or give advice to other teachers as they fear the possibilities of rejection which does not facilitate an effective collaboration process. In addition, collaboration across faculties may also be a challenge depending on the culture of the school which may result due to the lack of cohesion between faculties. Collaboration across faculties has a significant value as highlighted in the Australian Curriculum where '... the foundation for numeracy (is built) primarily in mathematics. However, both literacy and numeracy must be reinforced and strengthened through learning in other contexts, including science, history and geography.' (ACARA, 2012) Furthermore, as highlighted previously, mathematics learning should be relatable to students' everyday life and therefore cross faculties collaboration would allow students to observe the connections across different subjects and promote students to become confident and