Professional Learning Goals

• Explored various developmental continua (e.g., PRIME, Lawson’s, Fosnot, etc.)
• Used developmental continua to address students’ misconceptions
• Learned to notice and name the math by anticipating possible misconceptions
• Developed good questions to target learning

Activities and Resources

• Explored the developmental continua (e.g., PRIME, Lawson’s, Fosnot, etc.)
• Developed a framework to use developmental continua to inform our teaching and look for gaps in learning
• Created questions and tasks to guide student learning through context, inquiries and problem-based situations
• Developed a framework for assessment of student learning, gathering evidence through triangulation of data
• Examined student work
• Used technology to differentiate for the needs of all learners in the classroom (e.g., virtual manipulatives, apps, Dash/robots)
• Snap cubes, number lines, fraction circles, base ten blocks, play money, counters

Unexpected Challenges

• Additional time is needed to meet and debrief
• Changes to participants on the project (e.g., sick leave)
• Challenging to change parents’ perception of student learning and an understanding of how to help their children at home (difficult to move math worksheet)

Enhancing Student Learning and Development

• Students took ownership of their learning
• Development of computation fluency through conceptual understanding (e.g., Number talks)
• Reduce stigma/fear around multiplication
• Increase student efficacy by providing “scaffolding” questions
• Students are more willing to take risk – developing a growth mindset given the openness of questions
• Easy to scaffold to meet student needs
• Easier to address student needs given the framework
• Use games to build fluency and facts
• Use word problems to contextualize the math
• Students are using multiple representations to show deeper understanding of concepts (e.g., using manipulatives, open number lines, visual representations, number sentences, concrete, abstract, etc.)
• The framework benefited students in risk – clear learning trajectory for students and direct intervention

Sharing

• Share with colleagues at staff meetings
• Share with colleagues during Professional Learning Day
• Share with cross board Professional Learning Community
• Share with colleagues at a Math Network
• Share with colleagues at the EML Conference in PDSB

Project Evaluation

• Collaboration (cross school and working with our instructional coaches) allows for the exchange of ideas
• The planning and collaboration allows the deprivatization of practice and sharing of resources
• This opportunity allows teachers to learn new ways to teach mathematics
• Improvement in student achievement
• The framework is helpful in planning
• Teachers have a better understanding of possible misconceptions of the math
• Teachers are engaged – self-directed collaborative inquiries
• Change in assessment practices (e.g., triangulation of evidence)