Earlier this year, many teachers at Māpua School graduated from the Stanford University XEDUC215N, The Graduate School of Education Mathematical Mindsets Course.

The course is designed to help educators inspire and boost math achievement. We learnt about the latest neuroscientific research regarding the best methods by which students learn math, as well as the specific methods and approaches you can use to successfully help your students develop a growth mindset towards maths. The course is supported with a teaching intervention (via a live video class) that raised the students' achievement by an average of 50%! 

Food for thought: "The only people who have maths brains, are the people who know maths brains don't exist"

One of the key resources from the course is https://www.youcubed.org. 

This website is a fantastic 'go to' as a teacher when designing and delivering mathematics teaching. The tasks are designed to allow for a broad entry point and for students to extend and explain their thinking, no matter what their current understanding of a mathematical concept is. 

The lesson we chose from youcubed this week (after a unit exploring fractions) was called 'Side Walk Chalk'. 

The success criteria was to design a visual representation, using chalk and painters tape that showed their understanding of fractions. 

You will see from the the photos, that it's also a geometry, measurement, scale, visual art, design, and teamwork task. Totally awesome integrated curriculum learning.

The excitement around 'revealing' each design was so cool to experience as a teacher.  As was hearing the kids convince Clive about their 'equal parts' and fraction understandings! Can you spot the fractions in their designs?