Inquiry Focus
Will a focus on oral language in maths accelerate student confidence and capability to use spoken and written maths vocabulary and language?
Below are my classes 2021 starting results. By improving the students oral language in maths I am hoping to see an improvement in all areas of their maths but I'm especially interested in their strategy data. Can being able to understand and use maths language going to improve their understanding of their maths. Will they be able to better explain their learning?
I picked these students for a range of reasons. Some because maths is a topic they engage well with, others because its an area they have some success in and some because they are right on the cusp and with support can be pushed. I believe all the students I have selected, with support, will move.
This is one of the ways I have started to teach my students new vocabulary. Every week we have a new focus word. We talk about the word, do examples that include the word and we use the word as much as possible. I use synonyms to the word as much as I can to link the words together. I will allow more time for students to display their understanding of the 'math word of the week'. Going over the words multiple times in different weeks is something I will be doing to increase their exposure to the word.
Wall displays are something I want to focus more on. Displaying work / posters that will support their understanding and knowledge of these words. Something I have considered is making our very own classroom maths dictionary. I want to make it in a way that can be displayed in the classroom. Watch this space to see what and how that looks.
