Meeting with Dr. Janni van Hees

Raise Māori student achievement through the development of cultural visibility and responsive practices across the pathway as measured against National Standards and agreed targets for reading Years 1-10 and NCEA years 11-13. As a CoL leader within the school. I  am more interested in inquiring about student learning and my own practice

In my year 11 mathematics class, there are a few ESOL students who are finding it difficult to understand and interpret contextual based problems. I have been working with Dr Jannie in improving their interpretation and comprehension skills so they can gain these numeracy credits. Last Friday, we sat down and discussed approaches to interpreting algebraic equations, which I will apply to teaching this week. The following is a general teaching plan;
Introduction: We will discuss Algebra Keywords and break down terms such as; Equation, problem, Substitution, like terms, Evaluate, Solve and Calculate and what exactly they entail. A matching activity will facilitate this understanding.
Forming equation for wordy question: There will be 3 steps introduced to students to aid in interpretation of world problems that can be applied to any scenario.

Step 1:  y=mx+c
This equation is a staple used in questions about rate, monthly fees, yearly fees, fixed prices.

Step 2: Explaining cost and specific equations to consolidate this type of question.

Step3: Hypothesis- Trialling different options to figure out which deals are the cheapest and dearest.

The challenge with this will be ensuring that students consolidate their learning by practising world problems consistently.

Next step: Dr Jannie will do a Deep Dive activity into Merit and Excellence questions.