TC Staff mtg PLD

 I had the privilege to present Burst and Bubbles at the TC staff room recently. Here is the PPT.

Burst and Bubbles 2025

My Inquiry is a whole school approach to Numeracy.

Over the years, I’ve come to see that numeracy isn’t just about numbers—it’s about thinking. It’s about giving our students the confidence to solve problems, make sense of the world, and believe in their own ability to succeed. And yet, many of our learners are still falling below national standards. With the new NCEA Numeracy Co-requisite, we all know—this is not just a maths issue. It’s a school-wide one. 

That’s why this year, I’ve been developing a whole-school approach to improving numeracy—one that brings every teacher into the conversation. The idea is simple: help all subject teachers see where numeracy lives in their own learning area, give them the tools to strengthen it, and make sure none of it adds unnecessary workload..

Through a focus group of Social Studies, Science, and Technology teachers, we’ve been collaborating, sharing ideas, and building a network of support. I’ve also been applying these strategies in my own classroom—so that I’m not just leading this work, but living it. Thank you, Dr Janni.

We introduced small but meaningful changes:

 – CAA team formed to oversee the progress.
– short “10-minute Do Nows” in every subject to reinforce daily numeracy practice, Graphics organiser, and think-aloud strategy.
– after-school, holiday tutorials, booster sessions.
– ViTal sheets to track progress,
– Education Perfect activities, workspace, and videos to rewind their learning.

Collaboration was the key—I created a shared folder for resources, attended MOE and AMA workshops, connected with cluster groups, and shared our learning through staff PLDs and the Kahui Aho blog.

I have seen a positive shift in Teacher awareness, students' confidence, the number of students who sat the exam, and their well-being. And the positive Correlation between study classes and results.

The data supports this too: 64 students passed Numeracy this year, and Year 9 and 10 results have doubled compared to last year. PAT results made a positive impact.

My own year 10 class-So far, five passed Numeracy, and PAT shows ten made a positive shift, and seven students reached PAT 5 or more, with 2 more to assess.

Of course, it’s not without challenges—teaching numeracy while meeting other deadlines is never easy—but the progress proves that collaboration works.

I truly believe that when we, as teachers, come together—sharing data, strategies, and success—we don’t just build numeracy. We build confidence, capability, and opportunity for every learner.

Ngā mihi nui.

My Inquiry question 9

 

Term 3 Plan for my own class and Focus group

 My own class: During term 3, the focus is on Statistics and preparing for CAA September exam.

Here is the plan for Term 1: Statistics/CAA exam

Here is the plan for Term 1: Geometry/ Trigonometry:

• Vocab and Comprehension -Vocab is introduced in every lesson..

• 10 to 15 minutes Do Now 10 to 15 Minutes Statistics.

• PEE structure framework.

• Workspace for Statistics and Numeracy.

• Video Lessons- Cobbett Maths and Numeracy videos.

• Tuesday after-school classes- working on Numeracy practice tests provides extra support.

• Topic test by the end of the test- ensures readiness for the next step.

• Numeracy homework on Education is perfect for Personalised learning- tailored for each student's levels and needs,

• Weekly conversation with Whānau/Well-being checks in schools, strengthening school-home connections.

• Collaboration with Social Studies and Science with Do Nows to reinforce Numeracy in the real world.

• Numeracy's past paper questions are on the NZQA website and in the Numeracy practice book.

• Weeks 4 to 8: Numeracy Intensive to prepare for the September exam.

• Numeracy questions are separated by Form, solve, and explain examples to apply differentiated teaching.

My Focus: My focus with Do Nows for term3 and but for technology, is continued from Term1

Do Nows, as this subject is optional.

My Inquiry question - 7

 

(1) 

To support a detailed inquiry into my current teaching practice, I have engaged in a multifaceted approach that includes self-observation, collaboration with literacy specialists, analysis of my workspace and class site, student voice, and whānau connections. I have gained formative insights into my instructional clarity, pacing, and how I respond to student needs in real time. Working alongside literacy specialists has enabled me to align my practice with evidence-based strategies and critically examine areas such as guided reading, vocabulary instruction, and scaffolding techniques. I have also conducted a workspace and class site analysis to evaluate how effectively the physical and digital environments support literacy learning and student independence. Gathering student voice through surveys and informal conferences has highlighted both strengths in engagement and areas where students seek more support or challenge. Maintaining strong whānau connections has offered additional context around student progress and motivation, ensuring that my inquiry remains culturally responsive and learner-focused. Attending regular literacy meetings has deepened my understanding of current best practice and provided opportunities to test and refine hypotheses drawn from the literature. Collectively, these tools have provided both formative and baseline data to inform shifts in my teaching, and will serve as key evidence when evaluating the impact of my inquiry at the end of the year.

(2) Qualitative & Quantitative data- Reflection (1) & Reflection (2)

(3) Next steps-To support students in building consistent learning routines and reinforcing key skills, I will continue to implement Do Now activities across all subjects and study classes through to the Numeracy exam in September

Term 2 Plan for my own class and Focus group

 My own class: During term 2, the focus is Geometry and Trigonometry.

Here is the plan for Term 1: Geometry/ Trigonometry:

• Vocab and Comprehension -Vocab is introduced in every lesson/ Miro interactive board.

• Assessment-Driven learning: PAT results, pre-tests, practice tests, and ViTaL sheet to track progress.

• 10 to 15 minutes Do Now Daily( using a Graphic organizer) on Geometry- helps activate prior knowledge and scaffold learning.

• KWL strategy for Trigonometry.

• Peer teaching and confidence building- Students work in teams, using the whiteboard to solve and explain problems together and build mathematical confidence.

• Workspace for Geometry with structured lessons. Link

• Video Lessons- Short, engaging lessons on Cobbett Maths and Transum Maths to reinforce learning.

• Digital Quizlet flashcards to build familiarity with Numeracy terminology and encourage independent learning.

• Wednesday after-school classes- working on Numeracy practice tests provides extra support.

• Topic test by the end of the test- ensures readiness for the next step.

• Numeracy homework on Education is perfect for Personalised learning- tailored for each student's levels and needs,

• Weekly conversation with Whanau/Well-being checks inns, strengthen school-home connection.

• Collaboration with Social Studies and Science with Do Nows to reinforce Numeracy in real world.

• Numeracy's past paper questions are on the NZQA website and in the Numeracy practice book.

My Focus: My focus with Do Nows for term2 and but for technology, is continued from Term1

Do Nows, as this subject is optional.

Term1 Plan for CAA(US32406)

 Unpacked Numeracy Framework: I have been collaborating with other schools and engaging in professional and development opportunities. I participated in external PLD, including Ministry of Education workshops, Calculus PLD, and Auckland Central Cluster PLD with Julia Crawford from Cognition Education. To support consistency and accessibility, a commonly shared folder was shared with teachers.

Resources and support: I have been supporting all teachers(cross-curricular support) by providing weekly numeracy starters( Do nows) activities along with ViTal sheet( tracking sheet) to track progress. These allow teachers to begin lessons with an engaging numeracy problem. 

Here are the resources made for term 1: LINK

                                                 

Numeracy

 What is Numeracy? 

Numeracy is a fundamental skill that enables access to further learning, develops life skills, and allows people to fully engage in work and their community.

About NCEA Numeracy: 

From 2024, to gain an NCEA qualification, students must pass Numeracy standard US32406( common assessment task CAA/ 10 credits) or can be gained by approved subjects until 2027. Here is the link to the approved subjects.

What are the entry-level requirements for the CAA exam? PAT score of 4 or above.

When is the CAA exam? There are two sessions each year, in May and September.

Who sits on the exam? Year 9 ( PAT 6 or above), Year 10 ( PAT 4 or above approved by the teacher), and seniors who haven't passed Numeracy.

What should they learn? Here is the content list Link.