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.

Burst and Bubbles 2024

 My inquiry is to explore effective ways to help my Year 13 Statistics students prepare for tertiary studies by setting up a quasi-university style approach in class. This approach mirrors tertiary study methods by integrating flipped classroom model , rewindable learning, and tutorial-style sessions. As an Assistant Head of learning, my personal goal is to improve Mathematics achievement in Years 12 and 13, contributing significantly to this and  Department, and Manaiakalani goal.

Through my years in education, I have seen how crucial it is to ensure a smooth transition from secondary to tertiary studies. Readiness for tertiary education greatly influences how students adapt to the academic culture and expectations of higher education. This awareness drives my commitment to support my students’ transition as seamlessly and empowering as possible.

I developed this approach using multiple data sources, including student feedback, past results, and topic tests, to comprehensively understand my students’ learning needs. 

This is a mixed-ability group of 14 students, consisting of five Samoans, four Tongans, two Cook Island Māori, two Māori, and one Asian student. Last year’s NCEA results revealed that seven of these students had come from the Statistics pathway, while the rest had varied backgrounds in Mathematics.

This Year 13 course includes five internal assessments, two externals, and a Scholarship program. To provide targeted support, I divided the class into three groups focused on internals, an external preparation group, and a scholarship-focused group, the first such initiative at Tamaki College. 

The changes I implemented in my teaching include:

• For Internals: Using the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) structure, Miro online boards, and rewindable video lessons.

• For Externals: Introducing the Chunk-Chew-Check strategy, collaborating with the Pacifica Academy, providing annotated handwritten exemplars, study sessions, and working in partnership with Epsom Girls Grammar and Mount Albert Grammar.

I am grateful for the guidance of Dr. Janni for Designing my inquiry, Dr. Marion Steel Director of Mathsmatics Epsom girls’ grammer, Michael Walden( Mount Albert Grammer), Katalina Mau Pathway Manager Auckland University , and Matt Goodwin in making these adjustments.

Challenges-Teaching Statistics at the Year 13 level to students without prior Statistics experience poses challenges, as does managing deadlines and maintaining scholarship-level content.

• Qualitative Shifts: They became self-directed learners, prioritizing well-being and adopting a growth mindset.

• Quantitative Shifts: All students have achieved 14 credits, meeting the partial qualification requirement for tertiary readiness. We are now awaiting external results.

I strongly believe in the power of collaboration. Working with other teachers allows us to identify shared challenges, analyze data together, and refine our instructional approaches. You are welcome to view my blog for further insights.