ELNO - Balanced Numeracy
The Balanced Numeracy Program
Numeracy Warm Ups
Numeracy Teaching
Numeracy
Reflection
The Balanced Numeracy Program
Within a Balanced Numeracy Program we can provide all learners with:
- Opportunities for all children to explain their mathematical thinking (metacognition)
- A variety of learning opportunities
- A range of representations of the same concept
- A balance of explicit teaching, jointly constructed understandings and independent learning
- A growing sense of mastery in numeracy
Numeracy Warm Ups
Whole Class Teaching
Modelled and Shared Maths
Guided Maths
Independent Maths
Reflection
Numeracy Warm Ups
The numeracy block starts with the whole class working together. This is a warming up or tuning in experience where students work together on a strategy or skill that will be developed further in the whole class activity.
Examples could include:
- Finger plays
- Skip counting
- Chants
- Songs
- Big Book
- Movement activities (make a group of 4, make a small shape etc)
- Counting with the 100’s chart
- Flash cards
- Number games (Guess my number)
Whole Class Teaching
The whole class focus builds a community of mathematics learners focused on a common aspect of numeracy. This may be a modelled approach where the teacher introduces or revisits a new concept. It could also be a shared approach where the teacher and students jointly work through the process. When using a shared approach the teacher prompts students, questioning and supporting them as they reinforce, modify and extend their skills and understandings.
Numeracy
Modelled and Shared Maths
Guided Maths
Independent Maths
Modelled and Shared Maths
Modelled and shared maths is brief and dynamic. The teacher introduces the learning experience, demonstrates effective strategies and makes explicit the mathematics to be focused on in the session. The teacher “thinks aloud”. The students observe, ask questions and, directed by the teacher, model the strategies for themselves, explaining their workings. Groupings are fluid and organised for student needs on the different concepts and skills.
Guided Maths
Guided maths involves the teacher guiding a small group of students with like needs as they think, talk and work their way through a mathematical experience. Following a brief introduction by the teacher, students have the opportunity to choose strategies and materials they will use. The teacher elicits responses from the students to determine their concept development (and misunderstandings!) – it has to be more than “I did it in my head”.
Independent Maths
Independent maths follows directly after a guided maths session where students work individually with the teacher prompting and helping at each student’s point of need. Students engage in independent mathematics directly related to the work they were doing in their small teaching group.
Reflection
Reflection or whole class share time can be done in many ways. It may be recording the strategies they used in a maths journal, articulating to the group the process or problem-solving technique they used in the session or the teacher might record the key concepts in a class big book. Teachers might also use a cooperative learning tool or structure to allow students to reflect on their understandings.
It is the teachers role to:
- emphasise connections
- encourage sharing of strategies
- make the mathematics explicit
- raise challenges
- promote a language to talk about mathematics
- encourage students to reflect on what they have learned, how they learned and what assisted them in their learning.
