Total Teaching Blog

In this reflection I will discuss Lesson 3 in my learning journey on mathematical mindsets from Jo Boaler at Stanford University. Find my reflections from lesson 2 here.  In Lesson 3, Jo introduced the idea that our brains want to think visually about maths. Building students' mathematical understanding doesn't just mean strengthening one area of the brain involved with abstract numbers. It means strengthening connections between areas of the brain and the visual pathways. Visual Representation and The Brain Jo Boaler, Stanford University As children get older - between the ages of 8 and 14 - they develop the ventral visual pathway (shown in orange). The brain becomes more sensitive and specialized in representing visual number forms. This showed an important and increased interaction between the two visual pathways - VTOC/pFG and IPS/SPL. This indicates that the brain becomes more interactive as children learn and develop, connecting the visual processing of symbolic number f...

Here at Total Teaching we are currently building our knowledge of Mathematic education through the lens of a Growth Mindset. Within the New Zealand education system schools use various programs to deliver the New Zealand curriculum and we believe it is important to have a well-balanced view on programs being offered. We are excited to have a guest blogger sharing her experiences with PR1ME Mathematics.  Why choose PR1ME Mathematics? It’s mathematics as you remember it!  PR1ME Mathematics is a well structured programme that incorporates the best practices used by top performing countries in international studies such as Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. Research suggests that students in the primary years require a logical structure for learning that gives them the ability to do, understand and learn math with confidence. They need repeated practice to embed the learning of processes using consistent approaches and methods as well as gradually building on what they have pre...

March 8 is International Women’s Day and there is plenty to do to celebrate. In my class we are talking about women who inspire us in our own lives. My 6 year olds also love listening to a good read aloud. I have read many books to them leading up to International Women’s Day and will continue to focus on books about strong women for the duration of International Women’s Month. Here’s a roundup of my favourite books to read for International Women’s Month so you can celebrate all month long too! Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed My students were excited to see the Mars rover Perseverance land in February and have shared their wonders about space ever since. We read this story about Mae Jemison, the first African American women in space whose primary school teacher told her she should be a nurse rather than trying to be an astronaut. My girls got the message loud and clear - don’t let anyone discourage you from chasing your dreams just because you are a girl. Who Says Women Can’t Be Doc...

In this blog I will discuss the professional development I am currently taking on mathematical mindsets from Jo Boaler at Stanford University. Lesson 1 gave us a brief introduction to the ideas of the course, we will begin this blog at Lesson 2. Follow along with this series to read about Lessons 3 and 4. Setting up a Mathematical Mindset Class The focus in Lesson 2 was on how we engage students to understand 4 key points: Maths is an open and visual subject Everyone’s brains can grow and change Maths is not about speed Struggle and mistakes are good, that's when brains are more active and strengthening pathways Why should we focus on these 4 points? Photo Credits: Jo Boaler, Mathematical Mindsets, Stanford University Jo focuses on how it is far easier for the mind to compress concepts rather than methods. She introduced the idea that big understandings fire the synapses in our brains and then convert it into compressible learning. Continuing the lesson, Jo worked us through a seri...