See Think Wonder
See Think Wonder is a powerful thinking routine developed by Harvard's Project Zero, engaging students in deep thinking.
Students share ideas with each other which provides teachers with an insight into their prior knowledge.
See Think Wonder allows an entry point into the explicit teaching of the knowledge outcome.
See Think Wonder is low floor, high ceiling meaning that all students can share something about the image.
The teacher is able to listen to student’s thinking to find out what they know and what they need to know.
Students’ prior knowledge informs the teacher’s instruction, building on what students know, and addressing any misunderstandings.
Conditions of Learning
Gagné, educational psychologist, defined 9 conditions of learning.
1- Gaining attention. The See Think Wonder captures the attention of students and elicits a response.
2- Inform students of the objective. The knowledge outcome, directly from the NZ Maths curriculum, is read to students.
3- Stimulating recall of prior learning. The See Think Wonder stimulates recall and discussion of what has previously been learned.
4- Presenting involves the teacher emphasising the distinctive knowledge outcome. The teacher is able to determine what needs to be addressed by noticing, recognising and responding to the students during the See Think Wonder.
5- A rich task gives teachers time to notice, recognise and respond at more of an individual level, providing guidance as needed.
6- Students demonstrate their learning when they engage with the rich task which is low-floor, high-ceiling.
7- Feedback is given to students by the teacher who recognises learning and determines a next step.
8- More learner performance, or practice, is differentiated to cater to the needs of every learner.
9- Returning to the knowledge outcome in the following day’s lesson enhances retention and transfer.
Every Knowledge outcome is returned to many times throughout the year enabling students to access their long term memory and build on prior knowledge in every Tahi Maths lesson.
Spiral Curriculum
The Tahi Maths Scope & Sequence is based on the concept of a spiral curriculum.
This means that concepts are revisited multiple times throughout the year. With each encounter the complexity and depth increases.
Students build on their prior knowledge, becoming increasingly familiar with the outcomes from The New Zealand Mathematics & Statistics curriculum as they progress through the year.
The spiral approach gives opportunities for deeper understanding and long-term retention.
Spaced repetition helps move information into long-term memory.
Deeper understandings are establised as students see how different ideas connect.
Aligned to The Curriculum
Tahi Maths
equips students with conceptual and procedural knowledge that empowers them to explore and make sense of the world
uses patterns to help students develop mathematical thinking, making connections with what they know about numbers
uses explorative maths tasks that support engagement and encourage critical thinking through wondering and questioning
provides discussion opportunities to help teachers see how students are going
incorporates predictable and engaging warm-ups
provides real-life scenarios to engage students in mathematical thinking
includes ‘rich tasks’ offered every day which are useful to stretch and engage all students
uses visual representations connecting maths with the ‘real world’ through everyday objects from the student’s world (e.g., shells, stones, toy cars) and school mathematics equipment (e.g., tens frames, hundreds boards, place value blocks)
uses representations to show maths ideas including diagrams, photographs, multiplication arrays, number lines, tables, graphs.
Students
connect new knowledge to current understandings
engage in reasoning and critical thinking skills
describe what they see, express their thinking and ask questions, learning from one another
see that Mathematics and Statistics is creative and is shaped by the contributions of others
benefit from maths tasks that engage them in maths thinking where the answer is not obvious.
Teachers
focus closely on one particular maths procedure or skill in a maths session
notice, recognise and respond to the needs of their students, adjusting the order and emphasis, adding contexts and content as needed
adapt the content of the slides to meet the needs of their students
alter word problems in accordance to the ability and needs of their students.
Research Articles
Some of the research articles we've collected along the way.
Five research-derived themes to consider when teaching maths - THE EDUCATION HUB
Is memorisation a good strategy for learning mathematics? OECD
How can schools improve students’ maths outcomes? | The Educator Australian K/12
The importance of pattern and structure Averill Lee