MPI 5

 Algebra!!!!
As a kid I hated algebra, and did not understand it at all. However, as a teacher, I have grown to love it, and it has become one of my favourite strands to teach. Having said that, I still struggle with the nuts and bolts of algebra, and I found myself confused by some of the content today. I will need to go back through and process the information again at my own pace to understand it fully. 

In terms of teaching algebra at year 7 and 8 level (which I have been doing for about four years now), materials have not been a big feature in my maths programme, as I have always been concerned with making sure the students can see rules, and use rules to solve algebraic problems, etc. However MPI has taught me that equipment (whether physical or digital) is hugely important so I will need to find a way to incorporate materials in to our algebra programme. As it is a schoolwide focus for term 4, I do have a little bit of time to plan for it, however I am aware that if I leave it for too long I will forget the amazing things I learned today and just revert to doing the same old stuff! So starting to work on it now (and using MPI taskboards and activities etc) will be valuable.

Vocabulary was a big feature of our session today, and it is another area that I would like to spend more teaching time on, especially working in Māori medium. I love the TIP chart idea and will use it more often. I am thankful for resources like Paekupu and Te Poutama Tau for having done most of the legwork in this area - my job is to find ways/activities to embed these kupu while also using them in real contexts in class. 

Reflecting on two changes that I have made that I have consistently implemented in my classroom maths practise:

1. Rich tasks Thursdays. They have become a regular feature every Thursday, and I change maths groupings on these days. Some groupings work better than others, and there will always be students who are more vocal than others, but in general the students seem to work through them at a good pace, so it seems as if they are achievable without being too easy. One students even asked last Thursday if we were still going to do one that day :)  - from this particular student it is a positive question, not a negative one (so not "do we really have to do that again?")

2. Introducing learning outcomes and success criteria with group session times. It hasn't been something I have done in the past with small group maths, but I have found it is great for getting students to reflect on whether or not they achieved the intentions of the session.

When I discussed this with my mentor, she also mentioned rauemi/resources. She has observed that I am using rauemi more often than I used to, and allowing the students to manipulate them, whereas before I thought it was babyish for year 7 and 8s! So this is probably a third area (but needs to remain a constant).