The Situation
Howick College is an urban college with an integration stream that combines learning areas to provide innovative and engaging learning for students in years 9-11. The college sought support to develop a teaching plan to enhance the teaching of mathematical and statistical literacy with a particular focus on the Pilot NCEA Achievement Standard (AS91946) MS1.3 External (Interpret and apply mathematical and statistical information in context).
The Challenge
The primary challenge for the teacher team was to develop a teaching plan that not only met the requirements of the new NCEA standards but also engaged students in a meaningful and student-centred manner. This necessitated a shift away from traditional teaching methods toward approaches that fostered critical thinking for mathematical and statistical literacy. Time also needed to be used efficiently, both for planning and for the teaching before the assessment activity, as well as upskilling staff on where to find resources to support learning.
The Approach
To address these challenges, Cognition Education facilitator, Julia Crawford, provided Professional Learning and Development (PLD) tailored to the specific needs of the staff at Howick College. Julia worked closely with Anye Blignaut and the staff to develop a comprehensive teaching plan, co-creating resources to support teaching, learning, and how to encourage critical thinking.
The PLD sessions then focussed on how staff could use their limited time to share the planning and resources most effectively. As a result, they developed a team culture of sharing and supporting each other.
They used Data Talks and Slow Reveal Graphs to promote sense making about data. The teaching plan started with using these activities as teacher directed lessons to review and recap different types of graphs and information. The students then made their own Slow Reveal Graphs and assessment style questions to build and practice their skills at interpreting and making informed decisions from unfamiliar mathematical and statistical media.
The Outcomes
The outcomes of the PLD sessions were significant. Students reported feeling well-prepared for the assessment, while teachers noted a reduced workload and improved critical thinking skills among students. Notably, the results profile for students who sat AS 1.3 showed a remarkable increase in excellence and merit grades compared to previous assessments.
Specifically, at the end of the pilot, 26.1% of students achieved Excellence, 45.5% achieved Merit, and 18.2% Achieved, with only 10.2% not achieving. This represented a significant improvement, especially considering the typical results profile for similar assessments at the school.
The PLD sessions not only provided valuable resources and strategies but also fostered a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility among the teaching team. Moving forward, Howick College plans to share the planning with other mathematics and statistics teachers within the department and disseminate ideas to educators beyond the school. This includes presenting findings at conferences (NZAMT conference and the AMA Statistics Day) and other events to contribute to wider educational discourse and practice.