Developing Mathematical Inquiry Community (DMIC)

Today we had a PLD on Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities.

Why we need to develop mathematical inquiry communities?

Only 26% of Maori students and 11% of the Pasifika students are achieving at Curriculum standards at year 8. Yet a high proportion of teachers indicated they felt confident in their teaching and that they are able to engage and meet the needs of their students.
Set our mindset out of the closed stages.

Exploring and challenging our beliefs, values, pedagogy and practices. 
Our beliefs about our students can affect our

• Perception of students status
• expectations of students
• teaching practices and decisions
• learning opportunities we provide

Does streaming in schools help?

Hattie says " we have more streaming than any other country in the world", we also have on e of the widest gaps between those who do well in our schools and those who do worst. The Pisa results worldwide suggest countries that stream less do better overall.

Streaming predetermines children's performance, removing challanges they might have faced in a class of mixed ability, foreclosing the possibility they might be a late improver, permanently lowering, or raising, their confidence in themselves.

Nothing boosts a child's confidence, or lowers it, more than educational comparisons with their peers.

What is DMIC?

• Culturally responsive teaching and learning
• Inquiry learning
• Developing rich mathematical reasoning ad thinking
• Proficient use of mathematical practices
• Social groupings and group worthy problematic activity.
• High ecpectations
• co- constructing teaching and learning.

What are mathematical practices?
They are the specific things that successful mathematic leaners do? These could be-

• Unpacking the problem?
• Applying the strategies to solve problems that may not necessarily be a maths problem.
• Making connections with their everyday life
• Being able to articulate what they understand.
• Using mathematical language
• Making a claim
• Developing a mathematical explanation
• Justifying thinking
• constructing arguments
• Generalisiing a mathematica idea
• Representing mathematical thinking using pictures, material and numbers.