Latest news with #RhysCoulson
Sydney Morning Herald
01-06-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Cut the fluff': Fixing primary school maths one problem at a time
Templestowe Heights Primary School principal Rhys Coulson's motivation to overhaul the way his school taught maths came from his son. 'I wanted to avoid my own children struggling when they started primary school,' he said. About a year and a half ago, the school shifted to a model called systematic maths teaching. The results were dramatic, leading not only to an improvement in the school's NAPLAN results – which are now well above average in year 3 and 5 – but to a much more positive attitude among students. 'Children are really confident in mathematics now,' Coulson said. 'Because of that success, it's giving them motivation. The feedback we also get from parents is they can't believe what their child is now learning in mathematics.' A Grattan Institute report says school principals should act immediately to raise primary school maths proficiency. The report offers a step-by-step guide to a systematic and whole-of-school explicit teaching approach. 'Australia has a maths problem, and it starts in primary school,' says Grattan Institute education program director and report lead Jordana Hunter. 'Principals do not need to wait for others to act.' Explicit maths instruction Introduce new material in small chunks with clear, bite-sized learning intentions (eg 'We are learning to share equally between four groups'). Use precise mathematical vocabulary. Provide immediate feedback so students know if they are succeeding. Universal response mechanisms – such as mini whiteboards – can be helpful here. Show non-standard examples and non-examples to aid your explanation. Give students partially completed problems or problem pairs as a way of gradually reducing the amount of guidance. Identify and address misconceptions Systematic maths instruction includes explicit teaching, practising mathematical fluency, and applying what they know. It also aims to build maths knowledge and skills into students' long-term memory so it's easier to solve harder problems. Explicit teaching is a step-by-step teaching approach focusing on clearly explaining mathematical concepts, modelling problem-solving processes, giving students the chance to practice and giving immediate feedback.
The Age
01-06-2025
- General
- The Age
‘Cut the fluff': Fixing primary school maths one problem at a time
Templestowe Heights Primary School principal Rhys Coulson's motivation to overhaul the way his school taught maths came from his son. 'I wanted to avoid my own children struggling when they started primary school,' he said. About a year and a half ago, the school shifted to a model called systematic maths teaching. The results were dramatic, leading not only to an improvement in the school's NAPLAN results – which are now well above average in year 3 and 5 – but to a much more positive attitude among students. 'Children are really confident in mathematics now,' Coulson said. 'Because of that success, it's giving them motivation. The feedback we also get from parents is they can't believe what their child is now learning in mathematics.' A Grattan Institute report says school principals should act immediately to raise primary school maths proficiency. The report offers a step-by-step guide to a systematic and whole-of-school explicit teaching approach. 'Australia has a maths problem, and it starts in primary school,' says Grattan Institute education program director and report lead Jordana Hunter. 'Principals do not need to wait for others to act.' Explicit maths instruction Introduce new material in small chunks with clear, bite-sized learning intentions (eg 'We are learning to share equally between four groups'). Use precise mathematical vocabulary. Provide immediate feedback so students know if they are succeeding. Universal response mechanisms – such as mini whiteboards – can be helpful here. Show non-standard examples and non-examples to aid your explanation. Give students partially completed problems or problem pairs as a way of gradually reducing the amount of guidance. Identify and address misconceptions Systematic maths instruction includes explicit teaching, practising mathematical fluency, and applying what they know. It also aims to build maths knowledge and skills into students' long-term memory so it's easier to solve harder problems. Explicit teaching is a step-by-step teaching approach focusing on clearly explaining mathematical concepts, modelling problem-solving processes, giving students the chance to practice and giving immediate feedback.
