I. General Information
School Name: Sea View Elementary School
School District: SD#85 Vancouver Island North
Inquiry Team Members: Jackie Peterson: jpeterson@sd85.bc.ca
Classroom Teachers: E.N & M.M
Educational Assistants: C.K, D.L
Inquiry Team Contact Email: jpeterson@sd85.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Mathematics / Numeracy
Focus Addressed: Numeracy
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How will using the Singapore Math framework, along with regular opportunities to engage in collaborative and creative mathematical thinking, alter learner’s mathematical mindset?
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: In the Spring of 2024, a learner survey was conducted asking about their learning and experiences at school. Two key questions asked were: “How many adults care about you at school?” (choices – I don’t think any of them care; 1 or 2 adults at school care about me; 3 adults care about me; more than 3 adults care about me at school) and “I am confident in my abilities to solve mathematical problems.” (choices – never; almost never; sometimes; most of the times; always). This school survey informed us that 29% of learners felt that less than 3 adults at school care, 3% felt that 3 adults at school care about them, and 68% of the learners felt that more than 3 adults at school care. The survey results also informed us that 61.5% of learners do not feel confident in their ability to solve mathematical problems, having answered either never or almost never.
Following this, a private interview was held with 2 learners, one in grade 4 and 1 in grade 5. Both of these learners were asked: “Can you name TWO adults in this school who believe you will be a success in life? How do they show you that they believe in you?” and “Where are you going with your mathematics learning? What are you learning? What are the big ideas you are exploring? Why is this important?” While both learners were able to name two adults in the school who believe in them and could articulate how they know these people care (i.e. “— tells me they are proud of me.” “—- helps me when I am stuck.”), neither learner could explain what they were learning in mathematics or why it was important for them to learn (i.e., “I’m no good at math. Why do we even have to learn it?” “I’m ok at math… we learn it because the teacher says we have to.”).
According to the Spring 2024 DMA, 34.5% of learners in grades 2 to 7 were not yet proficient in mathematics. Less than half of the learners in grade 4 and 7 were on-track according to the numeracy FAS data. Learners regularly exhibited a negative mathematical mindset, having made comments like “it’s too hard,” “I can’t do it,” and “I’m not good at math.” In classrooms we were seeing learners lacking the necessary mathematical vocabulary and understanding to be successful. When asked to show their understanding (or to solve a problem in multiple ways), our learners struggled. We were also seeing a lack of understanding of the importance of mathematics or where/how it is used beyond the walls of a classroom.
Focus: Although we had a good number of the learner population testing at the proficient level on the Spring 2024 DMA (48.3% Proficient; 17.2% Extending), very few saw themselves as being “good” math learners. We examined which areas of mathematics learners struggled with on the DMA and found an even spread of challenges across all strands. When learners were asked to show their mathematical thinking or to identify where they see mathematics in life, they struggled. With 61.5% of learners having reported a lack of confidence in their ability to solve mathematical problems, this was a clear area of need at Sea View.
We found that all classes needed to work on building up learners’ mathematical vocabulary so they could understand what is being asked of them. Learners also needed to be shown concrete examples of where they can find/see mathematics in the world around them and how it is used. As a school, we needed to build in opportunities for learners to do collaborative and creative mathematical thinking. In making these changes, we were hoping to see an increase in learner mathematical confidence, as well as improving learners’ mathematical growth mindsets.
Hunch: Staff felt that many things could have been contributing to learners having negative mathematical mindsets and lower achievement. One assumption was that learners lacked the mathematical vocabulary to allow them to fully understand what was being asked of them. Another assumption was that a lack of teacher resources and confidence with the available resources was impacting the opportunities our learners were getting. A third assumption was that learners were not getting enough opportunities to do collaborative and creative mathematical thinking activities to cement their classroom learning.
After conducting some research into different math programs, Sea View teachers wondered whether the Nelson My Math Path program (K-7) would be a better platform for our learners. Teachers liked that this program is based around the BC curriculum and focuses on skills, concepts, and processes, and is inline with the Singapore Math Framework. With Nelson claiming this program emphasizes the need for learners to develop positive attitudes towards math, Sea View teachers wondered if it would help our learners shift their mindsets.
New Professional Learning: Sea View staff engaged in learning the fundamentals of the Singapore Framework, focusing on its structured approach to guiding students from concrete experiences to pictorial representations and ultimately to abstract thinking. Professional resources and training opportunities were shared with staff in the school’s Week at a Glance. During staff meetings staff were able to share their experiences and any professional learning they undertook in regard to our school’s inquiry. One staff member explored FNESC’s Math First Peoples (2020) teacher resource guide and incorporated some of these activities into their classroom.
The school purchased some professional resources for staff. This included Rethinking Disability and Mathematics by Rachel Lambert and Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler. One staff member also completed Mathematical Mindsets and How to Learn Math for Teachers taught by Jo Boaler through Stanford Online. These two courses are highly recommended by the staff member as they felt the courses enhanced their ability to help students develop their mathematical mindsets.
Taking Action: Staff ensured there were purposeful opportunities for students to engage in collaborative and creative mathematical thinking activities on a regular basis. This was done both in the classroom through problem solving and group activities, as well as devoting one of our Friday School Activities. In the classrooms, games (dice and card) and logic problems were used to engage students. During the Friday School activities devoted to mathematics, activities from YouCubed were used to engage multi-aged groups in mathematical problem solving.
The school purchased and implemented Nelson’s My Math Path across all grades. Teachers would introduce topics to the class with hands-on experiences then moved on to diagrams or pictures, before moving on to solving problems abstractly (i.e., worksheets). While teachers found this program to require a higher level of reading than many of our students have, we liked that it provides clear examples, builds upon previous learning, and provides real world problems.
Classes engaged in daily math talks to build mathematical vocabulary. These math talks also engaged students in talking about the methods they used to solve problems. Staff reinforced that mistakes help us grow synapses and that they provide us with the opportunity to learn.
Another strategy the school implemented was to engage families in mathematics through Family Math Kits. The school assembled Math kits to engage families in math in fun ways. The Family Math Kits included the following items: 5 dice, a deck of cards, a game (i.e., Uno99, Farkle, Chess), Yahtzee score cards, math-themed card games, and math-themed dice games. Family Math Kits were sent home prior to Family Day with hopes that it would encourage families to engage in math together in fun ways.
Picture Descriptions: Algebraic Pattern Fish – Using the Math First Peoples Teacher Resource Guide’s activity 2 of the Weaving Mini-unit, our grade 5 learners explored visual patterns in weaving. Whole School Triangles – During one of our Friday School Activities, learners were put in multi-grade groups of 3 or 4. Each group was given 8 long sticks and asked to arrange them in such a way that they could form the most triangles. Once the group was happy with the amount of triangles they could form, they were to draw their arrangement.
Checking: Based on the year-end learner survey, 55.5% of students reported feeling confident in their ability to solve mathematical problems most of the time to all the time. Only 7.4% of learners reported a lack of confidence, down from 61.5%. 70.4% of students reported that they felt their math skills have improved this school year. On the year-end staff survey, all staff reported seeing an improvement in learner confidence.
In classroom observation, it was noted that students demonstrated a positive shift in their mathematical mindsets and were more willing to try new problems independently or with a peer before seeking adult assistance.
When we reviewed our progress in late May, we found that 22.7% of our learners are extending in mathematics according to DMA results, up from 17.2% in the Spring of 2024. We also saw a decrease in the number of students who fell in the emergent category, going from 13.8% down to 9.1%.
Staff are pleased with the positive changes we have witnessed in our learners’ mathematical mindsets and performance and will be continuing some of the strategies implemented during the 2024-2025 school year.
Reflections/Advice: A lot of learning was gained through this inquiry, the greatest being that regardless of the program your school uses, developing learner’s mathematical mindset is key. Learners need to know that mistakes are part of learning and should be welcomed not discouraged. Everyone on the staff was new to Math talks and realized the importance in the development of both mathematical vocabulary and reason skills, and in helping students to engage with math on a deeper level. As a result of the strategies implemented, the staff have decided to continue math talks, using the Singapore Math framework (concrete-pictorial-abstract), and devoting one Friday School Activity to mathematics.
If other schools are looking at increasing learner math performance and/or attitudes towards math, we recommend they focus on developing learners’ mathematical growth mindsets. Engage students in math talks and provide opportunities for collaborative (and multi-aged) problem solving activities.