I. General Information
School Name: Tsuma-as
School District: SD#70 Pacific Rim
Inquiry Team Members: M. Girard, S. Spring
Inquiry Team Contact Email: hkynoch@sd70.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Intermediate (4-7)
Focus Addressed: Numeracy
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How can we support our students in transferring their knowledge, learning and skills to make connections, creatively solve problems and use critical thinking in the classroom, particularly in numeracy?
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Through experience and discussions with other educators, I noticed that students struggled to apply critical thinking and prior knowledge to new or unfamiliar problems, especially in numeracy. Many showed frustration, low perseverance, and a negative attitude toward math. This also connected with my own professional learning goals around building effective numeracy instruction. Many students were experiencing disengagement, frustration, and a lack of motivation, particularly in numeracy. Students often expressed that they didn’t understand the purpose of what they were learning, and could only talk about math in the context of isolated skills or structured units. When asked about their thinking, many were unable to articulate their thinking or strategies, showing limited awareness of their own learning processes. There was a consistent pattern of negative attitudes toward math, and several students were unsure of how they could be successful unless they were getting the correct answer. These indicators suggest that learners were not seeing themselves as capable math thinkers, nor were they experiencing learning that felt meaningful, connected to their lives, or grounded in a sense of place or purpose.
Focus: This inquiry focused on creating a learning environment that fostered confidence, relevance, and deeper understanding in numeracy. It emphasized strength-based, learner-centered approaches that highlight identity, provided authentic learning experiences, and supported the development of key competencies such as critical thinking, perseverance, self-awareness, and numeracy skills.
Hunch: Students’ previous experiences have been more structured numeracy practices, with specific units of study and rote practice. They had negative connections to not only math as a subject, but their own abilities to “do math”.
New Professional Learning: My own professional learning throughout this inquiry process has included participating in District-led learning opportunities with Carole Fullerton and local resource team sessions, collaborating with other intermediate educators around the district, viewing webinars and resources available from the British Columbia Association of Mathematics Teachers and exploring publications, blogs and social media of educators around the world.
Taking Action: Shifting to open-ended, collaborative numeracy tasks took time, as students adjusted to not being told exactly which skills or units. I encouraged collaboration, the use of manipulatives, and real-world problem-solving with multiple entry points. By spiralling content throughout the year, students revisited key concepts and competencies in varied ways. A highlight was our real-life home design project, where students integrated math skills in a practical, engaging context. Over time, they became more confident and adaptable.
Checking:
- Students are willing to take risks, tackle open-ended problems, and collaborate
- Students are showing a growing flexibility in applying numeracy concepts across tasks
- Students are developing their ability to reflect on learning. Many are starting to articulate their thinking and strategies, with increasing ownership and awareness of their progress.
Reflections/Advice: Next steps…
- Build in more chances for students to reflect on their thinking
- Use student work to spot gaps and adjust instructional plans
- Keep adding real-life, hands-on math projects
- Let students create their own questions and challenges
- Share ideas and learn with other teachers
- Keep track of how students are growing over time