MIT 2023 - The End of the Journey

As my father always told me  "All good things must come to an end", and this MIT journey for 2023 has finally come to an end. It is a bittersweet goodbye. I walk away from this project with a tremendous sense of pride in what we have accomplished together. MIT 2023 has been one of the most significant highlights of my year and has opened up so many opportunities, discussions, conversations, reflections, and friendships that have improved my practice and my outlook on teaching; the value of the MIT project goes far beyond the tools we have created, it is an opportunity to take part in a community of learning that is equal parts fun, inspiring, and motivating.

MathVentures is just the beginning; starting my investigation into math vocabulary has inspired my next inquiry cycle; investigating how we can continue to help our students comprehend the word problems they encounter in maths, and how we can support our students to build a robust math vocabulary that will help them to better understand how maths is applied in more real-world contexts.

Check out MathVentures here!

 In a way, the end of this journey opens up a door to a whole new set of opportunities to learn and develop my practice, and in turn, improve the outcomes for my akonga. As lifelong learners I think it is so critical for us to continue to pursue these avenues as they open up to us, and while MIT has come to an end this year, it is the start of a whole new journey.

I would like to first acknowledge my fellow MIT alumni for 2023; Crystal, Michelle, Essie, Jayne, and Maiken. You guys have been a blessing to work on this project with. Without the support and encouragement from you guys, I don't know if my project would have reached the stages that it is at now. Thank you so, so much. I am so lucky to have been a part of such a cool crew, and I won't forget our adventures any time soon! That boat trip to Russell is easily one of my favourite memories. 

Secondly, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work put in by Matt Goodwin, Dorothy Burt, Justine Todd, and Jenny Oxley; the knowledge, experience, and feedback they have given us along our journey have been invaluable, and their contributions to our projects cannot be understated.

I cannot recommend this program highly enough, if you are thinking of applying, please do. You will gain invaluable insights, relationships, and confidence in your own practice that is hard to come by elsewhere.

Kia ora rawa atu,

Gabe

Response to Manaiakalani Kāhui Ako - CoL 2023

What achievement challenge are you considering as an area of focus in 2024 and why? Include in your WHY both evidence and your own passion/expertise

The Achievement Challenge I have identified as an area of focus is to lift achievement in maths through the building and development of math vocabulary. For my MIT23 project, MathVentures, I focused on how to help support students unpack maths problems with unfamiliar vocabulary, and while this tool was engaging, and effective I believe I need to develop something more robust in my own practice to help them build the literacy vocabulary needed to accelerate, and perform to their full capabilities in maths. I fundamentally believe that being literate is the key to success in academia; not just in reading prescribed texts, but also in being able to tackle unfamiliar texts, across a range of subjects, and having the confidence in their skills to make sense of increasingly complex, and more subject-specific texts as they continue their learning journeys into intermediate and secondary.

What learnings from the 2017 - 2023 CoL teacher inquiries have informed or inspired your thinking?
Looking over a variety of the different inquiries from CoL teachers I have found a number of them that are focused on accelerating our student's maths progress (Hannah, Clarelle, Elena), and a number that focus on vocabulary building (Robyn, Dianne) but none that I could see which focused on inquiring into our student's subject-specific vocabulary in maths. I feel like there is a great opportunity, which will also align itself with the new developments in NCEA with subjects now having a literacy co-requisite, to build our student's confidence in decoding and comprehending written math problems. I hope, as a result of this inquiry, that my students will feel confident in tackling a wider range of word problems in maths.

How would your work support Manaiakalani pedagogy and kaupapa?
By making my inquiry visible, and accessible to all through both my blog and our Team 4 Class Site I can support teachers through my visible planning, reflections, and my own decision-making processes. Following the Manaiakalani model of "learn create share" I will ensure that not only does the work that my students are doing follow these principles but that my own learning journey through this inquiry mirrors them too.

Which elements of the extensive Manaiakalani research findings inform or challenge you as you think about this?
The data in EdPotential provided by the Manaiakalani Research team, and Woolfe Fisher, as well as a closer examination of my classes' PAT results, indicated to me that there is a need to make an accelerated shift in our progress in maths. Anecdotally I found that a lot of my students had conceptual knowledge of different number strategies, and place value, however, when faced with a word problem that required comprehension, as well as the application of a strategy, they fell short. I would like to undertake an inquiry that focuses on a larger, and more overarching area of maths instruction (vocabulary building) that I feel doesn't get the attention that it needs through deliberate planning and implementation.
How would you like to be supported in 2024 as you undertake this inquiry?
I have applied to be a participant in the Maths Program Intensive as a way of developing my professional understanding of how to construct and plan for maths effectively, as well as any other PLD opportunities that are available. I will also take on all opportunities to discuss my inquiry process with my colleagues and to gather feedback on what they feel they need to best accelerate learners across different levels. I hope to be supported in finding academic research, and PLD that will help me to guide my inquiry.

How would you plan to support your colleagues in your school with their inquiries and/or teaching in the area you are exploring?
As with everything that I do, my findings will be ubiquitous and visible throughout my journey; I am also willing and able to share this process through opportunities like Bursts and Bubbles, the CoL meetings, classroom observations, and the Manaiakalani online toolkits. I will not have all the answers, but through this process, I hope I can engage other teachers, and demonstrate my own learning process in the hopes that it can offer them something by which they can accelerate their learners' progress too.