Use of the Mathematics Brochures and Posters
The mathematics brochure shows results for the 1997 Provincial Learning Assessment in Mathematics. It states:
the main findings related to students’ opportunities to learn mathematics;
students’ outcomes for the provincial assessment at the designated grade level;
some internet addresses of websites where high-quality problem-solving activities are available; and,
some suggestions for mathematics classroom activity.
- The brochure is constructed to be opened and turned over to present a problem-solving activity poster. The poster is designed to:
sketch out the achievement criteria used at various performance levels;
show mathematics and problem-solving as active exploration and thinking activities;
challenge students to solve problems; and,
encourage students to reflect on what performance level they might achieve.
- We encourage teachers to display the posters in the classroom. The Grade 5 and Grade 8 posters are designed for dynamic use. This is explained in the next section.
The Dynamic Use of the Grade 5 and Grade 8 Posters
The posters contain pictures of students working at math performance stations or in group problem-solving activities. Over the picture area, we encourage teachers to periodically affix:
One of the Feature Problem Description Sheets (supplied to the school division or developed by the teacher)
List of criteria for judging achievement levels for the Feature Problem
Examples of student work (past or present) showing the varying levels of achievement for the Feature Problem
Data tables or graph displays of the aggregated class results for the Feature Problem
Pictures of students working at math problem-solving activities or performance tasks
- Teachers may wish to change this display every week or two depending on the needs and interests of the class.
Information About the Problems
For each of Grade 5 and Grade 8, about 20 substantive problems have been prepared and sent to each school division office. Teachers can use the problems as presented or they can adapt the problems to meet the needs of their students. Teachers are encouraged to create or find other problems to be used for the display.
Most problems give students opportunity to show their achievement from Level 1 to Level 5. Because of the demands associated with Level 4 and Level 5, some students may experience great difficulty with the latter parts of the problems. The intent is to:
offer challenges to all students;
encourage persistence in students as they learn to work on difficult problems (ones they must work hard at to find a solution); and,
encourage students to experiment with strategies and communicate these in small-group settings (learning in a social context).
- The problems represent concepts from a variety of strands in the curriculum, often integrating different areas. The problems might be adapted for use at other grades.
- Some problems lend themselves more to small-group activity and others may be best completed individually. Students benefit from practising both approaches to problem-solving.
- We encourage the use of scoring rubrics for five levels of achievement. A few sample ones have been developed for each grade. Using these rubrics, students will understand better what is expected and will learn how to improve their performance. Teachers may wish to vary the assessment of student performance, sometimes assessing student work themselves, and sometimes allowing for student self-assessment and/or peer-assessment.