As part of the MPI first day homework I got each of my Year 5 and 6 students to carry out a survey on a variety of questions about their attitude towards maths. It was a quick and easy activity to carry out but has brought a wealth of information about their attitude to maths out in the open for us to work on.
My initial thought is that I need to think really hard about how I am presenting the maths curriculum to my students to ensure I can move some of my students' attitudes towards things like how confident they are, how often they get to discuss their ideas and strategies, what really helps them learn and how often they feel like they are getting feedback from me.
The question about how often they practice maths at home was very interesting and it was the question which saw most of the students rate themselves on the lower end of the scale. I do wonder if they know that maths can be other things than just online apps etc. I need to revisit the first blog post I wrote after my first MPI Day and look at what connections I can start making between maths topics and concepts, and also between maths and everyday life.
A question we are debating is if we find maths a bit challenging can we still like it? We will keep you updated with what we decide.😃
Kia ora Michelle,
ReplyDeleteWhat interesting results came from the survey. I can see overall that your class are certainly open and honest which is great place for them to move forward. I certainly think that as their confidence grows, their beliefs and attitudes will change. I think there will be great opportunities for tuakana-teina amongst your Year 6 children for your Year 5 learners. I think giving the children opportunities to discuss these questions as an open debate will also help challenge their thinking and opinions are well.
Thank you for sharing the results.
Ilisa