Midland Secondary Twin Lakes Secondary November 2013

�1Contact: Jaclyn Calder and Brent Roy

Cross-Curricular Success Strategies

Develop positive relationship with students

Quote: "Although the need to establish a relationship may seem self-evident, with Aboriginal students this is a vital step that connects to culture, where all learning is based, first of all, on relationship" !High expectations for students

Classroom environment that validates and honours aboriginal culture, language, world view and knowledge

Teachers believing that all Aboriginal students can and will succeed

Teachers asking questions or showing a genuine interest in First Nations culture

Create an environment where humour and group talk is acceptable

Celebrate student achievements and success

Increase “wait-time”

Quote: “Aboriginal students may find it difficult to take part in class discussions where, typically, students jump into the conversation as soon as the previous speaker has finished. Teachers can increase “wait time”. !Teaching and providing time and strategies for metacognition

Quote: “Thinking about thinking and learning about learning—or metacognition—is fundamental to working with Aboriginal students. The more students can recognize and articulate which learning processes and preferences work best for them, and in which situations, the easier it will be. !The process of helping students learn about their learning is: • a collaboration—teacher and student work together

in a relationship • an ongoing dialogue—talking about learning

becomes part of classroom routine, one-on-one, in groups and as a class

• based on observation and listening—the student is the best teacher when it comes to his or her abilities and learning needs.”

FIRST NATION, MÉTIS AND INUIT LEARNERS IN MATH

Connecting research to classroom practice

Traditional teaching strategies involve: • strong visual components or tools • learning in real life, rather than by

practice in artificial settings • a focus on people and relationships

rather than on information

Ensuring an inviting, comfortable classroom environment

Quote: Consider how the physical arrangement of the classroom can affect the comfort level of students. The physical set-up of the classroom should offer the flexibility to incorporate many modes of learning. Adapting physical space by moving furniture and changing visual supports can be of benefit to all students. Ask students for their design ideas for the classroom environment. Brainstorm together for creative ideas and solutions !Integrating peer tutoring and peer help

Highlighting Aboriginal people and resources (in class, or guest speakers)

!!Quotes and strategies taken from:

Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learners. http://education.alberta.ca/media/307199/words.pdf

Images from public domain, taken from wikipedia.org

Midland Secondary Twin Lakes Secondary November 2013

�2Contact: Jaclyn Calder and Brent Roy

Connecting the Learner Profile of Aboriginal Students to Math

Holistic --> helps to see the big picture first and then focus on the parts  !

Examples in math: • Showing a graphic organizer of the unit structure and concepts at beginning

of unit, or having students help create one (allow them to see the big picture before focusing on the details)

• Explaining what will be covered in a unit or part of the course before starting it

• Demonstrating how what is being learned fits into the big picture of the course and how it relates to other concepts

• Provide opportunities for students to explore the concepts before focusing on the mechanics !

Visual --> helps to use variety of visuals and manipulatives !Examples in math: 

• Using algebra tiles to demonstrate collecting like terms  • Using Geogebra or other dynamic software to explore what happens to a

quadratic function as you alter its shape  • Using geometric 3D shapes and water or rice when comparing the volume of

a cylinder to a cone • Use of animations and interactive activities to review concepts (ex. Gizmos) !

Reflective mode of learning --> time to complete tasks and answer questions  !

Examples in math: • Differentiate so that students can access additional time to complete work or

tasks as needed • Math journaling to reflect on concepts and ideas, student-created blog posts

or podcasts (radio shows) about math concepts  • Provide videos for topics so that students can go back and reflect and review !

Preference for collaborative tasks --> group work !Examples in math: 

• Group tasks or projects where students work together to solve real world problems or situations

• Students teaching other students. Students become masters in one concept and then teach each other

• Think-pair-share activities  • Dan Meyers 3-Act Math Lessons work well for collaborative work- List of

lessons - http://bit.ly/1bb4lFr !More information about these four strengths of Aboriginal Learners :

Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values into the Classroom. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/Toulouse.pdf

Growth Mind-Set vs. Fixed Mind-Set !The Power of Belief - Mindset and Success: Eduardo Briceno at TEDxManhattanBeach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc !MESSAGES THAT PROMOTE A GROWTH MIND-SET !

• We believe in your potential and are committed to helping everyone get smarter. • We value (and praise) taking on challenges, exerting effort, and surmounting obstacles more

than we value (and praise) “natural” talent and easy success. • Working hard to learn new things makes you smarter – it makes your brain grow new

connections. • School is not a place that judges you. It is a place where people help your brain grow new

connections. !Quote from the research:

“Students perform better in school when they and their teachers believe that intelligence is not fixed, but can be developed.” “Teaching students that intelligence can be “grown” is especially powerful for students who belong to typically stereotyped groups.” “Growth mind-sets focus on effort and motivate students to overcome challenging work” !

For more information on Mindset: Mind-Sets and Equitable Education http://educatorandcurricularoles.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mindsets%20and%20equitable%20education.pdf/237140236/Mind-sets%20and%20equitable%20education.pdf !! !SAMPLE STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING STUDENT SUCCESS ON TESTS AND OTHER ASSESSMENT PERFORMANCE TASKS: !

• Provide an in-class review for major tests to: − level the playing field for all students, regardless of how much support they receive at

home − help students predict what material and tasks will be assessed − help students review effectively.

• Help students develop study plans for major assessments to: − ensure that assessments are integrated with classroom instruction − model learning strategies that students can use across the grades.

• Provide sample questions and practice tasks to: − give students opportunities to practise demonstrating their learning within these specific

contexts − reduce the element of surprise and provide students with the information they need to

effectively prepare to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. • Give students a minimum of three days to prepare for major tests to:

− give students the time they need to organize material, and review skills and concepts that may have been learned over several months

− provide the time needed for students to engage in frequent and intense periods of study of 20 to 30 minutes per day (the optimal study schedule identified by research to deepen understanding of new material).

• Consider the limitations of multiple-choice assessment tasks. Students need a range of types of questions to show their learning.

• Be willing to clarify directions during tests • Consider how time-limited tests can affect students’ success. • Help students make themselves comfortable by allowing students to bring an item of significance

that allows them to remain calm and focused. For example, they may find comfort in holding a rock given to them by an Elder who has said it will help them find their own strengths.

Midland Secondary Twin Lakes Secondary November 2013

Contact: Jaclyn Calder and Brent Roy �3

Resources Mind-Sets and Equitable Education http://educatorandcurricularoles.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mindsets%20and%20equitable%20education.pdf/237140236/Mind-sets%20and%20equitable%20education.pdf !Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learners. http://education.alberta.ca/media/307199/words.pdf !Ontario First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/fnmiframework.pdf !A Solid Foundation. Second Progress Report on the Implementation of the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/ASolidFoundation.pdf !Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values into the Classroom. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/Toulouse.pdf !Teaching for Ecological Sustainability. Incorporating Indigenous Philosophies and Practices. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/ww_teaching_ecological.pdf !!Digital Resources to Support Math Instruction and Differentiation in Ontario

Course Websites that have videos for most topics covered in courses: http://nacimath.wikispaces.com/Course+Websites

• This could be useful for students who need extra time to think through concepts, additional review or have missed lessons. !

Desire2Learn (D2L): http://scdsb.elearningontario.ca - to provide review, differentiation and independent study as required. !Geogebra: http://geogebraweb.appspot.com (best viewed on Chrome browser) !Desmos: https://www.desmos.com/calculator !CLIPS: http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math2/clips.html !Gizmos: https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cUser.dspLoginJoin !Dan Meyers Three-Act Math: http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=10285 / http://bit.ly/1bb4lFr !TIPS4RM: http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math2/tips4rm.html !FlexBooks: http://www.ck12.org !Grade 9 Applied Mini Video Clips: http://faculty.uoit.ca/kay/G9_AppWebPage/ !Homework Help: https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org/index.php ! !! !

First Nation, Métis and Inuit Learners in Math by Jaclyn Calder and Brent Roy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0

Unported License (you may use, adapt and edit for your own purposes with attribution).

Contact: jcalder@scdsb.on.ca and broy@scdsb.on.ca

Midland Secondary Twin Lakes Secondary November 2013

Contact: Jaclyn Calder and Brent Roy �4