tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/teaching-strategies-45945/articlesteaching strategies – The Conversation2021-09-07T04:13:15Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1669572021-09-07T04:13:15Z2021-09-07T04:13:15ZRemote learning is even harder when English isn’t students’ first language. Schools told us their priorities for supporting them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419487/original/file-20210906-13-g1spl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C412%2C5583%2C3712&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has left large numbers of students, teachers and families grappling with the challenges of remote learning. Remote learning can be particularly challenging for students who are learning English as an additional language or dialect (<a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/student-diversity/meeting-the-needs-of-students-for-whom-english-is-an-additional-language-or-dialect/">EAL/D students</a>). </p>
<p>We wanted to find out about schools’ experiences of teaching and supporting these students during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns in Victoria. We interviewed ten classroom teachers and EAL/D curriculum leaders across primary and secondary levels in urban, regional and rural schools. We identified three key areas of concern for these students: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>well-being – issues such as language barriers compounded their feelings of isolation and disconnection</p></li>
<li><p>access to resources such as digital devices, the internet and learning materials</p></li>
<li><p>loss of in-school structural supports.</p></li>
</ul>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-are-funding-extra-tutors-to-help-struggling-students-heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-schemes-153450">Victoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here's what parents need to know about the schemes</a>
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<p>These issues affect large numbers of students. About <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/brochurejuly.pdf">one in four primary and secondary school students in Victoria</a> are from language backgrounds other than English. The proportion is <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/policy-library/associated-documents/eald_advice.pdf">similar in NSW</a>. </p>
<p>We <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/covid-19/remote-and-flexible-learning-qualitative-research.pdf">know</a> from a <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/covid-19/lessons-learned-from-covid19.pdf">range</a> of <a href="https://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/3413996/Australian-Education-Survey.pdf">studies</a> that, even in the most favourable conditions, the reality of remote learning has often had a negative impact on students’ learning and well-being. Although the information about what works for online teaching is <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlight/what-works-in-online-distance-teaching-and-learning">expanding</a>, EAL/D-specific information is lacking.</p>
<p>Early findings from our ongoing research show that for many EAL/D educators complex social, emotional, material and geographic factors compounded the challenges of engaging EAL/D learners during remote learning. The following three points illustrate these challenges and how educators adapted.</p>
<h2>Making well-being the priority</h2>
<p>Student well-being was the most important consideration for these educators. It’s a prerequisite for real engagement in remote learning. </p>
<p>Schools are often a space of identity validation and belonging for new arrivals. The remote learning experience left many students feeling isolated and disconnected. This was sometimes compounded when issues such as low digital literacy and language barriers affected students’ support at home.</p>
<p>To overcome these issues, the role of teachers often expanded into areas such as supporting families by connecting with social services, mothers’ groups and foodbanks. This trend was even clearer in rural and regional areas where the school often became the central point of support for EAL/D students and their families.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-well-being-must-always-be-the-priority-here-are-5-tips-to-help-them-through-lockdown-166642">Students’ well-being must always be the priority. Here are 5 tips to help them through lockdown</a>
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<p>Well-being was also an issue for EAL/D educators and <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/PAL/eal-mea-handbook.pdf">multicultural education aides (MEAs)</a>. Supporting students and families to navigate the new remote learning platforms and procedures was extremely difficult when resources and time were limited. EAL/D teachers often work part-time or across more than one school. As one participant said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We worked harder in remote learning than I’ve ever worked in my life in those early stages, and so I guess the learning curve was to sit back and say, ‘Hey, it’s okay. We can’t fix the world. We need to actually look after ourselves.’ ”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="tired woman with laptop open in front of her rests head on hands at desk" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The work that went into supporting students and families to navigate remote learning was exhausting for teachers and aides.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ensuring access to resources</h2>
<p>Access to devices and the internet caused some issues in the initial remote learning phase. This gradually became less of a barrier as resources were distributed to families. All participants stressed the important role of education aides and interpreters in supporting teachers and students to use these devices effectively. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“They [students] struggle […] particularly at the secondary level. They struggle because the platforms that the secondary schools use are foreign to these students. So, in lockdown, it takes an enormous amount of time to upskill these students.”</p>
</blockquote>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-are-moving-online-but-not-all-children-start-out-digitally-equal-134650">Schools are moving online, but not all children start out digitally equal</a>
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<p>Teachers and aides invested large amounts of time in developing resources in students’ first languages that were suitable for remote learning. This task of creating resources was even more challenging in areas with fewer multicultural education aides and interpreters due to relatively lower numbers of EAL/D students.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="young student holds a tablet to watch teacher during online maths lesson" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Early on, access to devices and the internet was a problem, but creating suitable learning resources took even longer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Overcoming loss of in-school support</h2>
<p>How EAL/D students are integrated in mainstream classes also presented many challenges. In regular face-to-face teaching, these students may get support from peers or education aides to help them in classes such as humanities, science and mathematics. Providing this support in the online learning space often proved difficult. </p>
<p>If teachers of other subjects were not aware of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362168820938819">strategies</a> to support EAL/D students in their classes, this left some students feeling excluded, isolated and overwhelmed. Strategies can range from differentiating learning sequences to meet the learner’s needs, to providing structured opportunities for them to use their knowledge in and of other languages.</p>
<p>Participants also commented on how teaching strategies that help EAL/D learners in mainstream classes often greatly benefit all learners, including monolingual English speakers. Empowering all teachers with the <a href="https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/foundation-10/resources/english-as-an-additional-language/Pages/TeachingResources.aspx?Redirect=1">knowledge and strategies</a> to support EAL/D learners in both face-to-face and remote classes was a way to create inclusive environments for all students. As one participant said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“So, they’ve got to understand – the teachers have to – instead of watching content, content, content and I’ve got to get this much done in five weeks, let’s relook and let’s have another think about this and see what we can do. What can we do differently so that they can access something in this curriculum? That they [the students] can bring something to it.”</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
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<h2>Building on students’ strengths</h2>
<p>A final key message is the importance of viewing EAL/D learners through an asset rather than a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362168820938825">deficit lens</a>. A deficit lens tends to frame students for what is “lacking” (English proficiency) and overlooks the rich linguistic and cultural repertoires of these students.</p>
<p>The notion of <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/diversity/eal/Pages/Plurilingual%20awareness.aspx">plurilingual competencies</a>, where students are supported to use all their language knowledge to engage in learning, is a recent addition to the <a href="https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/english-as-an-additional-language-eal/introduction/rationale-and-aims">EAL curriculum</a> in Victoria. This requires all teachers, not just EAL/D teachers, to develop an awareness of students’ plurilingual resources and encourage them to <a href="https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/view-issue/?volume=3&issue=1">use this knowledge to enhance their learning</a>. </p>
<p>School leadership can play a vital role here by supporting a whole-school approach to inclusive EAL/D practices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166957/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by Monash University as part of a Partnership Development Grant in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Education – EAL Unit.</span></em></p>When students shift to learning from home, they lose many of the in-school support structures and resources. While the priority is students’ well-being, schools have developed new teaching strategies.Gary Bonar, Lecturer, School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education, Monash UniversityAnne Keary, Senior Lecturer, School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education, Monash UniversityTanya Davies, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy, Monash UniversityYvette Slaughter, Senior Lecturer in Languages and Literacy Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1502622020-12-16T03:32:42Z2020-12-16T03:32:42ZJump, split or make to the next 10: strategies to teach maths have changed since you were at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375248/original/file-20201215-15-1lh0rut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-african-girl-writing-solution-sums-1078335890">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>I’m sure most people can remember trying to master a certain maths rule or procedure in primary or secondary school.</p>
<p>My elderly mother has a story about a time her father was helping her with arithmetic homework. She remembers getting upset because her father did not do it “the school way”. I suspect her father was able to do the calculation mentally rather than the school way, which was to use the vertical algorithm.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=166&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=166&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=166&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=208&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=208&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375289/original/file-20201216-19-1saklzv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=208&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Students are expected to add the numbers in the ones (right) column first, before adding the numbers in the tens (left) column. The task becomes more difficult when the total of the ones column is more than 10 — as you then have to “trade” ten ones for one ten.</p>
<p>Students who give the answer as 713 rather than the correct answer of 83 may well have started with the tens column first. Or they may have written 13 in the ones column rather than trading ten ones for one ten.</p>
<p>The formal school algorithms are still used for larger numbers and decimals but we encourage students to use whichever strategy they prefer for two-digit addition. </p>
<p>The trouble with teaching rules is many students then struggle to remember when to apply the rule because they don’t understand how or why the rule works. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/weapons-of-maths-destruction-are-calculators-killing-our-ability-to-work-it-out-in-our-head-44900">Weapons of maths destruction: are calculators killing our ability to work it out in our head?</a>
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<p>The <a href="https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/mathematics/">Australian Curriculum: Mathematics</a> states that by the end of year 2, students will “perform simple addition and subtraction calculations using a range of strategies”. By the end of year 4, they will “identify and explain strategies for finding unknown quantities in number sentences”. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1143666051793788928"}"></div></p>
<p>We want children to remember how to do these equations in their head, rather than relying on writing down the process. Here are three strategies schools use to teach children how to add and subtract two-digit numbers.</p>
<h2>1. Split strategy</h2>
<p>This is sometimes called the decomposition, partitioning or partial-sums strategy. </p>
<p>You can add or subtract the tens separately to the ones (or units). For example, using the split strategy to add 46 + 23, you would:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>split each number (decompose) into tens and ones: 46 + 23 = 40 + 6 + 20 + 3</p></li>
<li><p>rearrange the tens and ones: 40 + 20 + 6 + 3</p></li>
<li><p>add the tens and then the ones 60 + 9 = 69</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Using the split strategy for addition such as 37 + 65 would be similar, but there would be an extra step:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>split or decompose the numbers into tens and ones: 30 + 7 + 60 + 5</p></li>
<li><p>rearrange the tens and ones: 30 + 60 + 7 + 5</p></li>
<li><p>add the tens and then the ones: 90 + 12 </p></li>
<li><p>split 12 (10 + 2) to give: 90 + 10 + 2 = 100 + 2 = 102</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Many students find the split strategy more difficult for subtraction than addition. This is because there are more steps if performing this strategy mentally. </p>
<p>For a subtraction such as 69 – 46, you would:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>split or decompose each number into tens and ones: 60 + 9 – (40 + 6)</p></li>
<li><p>remove bracket: 60 + 9 – 40 – 6</p></li>
<li><p>rearrange tens and ones: (60 – 40) + (9 – 6)</p></li>
<li><p>subtract the tens, then the ones: 20 + 3 = 23</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Students often make mistakes in the third step. Successful students may say: “I take 40 from 60, then 6 from 9”. Unsuccessful students will say “I take 40 from 60 then add 6 and 9”. </p>
<p>Students who use this strategy successfully are showing they understand place value (the value of each digit in a number) and their knowledge of maths rules needed for algebra. </p>
<h2>2. Jump strategy</h2>
<p>This is sometimes called the sequencing or cumulative sums strategy. The actual steps taken depend on the confidence and ability of the students. </p>
<p>Some students add increments of tens or ones, while others add or subtract multiples of tens then ones. </p>
<p>For example, adding 46 + 23 using the jump strategy might look like this:</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=199&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=199&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375290/original/file-20201216-13-1odomar.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=199&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>add two lots of ten to 46: 46 + 10 = 56, then 56 + 10 = 66</p></li>
<li><p>add the remaining 3: 66 + 3 = 69 </p></li>
</ul>
<p>or </p>
<ul>
<li><p>add 20 to 46 which becomes 66</p></li>
<li><p>add the remaining 3: 66 + 3 = 69</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The two versions of this strategy can be shown using an empty number line. Using a blank or empty number line allows student to record their thinking and for teachers to analyse their thinking and determine the strategy they have attempted to use.</p>
<p>Subtracting 69 – 46 with the jump strategy could be done by:</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=149&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=149&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=149&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=187&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=187&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375291/original/file-20201216-19-n4muyw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=187&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>subtracting four lots of ten (40) from 69: 69 – 10 = 59; 59 – 10 = 49; 49 – 10 = 39; 39 – 10 = 29 </p></li>
<li><p>then finally subtracting the remaining 6: 29 – 6 = 23 </p></li>
</ul>
<p>or</p>
<ul>
<li><p>subtract 40: 69 – 40 = 29 </p></li>
<li><p>then subtract 6: 29 – 6 = 23</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>3. ‘Make to the next ten’ strategy</h2>
<p>This is sometimes called the compensation or shortcut strategy. It involves adjusting one number to make the task easier to solve. </p>
<p>The “make to the next ten” strategy builds on the “friends of ten” strategy. </p>
<p>Many students in the first years of primary school create all the combinations of two single digit numbers that give a total of ten. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>9 + 1, 8 + 2, 7 + 3, 6 + 4, 5 + 5 … </p>
</blockquote>
<p>These are sometimes called the rainbow facts as the children create rainbows as they connect two numbers together. For instance, 9 may be on one end of a rainbow colour and 1 on the other. </p>
<p>By combining the numbers in this way teachers hope students will realise the answer for 9 + 1 is the same as 1 + 9.</p>
<p>In the “make to the next ten” strategy, you add or subtract a number larger than the number given (such as the next multiple of ten) and then readjust the number by subtracting what was added or adding what was subtracted.</p>
<p>In the diagrams the relationships are indicated by the use of arrows. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=156&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=156&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=156&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=196&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=196&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375301/original/file-20201216-21-1lvy5ai.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=196&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>So, to add 37 + 65, you would</p>
<ul>
<li><p>add 3 to 37 to give 40. </p></li>
<li><p>subtract 3 from 65 to get 62</p></li>
<li><p>this becomes: 40 + 62 = 102.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If subtracting 102 – 65, you would:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>subtract 2 from 102 to make 100</p></li>
<li><p>subtract 2 from 65 to maintain the balance</p></li>
<li><p>this becomes 100 – 63 = 37.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Many students using this strategy incorrectly add 2 to 65 instead of subtracting 2.</p>
<h2>Why these strategies?</h2>
<p>Students would have been using all these strategies, or some forms of them, in their head for generations. But for many years, the expectation was that students use the formal written algorithm rather than their own mental strategies. </p>
<p>The introduction of the empty or blank number line allowed students to record their mental strategies, which allowed teachers and parents to see them. Naming these strategies has allowed teachers and students to discuss possible strategies using a common vocabulary.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-prefer-maths-when-you-let-them-figure-out-the-answer-for-themselves-44016">Kids prefer maths when you let them figure out the answer for themselves</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Rather than teach rules and procedures, we now need to encourage students to explain their strategies using both concrete materials and diagrams to demonstrate their knowledge of addition and subtraction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150262/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cath Pearn is affiliated with both the Australian Council for Educational Research and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne. </span></em></p>For years you may have been adding and subtracting numbers in your head in a certain way, but these strategies were never formally taught at school. Now they are, and they all have names.Cath Pearn, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational ResearchLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1441872020-08-17T12:24:09Z2020-08-17T12:24:09Z3 ways to get kids to tune in and pay attention when schools go virtual<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352608/original/file-20200812-20-1pn6pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=48%2C129%2C5400%2C3379&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">This is what the school day currently looks like in many parts of the U.S.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-Distance-Learning/8a00337dfa9a482484dda7f6371e35e2/3/0">AP Photo/Jessica Hill</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When nearly all U.S. brick-and-mortar schools suddenly closed in March 2020 and went online, large numbers of students simply didn’t log into class. Even if they did show up, <a href="https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/11/21363943/ilearn-summer-school-nyc-gitches">many more weren’t paying much attention</a> or doing their schoolwork. As a <a href="https://www.kgun9.com/news/back-to-school/students-missing-thousands-have-not-logged-into-schools-remotely">new school year gets underway</a>, is there anything that teachers and families can do to curb these problems with <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/12/health/covid-kids-school-gupta-essay/index.html">remote learning</a> due to COVID-19?</p>
<p>Having spent our careers doing <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Awl0ddQAAAAJ&hl=en">research on student motivation</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=cBsh7i4AAAAJ">learning with technology</a>, we recommend these three strategies.</p>
<h2>1. Go out of your way to build relationships</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.2307/1170683">importance of the relationships</a> that develop in classrooms is often taken for granted. With online learning, students and teachers can no longer greet each other with high-fives and fist bumps or develop a sense of connection through direct eye contact. Their interactions are now restricted, and in a <a href="https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-covid-19-schools-open-closed.html?intc=main-mpsmvs">growing number of communities</a> they are limited to communications through computers.</p>
<p>Teleconferencing software like Zoom can mimic face-to-face conversations and lessons. An array of digital tools can improve the quality of these <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-weird-things-that-happen-when-you-videoconference-134879">sometimes awkward interactions</a>. Some are text-based, delivered either live or pre-recorded.</p>
<p>Pictures, audio clips, videos, emojis and GIFs help people get their points across more clearly and colorfully. Rather than seeing them as frivolous, we recommend that families and teachers not be afraid to encourage students to use those tools to build and strengthen social relationships with their peers and their teachers.</p>
<p>Students will also benefit when schools create opportunities to spend non-instructional time with other students online because it makes it easier to forge personal connections. To be sure, schools also need to set and enforce clear “<a href="https://elearningindustry.com/10-netiquette-tips-online-discussions">netiquette</a>” – online manners – to discourage <a href="https://theconversation.com/cyberbullying-four-steps-to-protect-your-kids-90907">digital bullying</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.01.003">support a positive culture</a>. This is especially true when a new semester gets underway.</p>
<p>We recommend that schools set up <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190%2F7BAK-EGAH-3MH1-K7C6">virtual study rooms and online discussion boards</a> where students can be encouraged to regularly socialize and work collectively and that families encourage children to participate.</p>
<h2>2. Stress the relevance of what students are learning</h2>
<p>Students often question <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-07986-017">why they are required to learn various topics</a>. What teacher or parent has never had to answer a question such as, “When will I ever need to know about the Spanish-American War?”</p>
<p>More than ever, it matters whether students get <a href="https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/sparking-student-motivation/book272072">why what they’re learning is relevant</a>. Research unequivocally shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101859">when students understand this</a>, they are more engaged, more likely to want to learn more about the topic in the future and even <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dev0000367">more likely to choose careers</a> related to what they’re being taught.</p>
<p>Technology can help. For example, videos and other online resources can instantly show students how a particular topic might be essential for certain careers. And we recommend that teachers tell students to briefly interview relatives and friends, whether by using Zoom, email or the phone, about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000367">why a particular topic that they are learning might be relevant</a> to their own lives.</p>
<h2>3. Establish new routines</h2>
<p>Students benefit from routines at school, because routines help them to organize and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9320-8">use their time efficiently throughout the school day</a>. These can include short breaks between classes when they can interact with their peers and take a mental break before they begin their next class. Online learning, even with some daily instruction happening in real time, is more self-paced and self-managed. Kids will benefit from <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-good-practices-for-anyone-caring-for-quarantined-kids-135626">a new daily routine</a> that suits their virtual school schedule and their family’s needs. Students are likely to be more engaged with online learning if they are expected to get ready for the day by acting as though they were actually going to their school building, and not just roll out of bed and turn on the computer. </p>
<p>[<em>Research into coronavirus and other news from science</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-corona-research">Subscribe to The Conversation’s new science newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p><a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203876428/chapters/10.4324/9780203876428-29">Students quite often don’t know how</a> to effectively set reasonable goals, manage their time, take notes, study for tests, ask for help in constructive ways or plan and carry out research projects.</p>
<p>Because figuring all of that out only gets harder with online learning, kids and teens will benefit if they establish daily plans with achievable goals. Families can help them keep their plans on track by encouraging students to <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1104000">think about the strategies they are using</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00476.x">reminding them when and how to apply appropriate study strategies</a>.</p>
<p>For example, while a student is watching an online instructional video, we recommend that parents and other guardians from time to time get them to briefly pause the clip. Try asking “Do you understand what you’ve seen so far?” If not, suggest that they start it over. Offer to help them puzzle through what’s being taught. If that doesn’t help, assist with scheduling a personal meeting with their teacher.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144187/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eric M. Anderman receives funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Nationwide Children's Hospital.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kui Xie receives funding from Institute for Educational Sciences, Spencer Foundation, Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Department of Higher Education, and Ohio Mayfield School District. </span></em></p>One big complication with K-12 distance learning is how hard it is to get children and teens to log in and do their schoolwork. But there are things teachers and families can do to help.Eric M. Anderman, Professor of Educational Psychology and Quantitative Research, Evaluation, and Measurement, The Ohio State UniversityKui Xie, Cyphert Distinguished Professor of Learning Technologies; Director of The Research Laboratory for Digital Learning, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/867062017-11-08T19:14:23Z2017-11-08T19:14:23ZSimplistic advice for teachers on how to teach won’t work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/193721/original/file-20171108-6766-udash5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teachers need to use their professional understanding and practical reasoning to assess the value of the proposed strategies and when, how and why they should be incorporated into their teaching.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Big data analysis is now widespread in many fields, including education. Education systems look for large-scale evidence-based accounts of “what works” to frame teaching and learning policy. </p>
<p>After trying many methods, it seems timely and reasonable to use big data sets, or aggregations of multiple studies, to identify effect sizes of different teaching strategies and advise teachers on how to optimise learning. Effect sizes entail comparisons of the extent of learning outcomes, usually measured by standardised tests. Departments of education in Victoria and NSW are now applying this approach to teacher guidance.</p>
<p>While this drive to base advice on solid evidence is positive, the type of evidence being selected is questionable. It tends to distort accounts of teaching and learning. </p>
<p>The first example is the Victorian <a href="http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/support/highimpactteachstrat.pdf">High Impact Teaching Strategies</a> (HITS). Teachers are encouraged to set clear goals, structure lessons, teach through explanation, model solutions, provide feedback on what students should do next, let students collaborate, and adjust each learning experience to individual learners’ needs. </p>
<p>The second is the New South Wales <a href="http://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/crash-course-evidence-based-teaching/explicit-teaching/">example</a>. Teachers are advised that explicit teaching, based on effect size, is the best way to teach. In this approach, the emphasis is on teachers explicitly explaining course material, rather than highly-active student roles.</p>
<p>These strategies seem plausible, but we have concerns about their narrow view of teacher practice, their unconvincing “scientific” evidence base, and their limited view of the curriculum, teacher and student roles, and the capabilities required of students this century. </p>
<h2>Narrow teacher practice</h2>
<p>These strategies may be individually useful, but fail to explain why, when and how (and how often) any strategy might be used alone or in combination with others. These lists also fail to recognise that effective teaching is built on positive relationships with students as individuals and as a class, and on responsiveness and creativity in teacher practice. </p>
<h2>Measurement methods</h2>
<p>As <a href="http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=467818990993648;res=IELNZC;type=pdf">noted</a> in the <a href="http://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/9475/7229">work</a> of <a href="http://www.dylanwiliam.org/Dylan_Wiliams_website/Presentations_files/2014-09-06%20ResearchED.pptx">multiple</a> education experts, there are flaws in the statistical methods on which these claims are based. The main problems relate to how effect sizes are calculated and comparing them across different contexts. Behind these seductively precise numbers lie studies that vary considerably in context, design and outcomes.</p>
<p>At the very least, teachers need to use their own professional understanding and practical reasoning to assess the value of the proposed strategies and when, how and why they should be incorporated into their teaching. More analysis is also necessary to identify the conditions under which what versions of these strategies are useful.</p>
<h2>The limited curriculum</h2>
<p>The strategies outlined in HITs also imply a very traditional view of learning as mastery of pre-packaged teacher content. They fail to suggest how teachers might promote student creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. </p>
<p>These lists also fail to acknowledge the possibility of students making reasoning moves outside those orchestrated by the teacher. By this we mean students might come up with productive contributions that might surpass what the teacher has planned for.</p>
<p>However, these student capabilities are now seen as crucial in many national curricula for promoting individual, group and national productivity and wellbeing. This is a <a href="http://www.educationcouncil.edu.au/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/National%20STEM%20School%20Education%20Strategy.pdf">pressing challenge</a> for effective learning in this century. </p>
<p>This advice for teachers offers a limited vision of teacher and student roles. Crucial questions are not addressed in this extended focus on how to organise teacher-designed learning. These questions include when and in what ways teachers provide explicit guidance to individual students and groups, and when they encourage and trust students to work independently. This advice fails to take into account the need for teachers to establish a generative learning environment where productive relations between students and teachers, and between students, flourish. </p>
<p>There is no hint, within the HITS “differentiated teaching” strategy, of cultural, gendered, or socio-economic dimensions to difference. Learning to follow explanations and procedures is clearly a desirable goal, but a narrow teacher focus on this dimension of learning is likely to be counterproductive. Developing a generative and supportive classroom culture, including shared and celebrated goals and successes, would likely be sacrificed.</p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>At a recent <a href="https://events.slrc.org.au/2017-international-science-learning-conference/">Science of Learning conference</a> involving neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, and educators, some strong themes emerged. These included addressing gender stereotypes, the productive role of struggle by learners, key relational factors in learning, and the dependence of effect sizes on both what learning strategy is used, and when it can be used successfully within a larger learning sequence. Problem-based learning is effective if students have a relevant knowledge base to draw on. <a href="https://www.alea.edu.au/documents/item/861.">Explicit teaching</a> and the use of instructional packages are effective in teaching basic skills, but less so for advanced creative problem-solving.</p>
<p>Advice to teachers on teaching should be based on rich, persuasive and justifiable evidence. This advice should also acknowledge the diverse range of desirable learning outcomes prescribed in national curriculums worldwide. </p>
<p>Advice should also provide practical support to develop teaching approaches that justify and integrate strategies which otherwise remain fragmented and prone to faddish take-up or abandonment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86706/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vaughan Prain receives funding from the Australian Research Council</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Russell Tytler receives funding from the Australian Research. </span></em></p>It’s not enough to base teaching and learning policy on big data analysis, evidence needs to be rich, persuasive and justifiable and provide practical support to develop teaching approaches.Vaughan Prain, Professor in Science Interdisciplinary Education Research, Deakin UniversityRussell Tytler, Professor of science education, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.