- When we study unit of work,
we do a pretest of the main concepts we need to know.
We then identify where we are using the Starting,
Getting There or Got It model.
This helps because I can analyse what I know
and what I need to know.
I'll show you what I mean.
This lets me know which focus lessons I need to go to
and I can prepare for what I need to learn.
- I'm good at mathematics.
I sometimes feel like it's too easy.
I can do stem-and-leaf plot anywhere I go.
This means I can attend Mr. Lollback extension group lesson.
- I'm quite confident in most areas of mathematics.
I'm able to analyse and work out most problems
but I definitely need to practise
to make sure I fully understand things.
For instance in this times unit about data,
I'm getting there with stem-and-leaf plot,
but I need to practise.
- There are occasions when we complete pretests
and there are unfamiliar concepts that we come across.
But with the way our classroom is set up,
I have gained confidence and we come better at maths.
These focus lessons help us strengthen
our understanding of maths.
To help us strengthen our understanding,
we have a system where you can go to focus lessons,
depending on where you are,
come and see it in action.
- Good morning E7.
I'd like you to take out your pretests please.
Today our focus lesson will be on stem-and-leaf plots.
Could you please take a moment now to look
to see if you are Starting, Getting There or Got It.
Okay E7, in a minute, I'll ask you to move
into your areas where your focus lessons will be.
If you're starting, you will be completing your focus lesson
up the other end of the room with Ms. McKenzie.
If you are getting there, you will be completing your lesson
in the middle of the room with Ms. Terry.
And if you've Got It,
you'll be attending my extension lesson up here.
Can I ask you guys to now move to those areas, please?
- I'm starting on this topic.
So I'll be in Ms. Mckenzie's focus lesson.
- Good morning students,
today we are starting to learn about stem-and-leaf plots.
You know that you're just starting
on your journey to learn them.
So I hope by the end of this lesson,
you will understand how to construct a stem-and-leaf plot
and why we do that.
I think I've got it now.
I'll just practise a little bit.
- Louis can I please have you up next
for the feedback session?
- That's me.
Mr. Lollback has now I'm gonna talk to me
about how I can improve from getting there.
Just got it.
- Hello.
- Hi.
- How's your stem-and-leaf plots going?
- It's good but I need to practise it.
- Okay, let me just take a quick look
and we'll see how we can get you to a Got It level.
Okay, I see you have your stem
and all your numbers are correct on the Stem
and they're all correct on the leaf.
You have a key, which is excellent.
A lot of people forget the key.
So I noticed you don't have a title up here.
If you could add a title next time
and also in a stem-and-leaf you're not actually required
to have comments in there either.
- Oh, okay.
- I've got this.
Actually, we all got this.
We're moving on to something more challenging.
- [Linda] Tara, why do use Starting, Getting There, Got It,
to provide feedback to students?
- Okay, Well, as you saw from Ellen's reflection,
and empowers students to take responsibility
for their own learning.
They have a clear path,
they know they need to go in for success
and they also have a process
they know they need to follow to achieve that success.
- [Linda] Anthony, has doing
this improved student disposition towards mathematics?
- Actually Linda yes, it has.
By using pretests and data to group students,
it enables us to differentiate
and give targeted feedback to enable each student
to achieve growth no matter which level
they are answering it.
- [Linda] How does the strategy enhance your practises
of differentiation?
- Okay, by pre-testing each unit
we know exactly where the deficits in knowledge are
in all of our students.
We can then point students in the right direction
to improve their understanding,
and we can target teaching
to suit specific needs of students.
And we can also extend those
that would normally sit there bored
because they already knew those concepts.
We have clear and precise data to track all students
and ensure that they've achieved the desired standards,
and then we can extend those who need it.
- [Linda] Is there any evidence
of improvement in student learning?
- Actually, yes, Linda,
there has been a great influence.
Has been a positive influence on the students' outcomes
with upward movement from their pretest to their post-test.
This also is translating into their semester grades,
which is great.
However, this is not the only positive outcome.
Is also increased student engagement,
students are staying on task for longer in class.
Not only that,
I've also noticed students are lining
up to class really early
and I cannot get them out at lunchtime.
They just want to increase their understanding.
- [Linda] How would you utilise the
"Starting, Getting There, Got It" strategy
in years eight to 12.
- Well, and we've already actually implemented it
for years eight and nine,
and we've had great success with completing that.
We plan to roll it out in year 11 and 12 in the coming year.
- [Linda] Can you tell us
about how research informed the way you're giving feedback
and exercising differentiation?
- Anthony and I share an underpinning philosophy
when teaching junior secondary.
We want to maximise student engagement and maximise success.
So to enable us to do that,
we're continually looking for good research
that will improve the effect size.
Our model of feedback with teachers
and students work together
to identify who's Starting, Getting There,
or Got It has several benefits.
So it allows students to have a clear pathway to success.
Students know exactly what they need to achieve
and how they will achieve it.
Feedback and data collection enables us to differentiate.
For example, we can monitor and implement strategies
to ensure our students are progressing
from that surface to deep,
to transfer phases of their learning.
This translates effectively
into the Getting There stage of student learning,
where we implement strategies with higher effect size,
such as peer tutoring.
So we also use schemers and scaffolding
which have proven to have a higher effect size,
such as the Venn diagram we use today
where students compare similarities and differences.
The research says this has a whopping effect size of 1.32.
So we use this.
The use of feedback also demonstrates to students
that we care about their mathematical growth.
We have high expectations,
and we believe that they will achieve success
and make that progress.
So when we feed back together on the pre and post test data,
we're always satisfied with the progress students have made.
But of course,
if there was a student who hadn't made progress
then we have that knowledge
and we have the skills to further work with them
to help them achieve success.
- In this snapshot of practise,
we saw a strategy for giving feedback.
Starting, Getting There, Got It.
We saw how it was utilised as a growth tool
and how feedback given after formative assessment
is improving student disposition towards mathematics
and ultimately, student learning outcomes.
In education research,
an effect size of 0.2 is relatively small.
And an effect size of 0.6 is large.
The effect size for feedback is 0.7
and for deliberate practise, 0.79.
So according to Alma Rhoda, Fisher, Ethel Hattie and Frey,
both have the potential
to considerably accelerate student achievement.
Today we witnessed teachers using deliberate instruction
which has an effect size of 0.6.
Deliberate instruction is a great way
to support students who are starting to get it
to transfer from surface to deep learning.
These three questions can be used
by individual teachers, professional learning teams
or departments to guide a reflection
on how teaching programmes include activities
that improve student disposition through feedback.
Visit the STEM Hub for schools
and follow the link to the M in STEM ed studio
for further resources
to help transform secondary mathematics.