Improving Numeracy in Dwight School Dubai

[Audio] " Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why." – Bernard Baruch Improving Numeracy in Dwight School Dubai Welcome, School Board , Head of school and principals. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to give advice on how to increase student numeracy achievement in our school system. As Newton asked questions about the fallen apple whilst others kept quiet, so are we all asking questions to seek answers to solve the schools numeracy problems. My name is Frank Ayim..

[Audio] Agenda During our time together today, we will go over a variety of components that will help us develop a stronger curriculum and instructions among our staff and students. we will look at : Current reality ( demographics of the school, numeracy performance so far) School needs in numeracy, Three areas of curriculum design. Effective instructional practices. Three necessities in professional development, School action steps for implementing the numeracy standards Finally the evidence of success. Please note your questions down, as there will be time at the end of this presentation for questions..

[Audio] School Demographics First we will take a look at our demographic in our school to keep in mind the students we see in our classrooms and the learning environments we must shift towards. Analysis: Out of a total of 202 grades 1- 10 students , 93 of them forming 46 percent are girls whilst 109 students forming 54 percent are boys. 6 students forming 3 percent of the student population are Emirates, 109 students making 97 percentage are from other countries, 14 students making 7 percent are students with determination and finally 32 of the students population forming 16 percent are gifted and talented students. Based on the above analysis, I will say that our school is diverse with student from different countries and learning abilities which will require differentiation in closing the numeracy gap. Reference: Dwight School Dubai Data Analysis Department.

[Audio] School Maths Proficiency/ Achievement Gaps Ladies and gentlemen of the board, from the MAP data analysis you see on the screen now, it paints a dire picture of a study decline of math proficiency from grade 1- 10. The quicker we finds solutions to this decline , the smoother the transition will be for our children as they move to the high school with more improved numeracy skills. Finally, we get a closer look at the students who make up each of our learning areas. Looking at this bar graph, we can see that approximately 38% of our children reach or exceed the standard, with the remaining 40% approaching and/or failing to meet the math standards for our school and KHDA standards. Now, let's look at the components of a stronger curriculum and instruction plan to start improving our students' numeracy. Reference: Dwight School Dubai Data Analysis Department.

[Audio] Three Best Practices of Curriculum Design "If you practice hard, you can win every battle."- Manny Pacquiao. Now that we've gone over the school numeracy data, let's have a look at three best practice of Curriculum Design that we should make sure to cover while teaching numeracy..

[Audio] Determine the desired effects on the student. Curriculum Design Best Practice # 1 According to Wiggins, McTighe and Jay ( 1998) ,every curriculum design process starts with an instructor deciding what desired outcomes they want for their students. They further advise the instructor to reflect on the following three issues as they narrow in on the most beneficial material: 1.What should the student hear, read, view, explore or otherwise encounter? 2.What knowledge and skills should the student master? 3.What big ideas and important understandings the student should retain? As corroborated by Tomlinson et al. ( 2013), curriculum design should start by first recognizing who we teach in the classroom and the level of information given at the students level. Reference(s): Tomlinson, C. A. ( 2005b). Traveling the road to differentiation in staff development. National Staff Development Council, 26( 4), 8- 12 Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by Design (pp. 13- 34). ASCD..

[Audio] Differentiated Instructions. Curriculum Design Best Practice # 2 According to the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, in order to teach effectively, educators must respond to students' varying abilities, by teaching students at their particular readiness levels (Tomlinson, 2005b). It is the responsibility of the teacher to meet this readiness level students exhibit in a class by designing differentiated instructions. According to ( Tomlinson, 2005,)Differentiated instruction ( DI) offers teachers a means to meet students' varying needs, She suggested educators do the following in differentiated si support student: 1. Teachers adjust the content, process and products of lesson to improve students' engagement and achievement. 2.Demonstrating, scaffolding and lesson design to extend student knowledge of the subject. 3. Demonstrating students outcomes in ways that meet students' unique learning. Taking these factors into account allows teachers to make sure that each student receives, and is able to demonstrate, learning in a way that fosters engagement and meets his or her unique learning needs. Reference: Tomlinson, C. A. (2005b). Traveling the road to differentiation in staff development. National Staff Development Council, 26( 4), 8- 12.

[Audio] Learning Experiences and Instruction. Curriculum Design Best Practice # 3 The third best practice of curriculum design is when instructors begin to consider how they will teach. According to Wiggins, Grant, and McTighe, Jay. ( 1998)This is when instructional strategies and learning activities are created. With the learning goals and assessment methods established, the instructor will have a clearer vision of which strategies would work best to provide students with the resources and information necessary to attain the goals of the course. Educators are encouraged to consider the questions below when planning what to teach: What enabling knowledge ( facts, concepts, principles) and skills ( processes, procedures, strategies) will students need in order to perform effectively and achieve desired results? What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills? What will need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught, in light of performance goals? What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals? Reference: Tomlinson, C. A., McTighe, J., & McTighe, J. ( 2013). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding by design : Connecting content and kids. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development..

[Audio] Three Curriculum Design Instructional practices to Improve Students Achievements After we have fully implemented our curriculum design, we must turn our focus to incorporate the need to alter and make room for effective instructional techniques. According to Marzano, ( 2017). these best practices must focus on distinct student mental states and processes which will help in closing the achievement gap, Let's take a closer look at these educational approaches now… Reference(s): Marzano, R. J. (2017). The new art and science of teaching : More than fifty new instructional strategies for academic success. Solution Tree. U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Every Student Succeeds Act ( ESSA). Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn.

[Audio] Identify student's needs. Instructional Best Practice # 1 The first instructional best practice for educator to implement in their classes to improve students engagement in numeracy is to Identifying the individual/ class needs of students and know their learning styles. Educators can do this by: Administering creative learning style inventories for students to identify their learning styles. Teacher analysed and use student learning style in lessons. Provide students with challenging materials. Giving Feedback According to Hammond( 2015) feedback is critical in helping students become self-directed learners in closing the achievement gap as the teacher practices a responsive teaching to supporting them. Reference: Hammond, Z. L. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain. Corwin Press..

[Audio] Develop learning goals. Instructional Best Practice # 2 After identifying students needs, the teacher have to develop short and long term goals to guide the students in achieving their numeracy goals. The short term goals are usually for motivating students for success whiles the long term goals serves as benchmarks for measuring progress. Short-term goals give a learner something to celebrate along the way to achieving progress in numeracy . Long-term goals are ones that students work toward completing over the course of a semester or even a full school year. Teachers and students use data from long terms goals as benchmark to make progress . According to Marzano 2017, learning goals or targets can be tracked and used to measure teacher impact on student learning. Reference: Marzano, R. J. ( 2018). The New Art and Science of Teaching..

[Audio] Work habit/ High Expectation. Instructional Best Practice # 3 The Final instructional practice is around providing students with context in their learning by having a sustainable work habit and a high Expectations. In order to help students recognize their own areas of weakness and establish benchmarks for growth, work habits high expectation goals are created. Teachers are encouraged to exhibit good work habit by : Emphasizing on how the student learns. Start project early. Give realistic deadlines for students assignments. According to MacCann et al. ( 2012). Time management "is a set of habits or learnable behaviors that may be gained by improved knowledge, training, or deliberate practice," As a result, creating a connection between work habits and academic performance can be used to build interventions that will help all students succeed. How do we accomplish high aspirations as a school? To attain high expectations for our students, we must first encourage educators to analyze their prejudices and how their students may be handled differently ( Marzano, 2017). Having discovered these biases and treatments, we can then use our expertise to set things aside and give a good level of teaching to our pupils regardless. Reference: MacCann, C., Fogarty, G. J., & Roberts, R. D. (2012). Strategies for success in education: Time management is more important for part-time than full-time community college students. Learning and Individual Differences, 22( 5), 618– 623. Marzano, R. J. (2017). The new art and science of teaching : More than fifty new instructional strategies for academic success. Solution Tree..

[Audio] Professional Development Now that we've considered our numeracy statistics, three best curriculum designs, and most successful teaching approaches, it's time to narrow the emphasis to what our schools must do to hold our teachers and staff accountable for boosting student accomplishment. First, we will look at the three requirements for excellent professional growth, followed by a plan in Dwight School Dubai. This plan will work in tandem with the actions we need to take as a school to improve student numeracy success..

[Audio] Best professional development Courses for Teachers The best professional development for our instructors at Dwight School Dubai would be based on three main requirements: Setting goals: It is very important for educators to participate in professional development in goal setting that is realistic to themselves and the students in their care. Teachers are encouraged to provide input during the goal-setting process to brainstorm how it will benefit the students. As I agreed with ( Reeves, 2010)." for educators to succeed in class they must have a SMART goal established". Making lessons hands-on: Lectures in the classroom are a waste of time. They don't help student engagement, and instead, they take up valuable instructional time. This can be reflected in teacher PD as well. Lectures do not provide opportunities for teachers to practice new strategies and grow their skillset. Teaching teachers the chance to learn new skills and strategies while they are in the classroom will go a long ways to keep teachers in the professions and improve students performance. According to Haury and Rillero ( 2015), The hands-on approach to learning is a method that involves the child in a total learning experience. It enhances the child's ability to think critically. This approach engages children and it captures their attention. The more they participate in making real world connections to numeracy , the more they will learn and make improvements in their numeracy skills. Foster Collaborative Learning: Implementing collaborative professional development sessions for teachers will help teachers to teach teachers and acquire practical skills to continue their learning as leaders. They will also be able to educate others as part of their professional learning experiences, as well as have some influence about what they need to study and teach others at that moment in their professional development. A mentor program will provide teachers with a coach to help them learn and develop their skills. It would be beneficial for both the coach and the teacher as they work together on improving teaching techniques and leadership.This idea would provide more opportunities for students to learn from teachers who are inspiring and show great leadership qualities. Reference Haury, D. L. & Rillero, P. (2015). Perspectives of Hands-On Science Teaching. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education. 151. Reeves, D. B. (2010). Transforming professional development into student results. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development..

[Audio] Professional learning plan to implement numeracy at Dwight School Dubai. Now let's take a look at the plan for professional learning to implement numeracy in our school: First of all the existing school data on numeracy will be gathered and analyzed to see the gaps in numeracy that needs to be closed. As eluded by Reeves ( 2010), " Effects are preceded by causes". The causes of the gaps in numeracy need to be first identified for the appropriate professional development programs to be organised for teachers to effectively guide students to close the numeracy gap. Plan Teacher Evaluations using the PIM ( Planning, Implementation, Monitoring) Matrix.-By planning for and holding teachers accountable to Teacher Evaluations using the PIM (Planning, Implementation, Monitoring) Matrix, we will begin to notice that our teachers' effectiveness in how we are teaching, planning, and accelerating students' learning will increase in our classrooms at Dwight School Dubai. All departments will also be encouraged to magnify and display numeracy posters from their subject groups of students work throughout the school to improve students' awareness and understanding. The mathematics department will be encourage share ideas with other teachers in different departments how to integrate numeracy in their classrooms. Finally, relevant collaborative teacher training for all teachers to share strategies for easy implementation of numeracy in the school with the aim of closing any existing gap.Colleagues with relevant experience will be encourage to host and share their expertise in a school wide organised PD sessions. Reference: Reeves, D. B. (2010). Transforming professional development into student results. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development..

[Audio] Three Action Steps of implementing numeracy at Dwight School Dubai As agreed with Catherine Pulsifer quote , "Often just by taking action, by doing something about the situation can relieve the stress and help correct the situation." By exploring the next three action steps that educational leaders will need to do, we will discover a process that will enable us at Dwight School Dubai to implement numeracy standards inside our school, resulting in high achievement for our students..

[Audio] Dwight School Dubai Maths Standard Before we begin our action actions, I'd like to take a time to reflect on the numeracy standards that will be employed and to review the four core strands that we teach within math. Dwight School Dubai has implemented the MAP NWEA Standards to assess students' numeracy skills from grade 1 to grade 10. The major goal of the standards is to establish expectations for achievement and at what grade level. Numeracy standards are seen at Dwight in four curriculum strands: 1) Number and Operation Algebra 2 3) Measurement and Geometry 4) Probability and statistics It is our obligation to use these criteria to foster learning in schools that meet these standards. Reference: Reeves, D. B. ( 2010). Transforming professional development into student results. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development..

[Audio] Three Action Steps of implementing numeracy Ladies and gentlemen of the school board, the three action steps I propose the school implement to close the numeracy gap this year are: Develop shared understanding/clear goals Conduct research and evaluate data Identify internal and external expertise and capacity.

[Audio] DEVELOP SHARED UNDERSTANDING -Clear Goals The first action plan to develop a shared understanding and clear goals among the school community. This step can be achieved by implementing the following: Develop a school-wide communications plan Create a video tool with a conversation guide to developing a shared understanding of numeracy and mathematics Facilitate ongoing cross-school-wide sessions with school leaders Facilitate ongoing cross-District sessions with lead teachers to: a. Share updated information regarding the numeracy plan b.Acquire current research and data Locate, develop (if needed) and distribute short digital or print multimedia resources to help principals/ schools communicate information and strategies about numeracy and mathematics Develop and use: School numeracy websites Share sites Online forums 6. Produce final numeracy and mathematics guiding document Reference: Reeves, D. B. ( 2010). Transforming professional development into student results. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development..

[Audio] 2. CONDUCT RESEARCH AND EVALUATE DATA The second action step is to conduct research and evaluate data concerning numeracy: Current foundational research will be gathered, analyzed, communicated and leveraged to support successful School-wide implementation of core numeracy principles when the school : Acquire and review current research on numeracy and mathematics and provide an editorial summary Develop and implement the School/ District Numeracy Guiding Document and Action Plan based on relevant research and staff feedback Communicate key research findings through the numeracy guiding document Develop and maintain a research share site that contains current articles and summaries Develop professional learning opportunities for School/District staff based on relevant research, using data to drive decisions Share current research information with school leaders and lead teachers According to Desimone ( 2011) , knitting together the qualities of high-quality professional learning and evaluating the results smartly can lead to improved student outcomes. Reference: Desimone L. M. (2011). A primer on effective professional development. Phi Delta Kappan, 92( 6), 68- 71..

[Audio] 3. IDENTIFY INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EXPERTISE AND CAPACITY The final action step is to identify internal and external expertise and capacity. Leaders will be identified and used to support numeracy and mathematics across the curricula and to support successful School-wide implementation of core numeracy principles when the Management do the following: Invite District leaders, including principals and central staff, to identify themselves as possessing significant expertise, training and experience in numeracy and mathematics Develop, share and maintain an updated list of District/ School leaders who can provide numeracy and mathematics support Use these District / School leaders to identify and potentially develop leadership support processes and tools (e.g., toolkit, observation tools, best practices for numeracy, numeracy assessment, intervention supports); facilitate implementation of processes and tools Maintain communication with curriculum owners ( International Baccalaureate) and attend meetings to keep informed about curricular changes and developments Pilot school/ district changes and developments related to K- 12 numeracy and mathematics According to Timperley ( 2007), External and Internal experts working alongside teachers in discussion and learning helps teachers acquire good PD skills in any subject area to effectively acquire skills that support students. Reference: Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., New Zealand. Ministry of Education, & University of Auckland. (2007). Teacher Professional Learning and Development: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration [ BES]. Ministry of Education. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/ 48727127.pdf.

[Audio] Evidence of success " Success is a journey, not a destination". Arthur Ashe What proof will we need to guarantee that our action plan is carried out? Since our practices and action steps were purely based on collecting data, setting goals based on that data, and finding strategies to ensure our teaching can account for that data. Our data gathering in our Professional learning communities, as well as our MAP Assessments, will show that these action steps have been achieved. To summarize, the actions that we need to take to guarantee that we are providing opportunities for our students in Dwight School will begin with informing our instructional leaders of their duties and leveraging data to drive our work. Assuring that our instructional leaders will follow the measures stated here today will help to create and establish numeracy proficiency. Thank you for listening to my presentations. Next, you are all welcome to ask your questions concerning the presentation..

[Audio] Questions and Answers I would like to thank you for taking on this new process and would like to offer up the time and space to answer any questions you might have..

[Audio] Reference Here are some of the sources that I used to advise this process at Dwight School Dubai..

[Audio] Thank you.. cu. EDUC810- Frank Ayim.