Innovative maths resource promotes higher order thinking

Innovative maths resource promotes higher order thinking

A new resource designed to empower secondary school students to use maths concepts in contexts within and beyond the subject has been published. The LEMMA series: Mathematics tasks that promote higher order thinking is a collection of booklets that contain sequences of metamathematical activities which encourage students to focus on problem solving and critical thinking.

The resource was developed by Associate Professor Caroline Yoon, head of the Mathematics Education Unit at the University of Auckland, through funding from the Beeby fellowship, a partnership between the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER).

The innovative resource differs from a standard maths textbook as it addresses higher level skills and higher level thinking that are much harder to assess and often missed. The series is linked to the mathematics and statistics learning area of the national curriculum and encompasses communication and writing skills.

“Rather than being a text book trying to cover a wide area, the resource is designed to offer flexibility to teachers who can choose to use the resources that best fit with their own classroom and students,” Dr Yoon explains.

She continues: “You begin by implementing an open-ended activity in the classroom in which teams of students design a complex mathematical product. For subsequent activities you can choose the resources you want to use based on the particular development needs of your students. For example, you might want to emphasise mathematical communication skills or conceptual understanding in mathematics.”

Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Ian McKinnon, says, “We are delighted to have supported the development of this cutting edge resource through the Beeby fellowship. We hope that the series will become a valuable resource to teachers in a subject that does present challenges in our classrooms.”

The resource consists of five booklets of activities, one targeted at each of Year 9-13. It could also be used as an extension activity in other years, including intermediate school level. For each year, there is a teacher manual containing notes and answers, a student booklet containing the questions and separate answer sheets. The resource is print-based with electronic and digital supporting material.

Each sequence of metamathematical activities follows the same structure:

• The sequence begins with a challenging open-ended activity, in which teams of students design a complex mathematical product

• Follow up activities invite students to critique and manipulate the mathematical structures underlying the initial activity from multiple perspectives

• Formative assessments tasks encourage students to extend their knowledge to new contexts

Schools can buy one year level or all five, and there is also a discounted sample pack of the teacher manuals for all tasks. The teacher manuals cost $30 each and the student booklets cost $5.

They can be purchased from NZCER’s website.

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