Inquiry into Maths

 

Initially, my Inquiry Maths group was designed to support the lowest-performing students, focusing on fundamental concepts like addition and subtraction using various materials for concrete understanding. However, recognising the potential for greater leverage and challenge within the classroom, I strategically shifted the focus of this dedicated time to the top maths group. This group had already demonstrated a strong mastery of basic operations, particularly excelling in multiplication facts and transitioning smoothly into the complexities of multiplying larger numbers with regrouping. This change allowed the Inquiry Maths sessions to become a space for high-level mathematical exploration and accelerated learning. Crucially, this advanced group was then integrated as peer tutors, providing scaffolded support to the lower maths group, where they effectively modelled and reinforced addition and subtraction skills using the same materials and strategies they had previously mastered. This restructure transformed the dynamic, benefiting both groups: the top students gained leadership and deepened their conceptual understanding through teaching, while the lower group received targeted, relatable assistance.

Vosaic with my Inquiry Group

Summary:

The teacher employs several effective teaching strategies, including interactive questioning and collaborative learning. By asking students to identify numbers and encouraging them to respond, the teacher fosters engagement and critical thinking. The use of a game format also makes learning enjoyable and promotes active participation.

Classroom management strategies are evident as the teacher maintains a structured environment by guiding the flow of the game and ensuring that students take turns. The teacher also addresses any confusion promptly, such as when a number is missing, which helps maintain focus and clarity in the activity.

☻ Teacher talk time: 45%
☻ Student talk time: 55%

Suggestions:

The teacher could incorporate more visual aids to support number recognition, enhancing understanding for visual learners.

Encouraging more peer-to-peer interaction could foster collaboration and deepen engagement among students.

Implementing a system for students to signal when they need help could improve responsiveness to student needs.

Reflection

After watching the video of part of my inquiry group’s focus, I can see that next time I will give the students fewer cards to work with to make the task more manageable. I will also provide visual number cards to further support their understanding. While we did use place value blocks this time, I think it would be more effective to first have students build the number they need before searching for the required cards. This change should help them focus on constructing and understanding the numbers before moving on to the next step.

 

2025 Manaiakalani Toha Toha/ Share Staff Meeting

Currently, I have students working across three different PRIME levels: Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3. The majority, 16 students, are working through Book 1, while a smaller number are ready for the more advanced concepts in Books 2 and 3. The biggest challenge has been managing the pace of the program across all three levels and ensuring that each group stays on track with their learning. It takes extra planning and organisation to keep up with the book work, especially when each group needs different levels of support and extension.

This is my second term using the PRIME Mathematics program in the classroom. I’ve seen some progress; there are still challenges, particularly within the group of 16 students working on Book 1. Although they are all using the same book, their learning needs vary significantly. Some students are working at a preschool level, focusing on foundational skills like matching numbers to images and recognising basic number concepts. Others face language barriers that make it difficult to understand mathematical vocabulary and instructions. Differentiating within this large group can be challenging, as each student requires a different level of support to access the learning and build confidence in their maths understanding.

What’s working well is that the students have responded positively to hands-on activities and visual models, especially when learning about place value. Regular practice of basic facts through engaging warm-up games has also helped improve their understanding and fluency with addition and subtraction. These approaches have made maths more accessible and enjoyable for many learners.

Fiafia HipHop Group 2025

  

Congratulations to all the students, teachers, and tutors for your incredible efforts in

making our event a success. I am especially proud of the HipHop Group 2025; every 

single student lit up the stage and performed like absolute stars. Your energy, dedication, 

and talent wowed the crowd and made the evening unforgettable. Thank you to everyone 

who played a big part in bringing this night to life; your hard work and passion truly shone

 through. Well done, everyone!

Adobe Generated Images

 

Adobe Firefly uses AI (artificial intelligence) to help generate images just by typing in a description, like “a city at sunset.” It’s designed to be easy and safe to use, even for students. To use it, you can go to the Adobe Firefly website, log in with an Adobe account (many schools provide one), and start typing your ideas. The AI then creates images based on your words. It’s a fun and powerful way to bring creative ideas to life without needing advanced art or design skills. In our staff meeting, Matt and Fiona from Manaiakalani showed us how this can work in our classes with our students. 

Our school Inquiry this term is " JOY".  Our team's inquiry question is "What brings you JOY at home, at school, and in your community? The students have to use  Adobe to create 3 images of  Joy at home and school, and in the community. All the students were able to do this. Some of the students figure out how to get the right images they need to be clear about what they wrote, or add more details to get the images the students wanted.  These are Aniitah's images; she has also learned to animate parts of the images. 

Aniitahs Blog

Teacher Only Day "Mana" (Matua Les Hoerara)

Today, we welcomed guest speaker Matua Les Hoerara from the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust, who delivered a presentation on ‘He Aute’ — a project supported by the Ministry of Education. The focus of the session was on exploring meaningful ways to engage with our tamariki.

"Mana"

 

While the ability to self-regulate can be one aspect, mana is a much broader and deeper concept. It encompasses authority, prestige, spiritual strength, influence, and integrity. Mana reflects both inherent and earned power — it’s about the presence and impact a person carries through who they are and how they act.

Mana can be gained in several ways:

• Acquired: Through personal achievements, education, scholarships, leadership, and acts of reciprocity such as giving koha.

• Inherited: Passed down through whakapapa (genealogy), connecting individuals to their ancestral lineage.

• Through Diplomacy: Demonstrated through effective communication, collaboration, and the ability to maintain respectful relationships.

However, mana can also be diminished. It may be compromised through negative behavior, showing disrespect, or failing to meet cultural responsibilities, such as neglecting koha or time commitments. Maintaining mana requires ongoing integrity and accountability.