Posted on: June 22nd, 2020 by jnovakowski
As the province moved to remote learning from home due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Quilchena teachers and I met via Zoom to plan numeracy experiences for the students that were connected to our current context. I joined in on the class’ Zoom meetings for Math Chats where we did routines like number talks and WODBs […]
Posted on: June 20th, 2020 by jnovakowski
On February 25, on what would be our last face to face time together, I spent the morning with the grades 5&6&7 class at Quilchena. At that time, I was still thinking I was going to Reggio Emilia, Italy for a study group on spring break and I shared a project from that community with […]
Posted on: June 20th, 2020 by jnovakowski
On January 29, I spent the morning with the grades 5&6&7 class at Quilchena thinking about numbers in the news. We connecting this idea to our study of infographics and how numbers can be used to inform, persuade or evoke emotion in us. We wondered how headlines might use numbers to pull us into a […]
Posted on: December 12th, 2019 by jnovakowski
For our session together in December the grades 5&6&7 class at Quilchena examined two infographics about environmental issues and discussed how infographics use numbers and data in different ways to convey information, provoke thinking and to be persuasive. The students shared how they noticed how the infographics made some numbers large or highlighted them with […]
Posted on: December 10th, 2019 by jnovakowski
On November 27, I visited the grades 5&6&7 class at Quilchena to continue our focus on numeracy and for this session together I selected a numeracy task from Dr Peter Liljedahl’s website. The task continues the thinking we have been doing about water issues and and moves to thinking about agency around water conservation. We […]
Posted on: November 29th, 2019 by jnovakowski
I visited the grades 5&6&7 class at Quilchena for the second time on October 30. Inspired by the students’ interest in youth agents of change around climate change and by a mathematical modelling task created by Dr. Julia Aguirre about the Flint Water Crisis in the USA, we invited the students to think about the […]
Posted on: November 19th, 2019 by jnovakowski
Numeracy is a K-12 focus in our school district. Numeracy and literacy are considered the two pillars of the BC curriculum and new Graduation Assessments in both Numeracy and Literacy are now in place in our province. With teachers, students and families that I work with, I explain the distinction between mathematics and numeracy. Mathematics is […]
Posted on: August 29th, 2022 by jnovakowski
The following are a collection of resources to support educators in planning and designing for mathematics and numeracy grounded in the BC K-7 mathematics curriculum. Many of these ideas can also apply to grades 8-12 contexts. BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR As you begin planning for the school year, consider thinking about the story of […]
Posted on: January 4th, 2022 by jnovakowski
Here is a collection of elementary math resources to support schools and teachers as they develop continuity of learning plans as we plan for health or functional school closures here in British Columbia. Download the one-pager here: The weekly math plans from Spring of 2020 can be used as your daily numeracy component of 20 […]
Posted on: June 15th, 2021 by jnovakowski
Usually in June, I am reflecting on the professional learning projects from the school year and writing my annual summary report. But this year was a little different…and for purposes of reflection and documentation, I have written about my year of supporting Transitional Learning. We began the 2020-2021 school year with uncertainty, not sure how […]