We have now been doing DMIC (Developing mathematical inquiring communities)
since the start of the year
Going into this at the start was a whole new learning journey for me. I've heard so much about “Bobby Maths”, most like it but some really don’t. I assumed I would be in the category that doesn’t. I’m in the third term and I've come to realise that I really needed this.
Reflecting back:
I’ve learnt so much in terms of talk moves, mathematical understanding, big ideas ect. Students learn everyday whether it be from the teacher or not, so stepping back and allowing students to learn on their own and support each other was new. I always facilitated the information, I had all the knowledge so watching the students solve and do it in their small groups was hard. Though now I see it’s rewarding, this has built student agency, independence and boosted their confidence in math. The hardest part was the lockdown, I didn’t know how to teach “DMIC” in a virtual classroom. This out me in square one once we were back in school. I would say I've learnt alot. I’m gaining more confidence in providing a DMIC lesson, not 100% but almost. I also still have challenges but these are more around going deeper and exploring the balance of child and teacher talk and norms and mathematical discussion.
Arguing Mathematically:
I think the main idea is we want kids to challenge each other. It’s easy to get kids to agree it is harder to disagree and provide a reason when you ask "why". Students' ideas must be challenged, through group discussion and talk moves. It pushes them to justify their thinking and answers whether right or wrong. Allowing for wait time and giving all students a time to think gives them more will to try. Thinking about the process of mathematical thinking is a point of learning, this surpassed me in my first year of teaching until now. Yes, justifying the process of your thinking is mathematical understanding which is learning. It’s not always the answer.
Professional Learning/Learning focused Culture:
- Develop a culture that is focused
on learning, and is characterised
by respect, inclusion, empathy,
collaboration and safety
- Use inquiry, collaborative problem solving and professional learning to improve professional capability to impact on the learning and achievement of all learners.
Problem-based questions are personalized to the children in the class and developed around activities and contexts that the children are interested in. They reflect real life contexts which helps make the learning authentic and relevant for the children, e.g., pizzas, pets, athletics, everyday life situations. Here is an example of a DMIC problem my students have done.
