"Do your best!" says Ned

At a special assembly yesterday we were entertained by the NED show, a programme championing character education:

As well as being a positive mantra containing valuable messages for all our learners, I believe these messages are pertinent for me as a teacher too.  Am I doing my best?  Do I encourage learners to try their best?

We are halfway through our school year and it is time to reflect on the cycle of teaching and learning in Room 9, with particular reference to my Maths target learners.  My seven target learners have made mixed progress during the first half of the year.  Do I continue to focus on these learners?  Based on what I know now (after six months of building relationships, knowledge of my learners and knowledge of their learning), do I need to adjust my group of target learners to try my best to make a difference for others?

Looking at my Maths class overall, there are 33 learners: 9 are working towards the National Standard expected at the end of Year 5; and 24 are working well below the National Standard expected at the end of Year 5.  I have reorganised my Maths groups to accommodate individual learner needs based on achievement during Terms 1 and 2.  Coincidentally, within these new groupings, the social dynamics have changed and there is early evidence that learners are becoming confident to communicate with and learn alongside a range of other learners.

So, where does this leave my target learners?  Who are my priorities if I am trying to accelerate the achievement of 33 learners so that they are closer to working at National Standard at the end of Year 5?  After much pondering and wondering, I have identified those nine students who are currently working towards National Standard at the end of Year 5 as my target learners for the remainder of the year.  My reasoning: by attacking and filling identified learning gaps, building number knowledge and explicitly teaching strategies to solve multiplication and proportion/ratio problems, can these target learners move closer to working at National Standard by the end of Year 5?  As these nine learners form one Maths group, my next step is to identify their learning gaps, particularly in Geometry & Measurement and Statistics, to support them as a group to become well-rounded and confident Year 5 mathematicians.

In order for me to do my best with focus and persistence, I think it’s time to go and buy a NED yo-yo!