Curriculum planning is essential for developing an engaging and effective mathematics teaching and learning program in early learning settings and schools. This will be part of a whole school planning approach to support cross curriculum opportunities and numeracy development.
The following resources are designed to help plan mathematics teaching and learning programs to meet the needs of all students.
Curriculum frameworks and advice
General advice for numeracy and mathematics curriculum planning using the Victorian Curriculum frameworks.
Resources
Literacy and numeracy teaching resources
These resources brings together a summary of the Department and VCAA resources to support each element of the teaching and learning cycle for mathematics and numeracy. The resources support teachers to:
- use student data
- identify learning goals
- plan
- teach
- assess.
See:
At a glance: literacy and numeracy teaching resources (pdf - 244.62kb).
Mathematics curriculum companion
The Mathematics Curriculum Companion is a suite of learning and teaching resources aligned to the Victorian Curriculum frameworks and developed in partnership with the Mathematics Association of Victoria.
It provides teachers with:
- content knowledge
- suggested teaching and learning ideas
- access to online resources
- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) resources, including sample planning templates.
Resources link to content descriptions in the Victorian Curriculum Mathematics. They are organised by the strands and sub strands of Mathematics and incorporate the proficiencies:
- understanding
- fluency
- problem solving
- reasoning.
Birth to level 10 numeracy guide
The guide gives an overview and understanding of
numeracy development from birth to Level 10. It's designed for:
- early childhood practitioners
- teachers
- leadership teams
- families.
The
numeracy focus areas (pdf - 135.64kb) are mapped to the Victorian Curriculum Frameworks and the Victorian Numeracy Learning Progressions.
Numeracy learning progressions
The
Numeracy Learning Progressions outline a sequence of indicators of increasingly sophisticated understanding and skills in numeracy. They can be used to facilitate a deeper understanding of numeracy development to support teachers develop a comprehensive view of numeracy and how numeracy skills develop over time.
See the
Numeracy Learning Progressions map (docx - 99.34kb) for more information.
In practice examples: curriculum planning in schools
This suite of videos, developed with schools, provides examples of approaches to curriculum planning in numeracy and mathematics.
Numeracy and professional learning communities – Camberwell South Primary School
See how teachers at Camberwell South Primary School use their
Professional Learning Community (PLC) time to:
- plan, teach and assess student learning in numeracy to improve classroom practice
- improve student outcomes.
Discussion prompts:
- How are whole-school structures, processes and practices supporting teacher capacity building?
- How is data being used for planning and practice?
- How are parents and students taking part in feedback?
- What might this approach offer your school?
See
inquiry in the classroom for more information.
Developing numeracy through authentic tasks – Derrimut Primary School
Derrimut Primary School have made development of their numeracy instruction a priority as they work together to reframe the perceptions of numeracy and mathematics in their school community.
Teachers discuss and share their whole-school approach to improving numeracy.
Discussion prompts:
- How does the school identify the needs of their learners?
- In what ways does the whole-school planning approach and process support growth and improved outcomes for students?
- What are the characteristics of the authentic tasks used across the school?
- How are the proficiencies represented in the video?
- How does the whole-school approach support student and community engagement?
- What might this approach offer your school?
Real world maths-3D model - Derrimut Primary School
In this video teachers at Derrimut Primary School share how they co-designed an authentic task across year levels to engage students and contextualise mathematics with their world. Students reflect on what they learnt and connect their learning with their environment and the broader community.
- What are the characteristics of the authentic tasks used across the school?
- How does the series of authentic tasks connect and contextualise mathematics learning and teaching? How do the mini lessons connect the learning?
- Where and how are the proficiencies represented in the video?
- What are the benefits of using authentic tasks and how are these reflected in the students’ comments?
- What might this approach offer your school?
For more tasks and practice examples see
teaching practices and supports.
Additional resources
Professional practice note 18: Excellence in numeracy through the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model
This
professional practice note provides information on achieving excellence in numeracy using the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VLTM) in teaching and learning planning and classroom delivery.
Practice principles for teaching birth to eight years
The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF)
practice principles provide an evidenced based understanding of the science of early learning and development to guide teachers to know what children up to eight years of age need to thrive and the pedagogy that best supports this.
Practice principles for excellence in teaching and learning
The practice principles for
excellence in teaching and learning provide a foundation for the conversations, collaborations and actions at the centre of teaching and learning.
Practice principles articulate how teachers deliver the curriculum and engage students. They are designed to link directly to a school’s documented teaching and learning program, which outlines:
- what is to be taught
- the approach to be taken.
- assessment.
This helps teachers determine student learning needs and how students can demonstrate their levels of understanding.
VCAA curriculum planning resource
The
curriculum planning resource supports school leadership to plan and document a teaching and learning program based on the curriculum. It includes a self-assessment tool and curriculum planning examples.
References
- Department of Education and Training. (2011).
VEYLDF Evidence paper and Practice Guide: High Expectations for Every Child. Retrieved 24 January 2018
- Dinham, S. (2016). Leading learning and teaching. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research, p.125.
- Marzano R.J. (2017). Communicating high expectations. In Marzano, R.J. The new art and science of teaching. Cheltenham, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.