Education

50 schools receive $7.2m Pacific maths programme

<p><main class&equals;"main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" role&equals;"main"><&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"row">&NewLine;<section class&equals;"col-xs-12">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"region region-content">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"node node--type-article node--view-mode-full ds-three-col">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"ds-three-col&lowbar;&lowbar;column ds-three-col&lowbar;&lowbar;main">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"prose field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item">&NewLine;<h3><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >Thousands of Pacific learners across fifty schools in Auckland will have a Pacific-centred government mathematics initiative expanded this week&period;<&sol;span><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >The expansion will be rolled out over four years and cost &dollar;7&period;2 million&period; According to the Ministry of Education&comma; the Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities or &OpenCurlyQuote;DMIC’ programme aims to &&num;8220&semi;boost Pacific students’ maths outcomes by supporting schools to leverage their learners’ Pacific knowledge and culture&&num;8221&semi;&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa said&colon; <span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;DMIC draws on students’ Pacific culture and heritage to support their success in maths&period; For example&comma; students will use traditional Pacific crafts like <em>tivaevae<&sol;em> &lpar;Cook Islands quilt making&rpar; and <em>ta’ovala<&sol;em> &lpar;Tongan weaving&rpar; to engage better with complex mathematical thinking and algebraic patterns&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This funding will see teachers work differently with their students in mathematics&comma; and support schools to build a stronger sense of belonging and identity for their Pacific students as mathematicians&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<h2><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >Funding will be used to provide&colon;<&sol;span><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<ul>&NewLine;<li>three days of professional development over a year for teachers&semi;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>in-class mentoring for teachers at each school&semi;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>teacher mathematics workshops held after school for staff&semi;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>parent and community mathematics workshops&semi; and<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>mathematics workshops for students in the school holidays&period;<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ul>&NewLine;<p><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Teachers are taught how to listen – to hear the mathematics thinking that children are doing as learners work and explain their thinking&period; By doing this&comma; teachers can identify the different types of mathematical thinking that learners are using and build on this to extend learning for all students in the class&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The future of learning is through project-based work and mixed-ability groups and DMIC encourages this&period; Children can benefit from moving from streaming&comma; or same-ability grouping&comma; to mixed-ability groups so that they are able to build on the multiple strengths and capabilities of every member of the group&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p> &&num;8220&semi;<span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >We’re investing in the roll out of the successful DMIC programme because we know our Pacific students have so much more to contribute through maths if teachers and students&comma; alongside their families&comma; are given the right support to make the connections between mathematics learning and Pacific cultures&period; We’re excited to be able to roll it out to more schools&comma; more students and more families&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This funding will deliver training and wraparound support for teachers&comma; children and school communities through workshops and in-class mentoring&period; Success in maths for Pacific learners in this way can lead to better learning outcomes and improved wellbeing at school&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<blockquote>&NewLine;<p> <span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Complex maths is embedded in Pacific cultures and expanding DMIC is about reclaiming our mathematics legacy to ensure our Pacific learners have thriving futures through maths&period;”<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&NewLine;<p><span lang&equals;"EN-AU" >&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;New Zealand has the capacity to produce a new generation of Pacific mathematicians ready to go into our universities&comma; businesses and research facilities&semi; this is the next step to unlock that potential&comma;” said Jenny Salesa&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;section>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p><&sol;main><&sol;p>&NewLine;<footer class&equals;"footer" role&equals;"contentinfo">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"container">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"region region-footer"> <&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;footer>&NewLine;

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