The numbers don't lie

The Algoma District School Board met in their monthly committee of the whole session on Tuesday night and the early discussion centered around elementary numeracy.

Superintendent of Education Brenda O’Neill provided trustees with an update on Tuesday night.

Much of the discussion centered around the need to focus attention on aligning with the provincial direction.

“As a board, we have recognized a need to focus our attention and resources on elementary numeracy,” said a board release. “At the heart of our work in numeracy is recognition of the current provincial direction. As a board we look to align our planning with the Ministry of Education’s initiatives.”

The board launched a Collaborative Inquiry for Learning Mathematics (CIL-M) in eight schools.

Following is a full text release from the ADSB.

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An update on Elementary Numeracy was provided by Superintendent of Education Brenda O’Neill to Trustees at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, January 15th.

As a board, we have recognized a need to focus our attention and resources on elementary numeracy.

At the heart of our work in numeracy is recognition of the current provincial direction.

As a board we look to align our planning with the Ministry of Education’s initiatives.

We continue to provide opportunities for collaborative and job-embedded professional learning and we look for ways to recognize numeracy throughout the day.

Algoma District School board held a half-day Principal’s meeting in October devoted to numeracy.

The feedback gathered from this session has been used to drive our professional development throughout the year.

In November, ADSB elementary teachers and administrators took part in a Numeracy Professional Learning Day focussed on “Numeracy Across the Curriculum”.

All elementary educators engaged in activities that allowed them to identify characteristics of effective mathematics programs and to consider instructional implications for embedding mathematics into all areas of the curriculum.

We continue with our involvement in Collaborative Inquiry for Learning Mathematics (CIL-M).

This year’s CIL-M officially launched in November and the eight schools involved are now fully underway with the initiative.

The professional learning sessions provide opportunities for teachers to co-plan, co-teach and co-debrief through the implementation of the problem-solving approach.

The Board continues to build upon the momentum generated over our last two years of involvement by striving to build student engagement and critically reflect upon best practices tp reach the needs of all learners.

Feedback from teachers and students indicates that CIL-M has had a positive impact that spans far beyond quantitative analysis.

Participating schools have shared information about impressive changes in student and teacher confidence, self-efficacy, engagement and improved collaborative skills.

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