The best thing about getting our numeracy credits

in this way is he does it over the year so

we don't get as nervous for tests and stuff like that.

So it's continuous everyday learning

not ,‘Oh there's a test Friday and you have to study’.

It's just every single day -

you're used to it so it's not as hard.

When I arrived at this school

we had the class for unit standards

and it ran very smoothly.

With these new standards that came out

we wanted to maintain some place that was similar to that.

We got to build this class because we wanted to

step back and build actual knowledge,

understanding in a real world

that would apply for these kids.

We wanted to keep to a slower pace,

over the course of the entire year.

Then from there we could pick up students that if they

were truly prepared to do mathematics standards

well maybe we'll try that.

Well Mr Mackenzie’s teaching has helped me

in numeracy by doing a lot of one on one stuff

which I'm not used to doing (one on one stuff)

but he narrows it down so it's just you and him,

not the rest of the class - so it's not as disrupting,

and stuff like that so it's good.

He breaks it down, every question to a simple question

but it's all coming off on that one question

which makes it easier.

So when I looked at designing this idea of

the numeracy class I took what I've learned

from the literacy project, what I've learned from colleagues,

what I've learned from research

and what I've learnt from a man who taught me

professional studies at a teachers' college

who was an outdoor education teacher

and the ideas are just so much better

when we get more of the senses involved.

So, these students that have always thought mathematics

was on the board, in the textbook,

the odd questions were the ones they had to do

and the even ones were what we've reviewed,

they come see me,

then once they realise that 'Hey, actually this feels easier.'

They are getting success

and that success breeds more success.  

Well he does like fun activities while he’s doing it

like you’ll go hard out for twenty minutes,

have a two minute break, talk to your mates and then

he'll get back into it then, so that's really good.

I'll also go into my numeracy testing evidence

from the secondary numeracy project.

So year nine here they've all been assessed

at the beginning and end.

We have a look at all their success in year ten and

see what holes I do need to fill.

I'm also finding social holes, classroom holes

that are really frustrating.

Why does this student not want to talk to me?

He's also pretty funny as well.

He's like a mate teaching you.

Like a good friend teaching which is also good as well.

So you don't get as intimidated from teachers.

He's a funny guy.

The most important thing going forward is that

the students need to be able to apply what they learned,

and have the time to apply it.

We don't do tests. We do every bit of work that we do

he will hold onto it.

We will be able to learn off what we've worked on

through the whole year.  

We have more of an understanding of situations

where we would need to use maths.

We'll be able to understand what we'll be able to do with it

and how we could use it in real life situations.

What did the students learn in PE?

Oh, cool talk to the PE teacher. ‘What did you cover?

You did some beep tests? Excellent, let's get those scores.’

Bring their data into your classroom.

And take the maths out of it.

Something that I've really enjoyed was going outside and

measuring the athletics fields and

spraying them up and that was fun

because everyone likes going outside and

going in the fresh air.

We've done a lot on measuring and height

and stuff like that.

So we just got the pushometer and

we measured the fields up and then had to narrow it down

every eight, twelve metres.

Which was the funnest part I'd say.

You cover the three standards and make it fun.

So if you can make it fun, then the kids will come back.

Take the time to teach them how to build a portfolio,

keep it inside your own class and build outwards.

Keep the activities relevant,

make them kinesthetic

and talk to other teachers about how

you can make a lesson kinesthetic.