Summer 2004

Talking Maths

Online Learning with Mathematics Learning Objects

Using learning objects from The Le@rning Federation’s bank of online content for teaching and learning mathematics is proving to be exciting and challenging for teachers and students. DONNA GRONN and OLIVIA CLARKE report on a recent trial.

A recent trial of learning objects from The Le@rning Federation (TLF) shows that students appreciate learning mathematics with multimedia interactive resources and teachers are learning how to select and align the new materials to suit specific curriculum needs.

TLF’s first release of online materials for Mathematics and numeracy covering addition, subtraction, fractions, decimals, percentages and measurement has been the focus of trials in 19 classrooms with more than 400 year 3–6 students in six Victorian Catholic schools during term 3 this year. The six schools involved are the Archdiocese of Melbourne’s LaTTiCE (Learning and Teaching with Technology in Catholic Education) schools whose professional learning teams collaborate to research, plan, implement and disseminate leading practice in the integration of ICT.

The purpose of the trial (one of several being conducted around Australia and New Zealand during 2004) was to contribute to informed decision making on the implementation of online curriculum content for teaching and learning by education sectors in both countries.

Data collection (classroom observations, online survey tools and focus groups) has been jointly conducted by Dr Olivia Clarke, TLF Program Implementation Advisor and Donna Gronn, Lecturer ICT Education, Australian Catholic University.

Student comments

I wasn’t really good at maths but it helps you learn it, and if I get it wrong it tells me the clues till I get it.

I think this sight [sic] helped lots because it told me why I was wrong and not just that I was wrong.

The bars help to make hard sums easier and it helps to work out hard strategies quicker and easier.

I think that it was very good and the colour, pictures, animations and videos were easy to learn from. Being able to work at my own pace was the best thing and it would tell me if it was right or wrong.

Teachers and students accessed the online content from the repository of digital materials stored in myclasses, the Archdiocese of Melbourne’s system-wide learning management system for their schools. A feature of this trial was the range of support available to assist teachers in integrating the new content into their Mathematics programs. School-based LaTTiCE professional learning teams were supported during the planning stages by eLearning and Mathematics and numeracy consultants from the Catholic Education Office. This support included assistance in selecting relevant learning objects from the pool of online Mathematics and numeracy curriculum content and consideration of how the learning objects might be integrated into the strands and topics being taught during the trial period.

The learning objects were selected from the Counting to quantifying project—the first release of TLF Mathematics and numeracy content. The focus of the learning objects is the areas of mathematics that are often the most difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach. Scaffolded support for learning and feedback in engaging ways are a feature of the learning objects.

Each of the classrooms in this trial had between two and five computers available to the students and access to some form of digital projection.

Teachers used the learning objects in a range of different ways:

• to demonstrate a concept to a whole class or small groups
• as one of a number of rotational activities (both online and offline) exploring a particular topic
• with students working in small groups or individually.

What has the trial revealed about conditions necessary for effective use of the online multimedia resources for teaching and learning mathematics?

• Teachers need time and support to understand the possibilities for mathematics teaching and learning embedded in the learning objects; often the instructional design of a learning object can be underutilised if teachers have insufficient time to fully explore the possibilities it offers.
• Teachers need time to plan and consider ways to effectively integrate the learning objects into mathematics learning activities.
• To maximise the learning opportunities available with the online content, teachers need to carefully select and align the learning object to suit the knowledge and skill levels of their students.
• When the content and student abilities are appropriately aligned, students can clearly articulate the mathematical concepts they learn and comment that doing the learning object assisted their learning.
• Students appreciate the immediate feedback, scaffolded learning pathways and the opportunities to work at their own pace.
• Students enjoy the engaging, interactive features of the learning objects.
• Teachers comment on the focussed mathematical conversation around the computers when students worked together on the learning objects.

Teacher comments

We very rarely use the computer in maths so this was great for us. We used the learning object as an introduction and then in small groups. The kids loved doing it and quickly caught on. The children grasped the concept quickly and easily.

You need activity cards to direct the learning, there may be some learning happening without them but we need to direct the learning.

Must have a purpose; not just for getting on and playing.

They especially helped the weaker students to gain a visual image of fractions. It also helped students apply their knowledge in a purposeful and different way.

This trial provides early evidence that access to pedagogically sound resources, designed to maximise the opportunities provided by the digital medium, will assist the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Olivia Clarke is the program implementation advisor at The Le@rning Federation.

Donna Gronn is a lecturer in ICT education at Australian Catholic University.

The author owns the copyright in this article. For information related to the reuse of this work in any form please contact the publisher denise.quinn@curriculum.edu.au