We will describe the work Eastview completed on the Grade 9 Applied Project. Our team was comprised of Patti Grace (Special Education Teacher), Darren Hand (Mathematics Department Assistant Chair), Val Hargreaves (Teacher), Allyson Jones (Teacher), Jeremy Oxley (Student Success Teacher), Rose Paemurd (Teacher), Lisa Peverill (Department Chair), Julie Richardson (Vice Principal), and Jay Speijer (Board Mathematics Lead). Our initial focus was to bring more problem based and collaborative learning into the classroom in an effort to increase student engagement and perseverance; we wanted students to work towards reaching their full potential and not just on passing the course. Our efforts led us to re-ordering the grade 9 and 10 applied curriculums, working with whiteboards of all sizes, focusing on having a positive mindset, and solving problems collaboratively, and developing strategies to tackle challenging questions. Our evidence of impact included positive responses on student attitudinal surveys, fewer (almost no) blanks on unit tests, higher academic achievement, and improved pass rates.

A group of teachers from Listowel District Secondary School (LDSS) and Elma Township Public School spent a year together digging into improving math instruction. LDSS spent a year previously looking at algebraic reasoning within Grade 9 Applied and Academic. By the end of our second year, the final goal established was if we use rich tasks and the continuum across the grades, then our students will understand the math better....this led to an inquiry regarding: type of task, structure of task, intention of task, grouping of students, capturing student thinking, assessment, etc.

Speaker Bio(s):

Rose Paemurd is a secondary mathematics and Special Education teacher at Eastview Secondary School (Simcoe County District School Board) with 16 years of classroom experience. She helped develop a class profile that is currently being used to assist classroom teachers in monitoring IEP students and their classroom accommodations in order to provide feedback to special education teachers. Rose was involved in the Grade 9 OAME/OMCA Project, beginning the project as a Grade 9 Applied Math teacher in year one and then spearheading the movement into the Grade 10 Applied course in year two. Rose also helped present best practices to her Simcoe County colleagues during an SSSI professional development day. Rose is now working on taking project findings into Grade 11 Math and continues to target the areas of mindset and perseverance that will carry students through high school mathematics and future endeavours.

Lisa Peverill has been teaching secondary mathematics for over 25 years. She is currently the Mathematics Department Chair at Eastview Secondary School (Simcoe County DSB). Lisa has led her department team in the co-creation of a math “bridge” course to help transition at-risk Grade 8 students to experience success in high school math and build math confidence. She has been involved in many collaborative inquiries including MYCI and most recently the OAME/OMCA Grade 9 Math Project. Lisa has also presented best practices with colleagues in the SCDSB at SSSI professional development. Her current focus is using vertical non-permanent surfaces to help facilitate collaboration, critical thinking and engagement amongst her students.

Val Hargreaves is a secondary mathematics teacher at Eastview Secondary School (Simcoe County DSB) in Barrie, Ontario. As a former elementary teacher of 6 years, Val brings her insights and experiences working with grade 7 and 8 students into the high school forum. Her collaboration with colleagues and researchers from the University of Ottawa over the past two years has allowed for the development and implementation of new pedagogies to further advance problem solving strategies and perseverance in Grade 9 Applied Math. Val teamed with her colleagues to present Eastview’s findings at the OAME (2016) provincial conference and at the OAME Summer Institute in August, 2016. She is currently interested in developing alternate forms of assessment to use in the secondary math classroom.

Crystal Gascho is currently working at the System level as a Secondary Math Coordinator supporting 9 Secondary Schools (7 schools are Grades 7-12) in Avon Maitland District School Board. Crystal loves the learning she gets to be apart of throughout the board and provincially. She is a mother of two young children, 6 and 1, and a wife to a patient, loving husband.