Effective Practices in Grade 9 Applied Mathematics

Student achievement in Grade 9 has been linked to both secondary and post-secondary outcomes. Although Ontario has implemented significant curriculum and secondary school reforms, a significant subset of Ontario Grade 9 students consistently do not attain proficiency in mathematics. Students that take the applied mathematics course—on the pathway to college—are more likely to not reach the provincial standard on the provincial Grade 9 mathematics assessment than they are to reach it. This can have long-lasting consequences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discern practices from the field that might contribute to better student outcomes in Grade 9 Applied Mathematics classrooms. Mathematics education experts from across the province were interviewed and visits were conducted at four of the province’s most successful schools on the Grade 9 provincial mathematics assessment. The findings from this study contribute to our understanding of the types of resources, professional development, departmental, leadership, and teaching practices that support student achievement in Grade 9 Applied Mathematics. The findings can be distilled into six central ideas. These are the importance of: reform-based teaching strategies and dispositions that foster intellectual engagement and investment in learning; instructional leadership by both the school administrator and mathematics department head; collaboration for both the teachers of and students in the Grade 9 Applied Mathematics course; valuing EQAO assessments at all levels of the system; mitigating the stigma around applied-level courses; and, careful attention to the placement of teachers in Grade 9 Applied classrooms. This study contributes to the Ontario literature on Grade 9 Applied Mathematics and the literature on implementing mathematics reform. The findings of this study are of relevance to policy-makers and practitioners, especially school leaders and teachers. The study concludes with recommendations for both research and practice.

Department dc:contributor.department

Leadership, Higher and Adult Education

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Macaulay, Alison

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Flessa, Joseph

• Applied mathematics
• Effective math teaching
• Effective schools
• Math Instructional Leadership
• Streaming
• Teacher collaborations

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/71461

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/71461