Etienne Brule Junior School
DATA
GAN
Focus/Inquiry
Question
How did you take your GAN (Greatest Area of Need) and formulate a focus and/or an
inquiry question for your Pathway/Professional Learning Team Focus?
How did the data inform this focus?
 Over the years our EQAO scores for math problem-solving has not met our
expectations . Therefore, we decided as a group to focus on math problemsolving skills.
 The EQAO scores for 2010 -2011 provided us with the evidence that we needed to
focus on math problem-solving skills. Most students received 10 or 20 as a score
on the math problem-solving questions.
Rationale for the Focus/Inquiry Question
What research, resources or educational experiences helped you
to formulate this focus and/or inquiry question?
 We looked at the breakdown of the EQAO questions in the math section and
determined that our students needed more work on solving multi-stepped
problems, as well as open-ended questions.
 We used Marian Small resources, specifically “Making Math Meaningful to
Canadian Students, K-8”, to help formulate a focus.
 Our educational experience of unpacking EQAO data and on-going student
observation helped formulate our focus on math problem-solving.
Formative
Assessment
Instructional
Strategies
How did you use a balance of assessment tools and strategies along the Pathway
to monitor and improve student thinking and understanding?
The following assessment tools and strategies were used:

Posted clear LEARNING GOALS and SUCCESS CRITERIA to help
students know what the “Look-Fors” are to achieve the learning
goals and to explicitly understand “What do I need to do to be
successful?”

Observation of students to determine next steps in addressing
their needs

Provide choice through strategy menu

Provide a variety of problem-solving strategies that are explicitly
stated and accessible to all

Provide Parallel Tasks (i.e., provide choice of tasks that focus on
the same key idea(s), but reflect different developmental levels)

Provide a variety of problem-solving strategies that are explicitly
stated and accessible to all

Allowing students to demonstrate their understanding and
consolidate their learning through Math Congresses

Differentiated instruction to reach all students
Improve
Understanding
Differentiating for Marker Students
How did you provide differentiation (instruction
and/or assessment)
specifically for your Marker Students at any
grade?
 After observing the marker students and
determining what their needs were, we would
sit down in small groups and reinforce the
strategies that had been taught.
 We provided parallel tasks for the students
(i.e., give choice of tasks that focus on the same
key ideas/concepts, but reflect different
developmental levels/skills.

We allowed them to choose what strategies
they wanted to use.
 We allowed them to choose what tools they
wanted to use.
Reflection
How did this Pathway inform your thinking and
practice?
 Placing a focus on problem solving in the
Number Sense strand would not ordinarily
take place in early October, especially for
Grade One students. It is usually
undertaken later in the term when we feel
that the students have had a stronger
foundation with adding and subtracting
numbers and recognizing number patterns
etc. However, this experience of focusing
on problem solving in early October has
been a positive and surprising revelation to
see that the students were so successful in
their level of understanding and
application of the problem-solving
strategies, that it has informed our teaching
practice to continue to initiate it early in the
fall term.
 We also realized that students need more math
vocabulary before presenting problem solving skills
in the grade 3 program.
 Be prepared and provide Parallel Tasks which reflect
different developmental levels - both for students
exceeding the expectations and those who are
struggling to meet expectations - throughout
pathway and not just for assessment purposes.
Parallel tasks allow for all students to participate and
deepen understanding of the “key/big ideas” that are
being focused upon and increase the level of student
engagement and achievement.