Frameworks
MathsBURST is a whole-of-learning program designed around robust pedagogical frameworks and evidence-based learning tools.
- Our pedagogical framework promotes concept development and best-practice design principles: Experience, Language, Pictorial, Symbolic, Application (ELPSA) pedagogical framework (Lowrie et al., 2018).
- We evoke student’s visual imagery though our learning heuristic: Visualise-Predict-Check (V-P-C) heuristic encourages and enhances student’s visual imagery.
- Our program is evidence based: The spatial reasoning program improves student’s mathematics performance and spatial thinking (Lowrie et al., 2017).
- Children get to practise their spatial skills: Digital challenges enhance student’s spatial understandings through scaffolded development of specific spatial constructs.
- The program is engaging: Our online challenges are highly engaging, interactive quizzes for your students. They help teachers see each student’s mastery of the MathsBURST program.
ELPSA: Our Pedagogical Framework
All learning materials are designed and written within a pedagogical cycle that mirrors concept development.
The five-stage model [E-L-P-S-A] replicates constructivist views of learning—but in a focused manner.
At each stage of the model, explicit intentional teaching processes are enacted to ensure learning is purposeful and deliberate in nature.
Experience
- Evoke out-of-school experience to build on understanding.
- Reinforcing existing understandings to new concepts.
- For new concepts, provide physical experiences if possible.
Language
- Reinforce mathematics terminology throughout the lesson.
- Foster conversations that link experiences with language. Build bridges between E & L.
- Encourage student’s own language while modelling precise terminology.
Pictorial
- Includes concrete manipulatives, external representations and students’ encoded understandings.
- Ensure multiple representations are provided including non-prototypical representations.
- Progressively model effective pictorial heuristics.
Symbolic
- Introduce symbolic expressions alongside pictorial representations.
- Encourage multiple appropriate symbolic representations.
- Model fluency and flexibility with efficient symbolic representations.
Application
- Apply symbolic reasoning to real-life situations.
- Apply symbolic reasoning to related mathematics concepts.
- Consider the application of the mathematics concepts outside of the classroom.
Student heuristic
Visualise, Check, Predict
Our student heuristic acts as a learning framework for students to use before, during and after their work and experiments.
1. VISUALISE
In this step, students are encouraged to visualise in their ‘mind’s eye’ what is going to happen.
2. PREDICT
Then children are asked to record their predictions, either using diagrams and pictures or written text.
3. CHECK
Lastly, students check their predictions using their partner, class consensus, concrete materials, or digital resources.
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MathsBURST acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where we are situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We acknowledge the sorrow of the Stolen Generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We also recognise the resilience, strength and pride of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.