Fundamental to our approach to Mathematics at Morang South Primary School is the emphasis on developing a Growth Mindset. We want all our kids to feel confident as they learn maths. When kids develop a growth mindset around their abilities in maths they have greater success and perform better.

What is a Growth Mindset? The concept of a growth mindset was developed by psychologist Carol Dweck. Dweck’s educational work looks at the distinction between “fixed” and “growth” mindsets. According to Dweck, “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment,” writes Dweck.

We work toward students feeling comfortable about aspects of learning Mathematics which can involve challenge, making mistakes and solving problems. We encourage positive self-talk about their attempts and what they still need to work on and to learn.

At Morang South Primary School, Mathematics is arranged into three main areas based on the Victorian Curriculum. Within each area we cover all topics in classrooms and Target Maths:

NUMBER & ALGEBRA – place value, number sense, counting, patterns, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals and money

MEASUREMENT & GEOMETRY – time, calendars, shape, location, length, mass, area, volume, capacity, temperature and angles 

STATISTICS & PROBABILITY – graphing, chance and data

We encourage our families to be part of the process of developing their child’s love of mathematics. Below are some short animation with ideas to support families to engage in conversations about mathematics and numeracy in everyday activities.