Spiralling: the Way of the Future

Lately the new math buzzword has been about spiralling curriculum. At PD is keeps getting eluded to but I quite frankly had no idea what it meant. Using this platform to create an introductory blog into the topic seemed like the perfect idea.

Spiralling is basically the opposite approach to our standard idea of presenting material all regarding the same topic at once until that skill is mastered. Instead it revisits the same material several times during a semester and builds on it each time preventing the student from ‘losing it’ after not ‘using it’. Courtesy of the website handinhandhomeschool.com there is a very comprehensive comparison of the two styles of delivery listed below.

SPIRAL

MASTERY

No expectation of full comprehension the first time an idea is introduced Minimal practice when an idea is initially introduced Continual repetition of a concept over a long period of time Avoids going in-depth into a topic until later grades Students frequently change topics within the math curriculum Good math choice for students looking to enter a non-mathematical career

Math ideas are introduced one at a time and build upon one another Concepts are practiced until a child has learned them thoroughly Each chapter generally has a short review section to help students remember and practice previously learned material Some math topics are reserved until a child reaches a certain level of cognitive development Good math choice for students interested in math, science, or engineering fields

As the last bullet points out spiralling may be the future for our at risk students. By revisiting a topic several times throughout a semester the teacher can use the first experience as a diagnostic approach and be able to have the time and resources planned out ahead of time to reach all learners for the remaining semester. Studies also done by the University of Chicago (http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/about/why-it-works/spiral/) also confirms that standardized tests are not negatively affected with this type of teaching and that it can infact raise scores by constantly reviewing skills.

So there is the idea of spiralling in a nutshell. There are many additional blogs and studies being hosted right now on the subject, even from people in Ontario! Mr. Orr is a Geek (http://mrorr-isageek.com/tag/spiral/) has an entire semester laid out for people to follow along with if they are so interested and is currently in the middle of using his data to make some long term directional decisions for his own school. Hopefully this was a good introduction and now everyone can follow these ideas and links while directing their own personal development.