Complex Reasoning Skills in Action

Last week, a selection of girls in Years 5 and 6 participated in the Australasian Problem-Solving Maths Olympiad. While the competition had minds racing, it was the after-competition reflective discussion I overheard that had me most interested.

Participants of the Olympiad were discussing how they had answered the questions with an animated conversation. The girls were justifying their answers, explaining how they analysed the problem, justifying why they chose the strategies they did, debating which strategy was the most effective, and highlighting aspects of the problems that had been missed by some.

There was a real sense of collaboration between the girls – they were eager to learn how others saw the problem, broke it down, and applied their chosen strategy. They were seeing the discussion as a learning opportunity – one they initiated and undertook without teacher guidance.

This discussion represented years of learning, a growing positive mindset, and a willingness to learn from their fellow classmates.

As an educational leader, my goal is for every Barbreck girl to develop 21^st Century skills and apply them in their everyday life. Witnessing this discussion amongst the girls was so rewarding. It was evidence of the goal we are striving for and an example of best practice learning and thinking.

Within the Australian Curriculum, General Capabilities are developed to equip students with the skills necessary to live and work successfully in the 21^st Century. These skills include critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. Within the reflective student conversation detailed above, the girls demonstrated:

• Critical Thinking when selecting the mathematical strategies
• Creativity in applying the selected mathematical strategy
• Collaboration when working with others to demonstrate how they solved the problems
• Communication when explaining their analysis and interpretation, as well as how they went about solving it.

The girls see themselves as capable learners who have ownership of their learning. They realise they can actively help themselves to become better learners and see and take advantage of opportunities to improve their learning when they can, including learning from others.

While the conversation lasted only minutes, for me it was full of promise and excitement that our academic programs and the work of our Barbreck teachers are making an impact.