News

You have until November 26th to register for the Mathematical Association of Victoria Annual Conference at La Trobe University. MAVCON will be held on December 7th & 8th. Over 1400 of your colleagues have already done so. We are offering several sessions and would love to see you in one or more of them.

Thursday

• Session B19 ... Learning Fractions with Picture Puzzles ... 2 - 8
  This session offers a differentiated, multiple intelligence approach involving seeing, touching, saying and recording fractions in natural language which precedes and thereby strengthens fluency with their symbolic form. Cuisenaire Rods will be used because they are readily available and bridge to graph paper drawing. Picture Puzzle challenges which drive the session will be accessed through the web. Bring a smart device.

• Session C10 ... Working Mathematically with Infants ... K - 2
  Children learn more and teachers love it. Developed by teachers who are engineering their classrooms to enhance children's number sense, Working Mathematically with Infants splices threaded activities from Calculating Changes with investigations adapted from Mathematics Task Centre and Maths300. Access to Maths300 is not necessary, but enriches if available. Threading is a teaching technique using rich, differentiated activities for small amounts of time often. The workshop introduces sample activities and investigations and the planning model teachers have developed to implement them. Mathematical conversation and learning in community - whole class and small groups - are key features.

• Session D36 ... How Deep is Your Garden Bed? ... 5 - 8
  Many teachers know of the Garden Beds problem? However a group I worked with recently were stunned to realise that they could spend a term using this one problem to dig into most of the pattern and algebra curriculum. This workshop is an in depth investigation of Garden Beds to encourage further discussion of the benefits of sticking with a good investigation - even when you think there isn't enough time in the curriculum. Smart device is recommended for this workshop.
• Session E3 ... Give Probability a Chance ... F - 12
  A mathematician's work begins with an interesting problem. School mathematics is about learning to work like a mathematician, so, in the context of probability, this workshop will begin with a problem; one that appears almost too simple to bother with. We will explore it in depth and consider the pedagogy likely to encourage students K - 12 to be interested in it. The session will also point out other probability investigations offering similar opportunities to fascinate, captivate and absorb students.

Friday

• Session G15 ... Get Your Hand On Hands-on Tasks ... 2 - 10
  In March 1977 the first hands-on problem solving task centre opened. It was created by Neville de Mestre and Bea Duncan at Campbell Primary School, ACT. Since then tasks have always been part of mathematics learning in schools somewhere in Australia. Many, many teachers have contributed to the extensive support - from creating tasks to assessing learning - which is available through Mathematics Centre. In 2017 Mathematics Centre introduced eTasks, which provide everything you need to make your own tasks from your own materials. Find out why you might bother, how easy it is to do and how the process can be the focus of in-house professional development.

• Sessions H4 ... Making Maths300 Work For You ... F - 12 / VCAL
  Maths300 is a professional development platform. Its purpose is simply to support continuing discussion about the look and feel of best practice mathematics education. Maths300 lessons are provided as fuel for those discussions. The session will introduce various structures teachers have used to take advantage of this professional learning purpose. There will also be opportunity to tell your stories about the contribution these lessons have made to the evolution of your own teaching practice or enhanced learning for your students?
• Sessions I15 ... Sphinx Again ... 2 - 10
  Think you know the Sphinx problem? Sphinx again! Bet you haven't started by folding paper to make your own sphinxes. No scissors in sight. You probably also haven't explored them guided by a Picture Puzzle. Here's the opportunity to do these things and more. If you have never heard of the Sphinx problem then come along to Sphinx about it for the first time. In either case, expect to be hooked like many teachers and kids before you. Please bring a smart device.
• Sessions J14 ... Menu Maths: A Model for Making Mathematicians ... 3 - 10
  Perhaps if we offered real choice more often our students would have more success. It's about ownership. A menu is an opportunity for students to choose - and own - their mathematics learning. It is also an opportunity for teachers to combine the invitation to work like a mathematician with whole class modelling of Working Mathematically and practising mathematical skills. For much of this workshop you will be able to choose your own mathematics. We will include a Pub Menu and Menu Maths Packs from Mathematics Centre in the mix, with small group and whole class investigation and time to reflect on the teaching craft.

Each of these sessions has been extracted from various one day professional development workshops. If you are planning your PD program for 2018, please keep us in mind.

See Link List below for MAVCON registration link.
At this link you can register for the first time, or, if you have registered previously, change any of your details.

As recorded on the latest version of our Order Form (see Link List below), we now accept credit cards. The addition of this service has already made it easier, quicker and cheaper for overseas clients. Australian clients have the choice of EFT or Credit Card payment.

We have noticed that several schools have purchased eTasks and Maths With Attitude eManuals at the same time. Seems to us to be a good way to structure the professional development feature of eTasks, especially if your school is also a member of Maths300. For example, suppose you purchase the eTask Package and the four Years 7/8 MWA eManuals. How do you start building your eTask Library?

Here's one approach:

• Choose one of the manuals, say Pattern & Algebra.
• Check the MWA page on our web site to find the tasks (and Maths300 lessons) in this unit. See Link List below.
• Each MWA unit uses 20 tasks. 20 is the 'magic number' because it is enough to give each pair in the class a choice and have a few spare tasks.
• Use your eTask Maker Manual (see Link List below) and the eTask cards provided in the package to print and laminate the 20 task cards.
• Add the equipment you need from your store. (If you don't have equipment for some tasks, make doubles of others for now.)

Bob's your uncle! Not only do you now have 20 tasks ready to invite students to learn to work like a mathematician, but you have a unit plan for integrating them into the curriculum. In the case of 7/8 Pattern & Algebra, that's a 3 week block and 5 separate one week blocks to 'sprinkle' as it suits you through the year. In fact, there are two of those plans - one for Year 7 and one for Year 8 - and they build on each other and prepare for the equivalent unit in Years 9/10.

In the October eNews we informed you that only 14 kits of 50 ready-made tasks remained.
Now there are only 8.
These are the last tasks which will ever be available this way.

By the end of the first week of December they will, one way or the other, be gone.

• $275 for a kit of 50 (plus freight).
• Every task is supported by its own Task Cameo on site.
• We have enough tasks to make 8 kits.
• Some kits may have duplicates of some tasks.
• $5.50 per task is way below cost.
• Tasks used to be $16.50 each.

This is a special deal that does not appear on our order form.

• We will need your school order form asking for 1 (or more) 'Remaining Task Kits'.
• Ring 03 9720 3295 or 0401 177 775 if you have questions.
• Private orders must be paid in advance using credit card or EFT.