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Alexandra Secondary College was the site for a gathering of the secondary staff with staff from local primary schools. The program offered several options and our full day of Learning to Work Like a Mathematician was one of them. Our program was arranged to accommodate a core group from Alexandra Primary School participating for the full day, while secondary teachers and other primary teachers joined us for one or more sessions.

Through the activities:

• Plug Catcher
• Uncover Counting
• The Big One
• Poly Plug Values
• Protons & Anti-Protons
• Hands-on Tasks

and exploration of their teaching notes (see Link List below), the day became a gradually deepening journey into what a Working Mathematically curriculum could look like and the teaching craft choices that encourage it.

The hands-on tasks used were from Alexandra Primary School, where they have recently begun building their own Task Library using the eTask Package.

There is significant research testifying that Learning to Work Like a Mathematician using a task-based approach introduced through extended professional development, will

• improve teachers' satisfaction with their work,
• student attitude to learning and
• depth of student learning.

See Research in Link List below which includes both short summaries and more extensive papers.

Task 71, Algebra Through Geometry

Algebra Through Geometry introduces two shapes - one the equivalent of X and one the equivalent of Y - and immediately the algebra of like and unlike terms, operations on like terms and even elements of factorisation become touchable and imaginable. The cameo provides a master to make the pieces (which comes from the eTask Package), a recording sheet, an investigation guide, for pair or whole class use, and other ideas for extensions. Everything provided is based on the work of Geoff Giles, the much respected Scottish mathematics educator responsible for DIME Projects.

In the eTask Package this task is in the 'special' set because the most motivating equipment possible for this task is plastazote Tak Tiles shown in the photo which were created by Geoff Giles. Of course if a school has a set of Tak Tiles 'in the cupboard' the task immediately jumps into the 'easy to make' category. For the rest of us the eTask Package provides a master for printing the shapes on card, laminating and cutting. The master is also included in the cameo. A bit more work, but not much when it only takes one set to supply the task.

Task 93, Leading The Blind

An extremely tactile task designed to develop both visual imagery ('brain pictures') and mathematical language. Person A pretends to be 'blind' and is guided by Person B to slide one of the transparent shapes from a random starting point to exactly on top of its fixed image on the card. The video above is linked within the teaching notes and the cameo includes suggestions for using the task as a tool in developing a class maths dictionary. The whole class investigation notes place the activity in the context of a social awareness unit related to the needs of visually impaired people.

In the eTask Package this task is in the 'more work' set. In addition to the task card, there is one extra page to print on transparency plastic and associated cutting involved in preparation of the shape tiles. One set of shapes is enough for the task, but while you are 'on the job' you might want to make a class set.