News

Best wishes to you all for a peaceful family Christmas, a happy New Year celebration and a great holiday!

December 2021 In this edition of the News you will find:   Maths At Home: An Incredible Resource   Video Workshop to Start 2022?   Get to Know a Cameo      ... Time Together      ... Flowers In The Field Please feel free to distribute this information.

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• Maths At Home: An Incredible Resource

  On February 15th, Lizzy Cunningham, Columba Catholic Primary School wrote:

  Thanks for the everlasting inspiration!
  I'm registering my interest in the Maths at Home, in case we return to remote learning in Vic (would love use it with my kids - my own and my students).

  A percipient comment given the number of weeks Victoria has since spent in lockdown.

  On December 6th, Lizzy wrote, on behalf of herself and her Year 5/6 team:

  I wanted to thank you for the incredible resource that is 'Maths at Home'.
  It has been such a positive learning experience for the teachers and the students - it's really difficult to capture all the ways it has impacted on us.

  Reading back over your email I wish we could have shared with you pics and commentary of the specific methods and mighty moments our young mathematicians worked on, but honestly it took a while for the children and staff to find their groove and trust the process.

  I have been lucky enough to work at a school that you visited and that invested in task centres That experience, coupled with the flexibility of the Maths At Home stories and problems, meant that we could tailor the investigations. It was brilliant.

  Thank you for generously sharing those terrific problems. I am now looking forward to next year even more - ending on a high is no mean feat! I'm in a team of Year 1/2 so very excited to see what those wee mathematicians can teach us.

  With or without lockdowns and no matter what Year level you are teaching in 2022 (K - 10), Maths At Home is waiting to offer you an experience like Lizzy's. See Link List below.

• Video Workshop to Start 2022?

  I've finally figured out how to run a workshop in many places at the same time. Video it and put it up on Cube Tube. Then we can get together whenever the time is right for you and the team. Yeah, I know. People have been doing that for years. I'm just a bit slow on the uptake. But perhaps our workshop is a bit different because it is centred on learning to work like a mathematician and fascinating, captivating and absorbing learners. We provide the teaching craft and mathematical stimuli. You provide a leader to organise the preparation, guide discussion and manage time in the session.

  For this session allow at least one hour.

  This could be just the right workshop to bring the 2022 team together at the start of the year to talk teaching while doing mathematics. The Poster Problem Clinic technique can be adapted to any level and the Professor Morris Puzzle used as the central example of the session is within every teacher's level of mathematical experience. See Link List below.

• Get to Know a Cameo

  Task 22, Time Together
  

  Before starting the card, some may have assumed that because the hands of clock are on top of each other at 12 o'clock, then the next coincidence with be at five minutes past 1 o'clock. However the card subtly corrects that mistaken hypothesis by stating that the next coincidence is soon after 1 o'clock. It then asks for an estimate of that time, rather than a calculation. By gently challenging possible misconceptions, providing a clock to play with and avoiding the pressure of being exactly right with a calculation, the invitation has just been extended to explore. One might wonder what response there would be if the same problem were to be included in a text book.

  The diagram on the card is also a subtle hint. It shows where the hands are at 1 o'clock. 'Everyone' knows that! The big hand is pointing to 12 and the little hand is pointing to 1. More time must pass before the hands will be on top of each other again. Five minutes more ... and a bit, because the little hand has to move away from the 1 as soon as the big hand starts to move away from the 12.

  Exploration, discussion and estimation are the main expectations of the task. And, as always, a journal record. However, for those who are ready there is a challenge to try calculating 'the bit'.

  In the eTask Package this task is in the 'special' set because it requires two analogue model (or real) clocks - one for each person.

  Task 231, Flowers In The Field
  

  A simple story shell of finding a certain number of different flowers and making a bunch for mum. The concrete materials make it possible for children as young as Year 1 to succeed with the first two questions. From there, the questions get more complex and require persistence and an ordered way of recording. There is challenge in this task right through to Year 12. In fact it is highly recommended that teachers of Years 11 and 12 study the cameo notes, which contain extensive mathematical explanation. This may be a task that becomes an essential part of your selections and arrangements unit.

  In the eTask Package this task is in the 'easy' set because it only needs 10 different coloured objects, such as cubes, plastic sticks, a pack of coloured pencils or pipe cleaners.

Link List Maths At Home (Take Learners link then scroll or search the activity name.) eTask Package Workshop: Poster Problem Clinic Professor Morris Puzzles Time Together Flowers In The Field Working Like A Mathematician Task Library Order Form Did you miss the Previous News? If so you missed information about: A Little Feedback Maths At Home Update Get to Know a Cameo ... Staircase, Pyramid Puzzle

Did You Know? You can Search Mathematics Centre. Our Site Map acts as a Table of Contents to help you find what you need in Mathematics Centre. You can find photos of every task using the Task Library. You can find tasks by content using the Task Cameo Content Finder. You can create your own Task Library in a professional learning context with the eTask Package. Calculating Changes offers Content Finder & Year Level Finder tools. You can find tasks coded by Year Level and Curriculum Strand in the Task Centre Catalogue. (PDF file) You can search for lessons by Year Level, Curriculum Strand, Lesson Features & Keyword at Maths300. You can connect Tasks to their Maths300 companion lesson using Tasks & Maths300. (PDF file) Excel version provided by Pymble Ladies' College also links each Task to its Maths With Attitude content strand. All these links, and more, appear in Working with Mathematics Centre. (PDF file)