Task Centre News

December 2003

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In this News you will find:

• New Arrangements
  From January 1st, 2004 Black Douglas will officially assume management of the Task Centre Project on behalf of Curriculum Corporation, Australia. You may have noticed that both organisations have been working towards this end for some months. Black Douglas Professional Education Services has been keenly involved with the Task Centre Project since its inception in 1992. Both organisations are delighted with this maturing of their arrangements and expect the result to be even more effective and efficient delivery of both professional development and physical resources. For you, in practical terms, these changes mean you will contact; be invoiced from; and make payment to Black Douglas Professional Education Services for all things Task Centre. We look forward to continuing friendships with those whom we know and creating new friendships with those whom we are still to meet.

• New Prices in Operation
  As detailed in the October News, new prices for Maths300 and new prices for some Task Centre products and services came into effect on December 1st. In the Resources link on the left, under the link Task & Task Kits you will find the latest fliers, which also include a fax back order form.

  In particular you might like to look again (or for the first time) at the Maths With Attitude information in the Resources link. Research in many places throughout the country is indicating that Middle Years students, in particular, need mathematics presented in a more hands-on, problem solving, investigative approach. But teachers often need support to be able to shift their teaching practice in this direction. Maths With Attitude kits offer this support. Everything you need to feel more confident about planning an integrated program of investigations is in the box - teachers' manual, tasks for pairs of students, whole class investigation, software.

  But you do need to be a Maths300 member to take advantage of this resource. If you are not a member already you can join when you order your first kit.

• Christmas Sphinx
  Even little people love the Sphinx. Check the Sphinx Album link on the left to see a Christmas Sphinx from Nick and his Year 1 friends.

• Size 19 Sphinx
  The march of the prime numbers continues...
  To round off his Year 12, in fact, his final week of secondary schooling forever, Chris Collett from Innisfail High School, Queensland, who in October built the world's first Size 17 Sphinx, created the world's first Size 19 Sphinx. Check it out in the Sphinx Album link.

• Maths on the Move 2004
  Are you planning your professional development program for 2004? Take a look at the full day programs in the Maths on the Move link. Perhaps we can support your state, district, cluster, school by jointly planning an on-going program.

• Cairns & Tablelands
  Do you teach mathematics in either primary or secondary schools in the Cairns and Tablelands areas of Queensland?
  Series 8 of Maths on the Move will take place there - one day in Cairns and one day in Atherton - on February 23rd and 24th, 2004. Some applications have already been received. Find out more about Maths on the Move at the link on the left.
  To apply for Series 8, print and fax this Application Form.
  (The document was designed as a one page Word '97 document. If it doesn't print this way for you, then adjusting your page margins should help. )

• Maths With Attitude Years 7 & 8
  At last, resources for the first years of high school which integrate the use of:
  • hands-on problem solving
  • whole class investigations
  • software and
  • your local text book requirements.
  Research tells us of the need to present mathematics differently to young adolescents and our own experience tells us that the traditional 'chalk and talk' doesn't interest many of our students. For the first time, there is an alternative.

  MWA kits are now available in Pattern & Algebra and Number & Computation. Two more strands are in preparation and will be available near the end of the year. Full details in the Resources link on the left. Trial teachers and comments from teachers at conference sessions on Maths With Attitude indicate teachers really appreciate having everything 'in the box':

  • tasks with all their equipment
  • CD-ROM of lessons - which includes software for some lessons
  • manual with week by week planner
  • detailed information about every task and lesson

  Primary school teachers are also supported by Maths With Attitude. Kits in each of four strands have been available for Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6 for some time. Again, please consider the information in the Resources link.

  Note: Your school must be a member of Maths300 to be able to use this resource. Further information about Maths300 can be found in the Tasks & Task Kits link in Resources, or in the Web Sites link on the left.

• Consultants' Information
  Due to the exciting changes in administration mentioned above, there has been a need to 'rebadge' some of the documents you might use in your workshops. Check the Documents link on the left. If a document is dated any time from November 2003, it has been altered. Please use the latest form in your workshops.

• Documents For All
  All the files in the Documents link to the left are available to any one. In particular you may be interested in the latest versions of:
  • Task Catalogue
  • Task Centre Summary
  • Library Kit for Home Lending
  • Mathematics Professional Services
  • Introductory Workshop Agenda
  • Reviews of the Starting Maths300 resource

• Did you miss the October News?
  If so you missed information about:
  1. details of price changes
  2. more Sphinx stories
  3. information about a service to refresh your task centre

Keep smiling,
Doug.

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