Thanks Charles
On December 3 & 4 in Melbourne, Charles Lovitt presented his last official professional development workshop to a group of participants from every state in Australia. After a career spanning 40+ years as a mathematics teacher Charles is retiring.
In conversation at the workshop, Ian Lowe remarked that, in the mid-seventies, when he returned to Victoria from work in the Pacific, he asked around about schools that were worth visiting to see what was happening in maths education. He was directed to Pembroke High School where Charles and his staff were running a hands-on, investigative curriculum of the style so many are trying to construct today. Ian has photos to prove it and they show Charles working then, just as you see him in this most recent photo - surrounded by materials, working with the learner, discussing, inquiring, challenging, encouraging.
Early in his career Charles began sharing his expertise beyond his classroom and school. His purpose in reaching out in this way has always been to encourage continuing debate about improving mathematics learning. His vehicle for this work has always been the captured classroom image - through word, picture and workshop experience to help us to find our way into the successful moments in other people's classrooms. Never claiming any experience to be either good or bad - only sufficiently interesting to discuss and unpack - he was invited to work with project after project built around collecting and retelling such experiences.
