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January 2012
In this month's News you will find:
 Tasks Are Back
Changes to Resource Support
A Note From Andy Martin
Tasks of the Month
Task 141, Flags From A Ship
Task 143, Hearts & Loops
Please feel free to distribute this information.
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- Tasks Are Back
| Black Douglas is pleased to resume trading in Mathematics Task Centre tasks. We are now confident we hold copyright in these task cards. We look forward to continuing the heritage of hands-on mathematics learning through tasks that has been passed from teacher to teacher since its original conception in this form by Neville De Mestre in the mid-1970s. |
We regret any inconvenience the recent suspension of trade in tasks may have caused teachers and schools. We look forward to supporting your professional development, and looking after you with a wide ranges of resources, through 2012 and beyond.
- Changes To Resource Support
- We are no longer in a position to process Maths300 membership requests in conjunction with other Mathematics Centre orders. Maths300 membership should be obtained separately, directly from the supplier, Education Services Australia. This is especially important for orders involving Maths With Attitude. You will need to quote your Maths300 membership number when ordering Maths With Attitude kits.
- Task Centre Kit for Aboriginal Students has been discontinued, but a collection of classroom wisdom related to involving Indigenous students in mathematics learning remains available through our Indigenous Students link (see Link List below). This link includes a list of mainstream tasks equivalent to those that were in the discontinued kit.
- Library Kit for Home Lending has been discontinued, but the collected wisdom of practice related to Maths Around The Kitchen Table remains available. Almost any task can be used for this purpose and the link includes a sample selection based on the discontinued kit. See Link List below.
- Poly Plug, Professor Morris Puzzles, Sphinx, Tricubes, Trisquares, Rotagrams, Pentagon Triangles, Pyramid Puzzle, 3d Geoshapes, wooden cubes and a broad range of other materials to support learning to work like a mathematician are unaffected and remain available from our Distribution Centre. Some of these items are unique to Mathematics Centre.
See Link List below.
and our web site remains the space where your classroom successes can be shared with colleagues through our Research & Stories section.
- A Note From Andy Martin
Since the 1990s Andy Martin, England, has been encouraging the use of tasks and Maths300 wherever he has taught. Much of what is recorded in Maths Around The Kitchen Table results from the work of Andy and his various staff members. In recent years Andy has been working hard as a school administrator, but he has just let us know that he has been able to arrange a Year 7 class for himself this year. As usual he is working creatively. Andy writes:
I am now teaching again in Year 7 and have started a task based curriculum using a web-based recording system to track progress. ... we are trying to [use] tasks to develop the "QWC" or "quality of written communication" in mathematics. Interesting times!
The change in technology over the last few years means the evidence from students about their work with the tasks is much easier to share. The days of the written journals I used to use may be numbered (!) but a "Facebook" style presentation with electronic feedback seems very popular with the students. The ability to photograph work on their phones and upload the evidence means the students are much quicker in sharing ideas and anticipating feedback. We shall see how this one progresses!
- Tasks of the Month
Two new cameos this month.
- Flags From A Ship uses the storyshell of signal flags on a ship and simple colourful material to generate an investigation in 'clever counting' that involves multiplicative thinking.
- Hearts & Loops is a challenging visual / kinaesthetic challenge which provides opportunity to develop and refine spatial language. It is easy to state, easy to start, but not necessarily easy to solve.
 
Click a photo to access its cameo, or access all current cameos through the Link List below.
Keep smiling,
Doug.
Link List
- Did you miss December News?
If so you missed information about:
- Suspension of trading in tasks
- Reminder about Professional Development
- Reminder about Calculating Changes
- Reminder about wide Resource range
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Did You Know?
- You can find tasks coded by Year Level and Curriculum Strand in the Task Centre Catalogue (PDF file).
- The Activities link of Calculating Changes offers Content Finder & Year Level Finder tools.
- Our Site Map acts as a Table of Contents to help you find what you need in Mathematics Centre.
- 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 (a PDF file).
- All these links, and more, appear in Working with Mathematics Centre (a PDF file).
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Previous News
November 2011 ... October 2011 ... September 2011 ... August 2011 ... July 2011
June 2011 ... May 2011 ... April 2011 ... March 2011 ... February 2011 ... Dec 2010/Jan 2011
November 2010 ... October 2010 ... September 2010 ... August 2010 ... July 2010
June 2010 ... May 2010 ... April 2010 ... March 2010 ... February 2010 ... Dec.2009/Jan.2010
November 2009 ... October 2009 ... September 2009 ... August 2009 ... July 2009
June 2009 ... May 2009 ... April 2009 ... March 2009 ... February 2009 ... Dec.2008/Jan.2009
November 2008 ... October 2008 ... September 2008 ... August 2008 ... July 2008
May/June 2008 ... April 2008 ... March 2008 ... February 2008 ... Dec.2007/ Jan.2008
November 2007 ... October 2007 ... August/September 2007 ... July 2007
June 2007 ... May 2007 ... April 2007 ... March 2007 ... February 2007 ... Dec. 2006/ Jan. 2007
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December 2002 ... November 2002 ... October 2002 ... September 2002 ... March 2002
December 2001 ... October 2001
Continue exploring our history back to July 1992 through the Sense of History link.
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