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MAV 2023 Conference
MAV 2023 Conference - Aiming High
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Room 3: Y7 to Y12

Session Description

Session Program

 Two and a half years ago an ongoing global phenomenon in mathematics education and outreach commenced. Thousands of maths teachers, club organizers, outreach leaders, parents and maths enthusiasts from over 150 different countries and territories opened their classroom doors to students or sat at their kitchen tables with their children and engaged in a common, joyous piece of school-relevant mathematics. In Saudi Arabia, pony-tailed girls played with coloured magnetic discs stuck to a metal wall. In Australia, high-school students drew illustrations on white boards and students in Tanzania did the same on chalk boards. In Zimbabwe, students made hollows in the ground and excitedly pushed pebbles back and forth between the holes. And in Serbia, middle-school students played with dots in boxes on their laptops though an online app.
 All was volunteer, all was grassroots, and all was propelled by our beautiful community of teachers across the globe simply wanting to share joyous, meaningful, connected, and genuine mathematics with their wonderful students. This community has reached over 6 million students solely through maths.
 What kind of classroom-relevant mathematics has the power to enthral students across the entire planet, transcending language, borders, and technology? And what flames were lit to first propel this mathematics across the globe?
 Allow me to introduce you the “mind blowing” mathematics of Exploding Dots.

RESOURCES: https://globalmathproject.org/exploding-dots/
FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ___. What number comes next? If you believe in patterns you would likely say ONE. But if you don’t believe in patterns you might suggest the next number is THIRTEEN, perhaps, justifying your claim with the formula 0.5n4 – 5n3 + 17.5n2 -26n + 18. (Put in n=1 and out pops 5, put in n=2 and out comes 4, put in n=3 out comes 3, put in n=4 out comes 2, and put in n=1 and out comes 13.) Let’s have some fun using the tools of high school algebra to show our students that they have the power—and the responsibility—to think deeply about data, what they a priori should or should not believe about it before analysing the data mathematically to make claims about it. Simple ideas illustrated in this workshop prove the importance of being an independent-thinking, responsible citizen of the 21st century. (After all, after this workshop you will be able to write a formula that has correctly “predicted” the Dow Jones Index on the 1st of each month for the past twelve months. People might want to invest with you.)

RESOURCES: https://globalmathproject.org/programs/

This session will explain how thoughtfully planned sequences of learning can include and engage all students. Sequences should ideally include challenging tasks, intended to activate cognition, that are effectively differentiated with the learning consolidated by further tasks suitably varied. The intent is that consistent use of such a structure can reduce the anxiety experienced by some students as well as allow extension of students who are ready. Some examples of sequences suitable for junior and middle secondary students will be presented, with key characteristics emphasised. The ways that sequences can also inform assessment of the proficiencies will also be explained.
This session will showcase the use of CAS technology (TI Nspire CAS CX II) to enhance student conceptual understanding and learning outcomes. For teachers the session will demonstrate the use of CAS technology as an essential and powerful teaching and learning tool for all four areas of study including SAC's. Some time will also be spent on creating widgets and the newly added Graphing and Analysis tools. Widgets on a CAS are a quick way of responding to questions in examination 2. Integration of TI Nspire CAS technology with LMS will be another key feature of this presentation.

1:00 pm

This engaging practical session will look at starting, planning and structuring lessons to engage students with a variety of learning difficulties (social and intellectual) in Mathematics; including students who are completely reluctant, anxious or disengaged. Samantha Horrocks will share different ways of supporting students and giving them choice and voice in their maths lessons and future numeracy pathways from her vast experience as an expert leading teacher and educational leader in Australia and internationally. Ruth Hibburt will reveal her secrets to success for improving outcomes working with students who have learning difficulties in the Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support (MYLNS) program and share mindset tools from her new release book “Do Make Mistakes”. These strategies will be shared through a workshop style presentation which can be implemented into classrooms straight away. All participants will leave with access to a pack of example materials.
Online teaching can't be just multiple-choice questions and solo work. Genuinely effective online activities should be structured to encourage students to work together and engage with mathematical thinking more deeply, while still allowing teachers the freedom to create and adapt their own ideas for their own students' needs. The Verso platform supports the development of critical thinking skills by providing an environment that facilitates the use of high-impact teaching strategies via structured activities based on up-to-date research. This session will provide a quick overview of the platform and give you the opportunity to experience firsthand the level of discussion and reasoning that activities in the Verso platform foster.

3:30 pm

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