MathsTalk by AMSI Schools

In this Tea Break episode, host Claire Embregts is joined by AMSI Outreach Officer Anna Bock who shares some ideas and strategies that teachers can implement in the classroom to support their students with understanding the concept of Addition. We chat about some of the ideas that underpin Addition and the importance of providing practical situations with adding single digit numbers before moving to larger numbers. A range of links to resources are provided for teachers and parents.

Links and resources can be found below and at www.Calculate.org.au

For Teachers:

https://calculate.org.au/2018/09/14/building-number-sense-through-number-talks/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254705172_Written_algorithms_in_the_primary_years_Undoing_the_'good_work'

http://amsi.org.au/teacher_modules/Addition_and_subtraction.html

https://www.cem.edu.au/CatholicEducationMelbourne/media/Documentation/Documents/Key-Ideas-in-Maths.pdf

For Parents:

https://calculate.org.au/2020/07/09/number-talks-for-parents/

https://calculate.org.au/2020/05/21/partitioning-one-is-a-snail-ten-is-a-crab/

https://calculate.org.au/2020/04/29/addition-and-subtraction/

Leanne McMahon enlists the journalistic/Maths educator talents of Vicky Kennard and Cassandra Lowry to review some highlights of the 2020 Mathematics Association of Victoria Virtual Conference held on the 3rd and 4th of December. If you didn't manage to attend, our reviewers give some great insights into their learnings and provide links to resources that the speakers provided.

Related Links:

• MAVCON 2020 Virtual Platform: https://mav.delegateconnect.co/

Leanne McMahon interviews Mathematics Association of Victoria Events Manager, Jacqui Diamond about the upcoming Virtual Conference. We discuss how Covid-19 has thrown a spanner in the works of one of the biggest events in the Australian Maths Education community's year and how Jacqui has devised ingenious ways of making the conference bigger and better. If you would like to contribute to the "LIVE" (not quite live) MAV Virtual Conference podcast as described in this podcast, share your MP3 or wav file, recorded on your phone (or wherever) using https://wetransfer.com to [email protected](sharing this way because they're often too big to email)

While the conference is completely sold out, it's worth listening to the 'headline acts' and looking them up using the links below.

James Tanton: http://www.jamestanton.com/

Peter Sullivan: https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/peter-sullivan

Paul Swan: https://drpaulswan.com.au/

Host Leanne McMahon is joined by AMSI Outreach Officer and MathsTalk Twitter chat host, Cass Lowry to discuss the idea of Mathematical Fluency. This conversation stems from a #MathsTalk Twitter chat on the same topic held on November 12th 2020 that led to spirited debate and some great ideas. Links and resources can be found  below and at www.Calculate.org.au

• Wakelet Collection #MathsTalk Fluencyhttps://wke.lt/w/s/x92941

• Jo Boaler (@joboaler) article: Fluency without Fear https://www.youcubed.org/evidence/fluency-without-fear/

Host Claire Embregts grabs a cuppa with AMSI Schools Outreach Officer Leanne McMahon to talk about the importance of the equals sign in Mathematics. We chat about the common misconceptions behind the equals sign and what teachers can do to avoid or rectify these misconceptions. Much of our discussion centres around a presentation from Max Stephens at the MERGA conference in 2006, a paper from which can be found here. https://merga.net.au/Public/Publications/Annual_Conference_Proceedings/2006_MERGA_CP.aspx

Find more at www.Calculate.org.au

Hosts Leanne McMahon and Michael O’Connor are  joined by Mike Clapper, former Executive Director and Chief Mathematician at the Australian Mathematics Trust, to talk about geometry and its importance in the Australian Curriculum. We cover everything from why we teach geometry and how to develop geometric reasoning in our students to packing your car boot on camping holidays. Mike has kindly provided some accompanying episode notes which will be available to download through our www.calculate.org.au website along with some links to other related resources.

Have you ever felt the urge to dip your toe in the murky waters of Twitter? In this episode, host, Leanne McMahon talks to Outreach Officer Cass Lowry about how to get started on Twitter and how it can be used as a part of your professional learning. We look at setting up your account, lurking, liking and finally getting involved in Twitter Chats - Especially ours! #MathsTalk 8pm AEST every Thursday.

If you'd like further information, drop us an email at [email protected] or get onto our website www.calculate.org.au.

Check out the following resources:

• Teachers on Twitter – Why you should join and how to get started: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2017/apr/20/teachers-on-twitter-why-join-get-started-social-media

• #TLAPdownunder – Sunday 8pm AEST

Host, Marcus Garrett talks to two members of the AMSI Outreach team, Cass Lowry and Michael O'Connor about the important proficiency of reasoning and how we can develop this in students of all ages, from pre-primary to later secondary. Contact us if you have comments or suggestions. [email protected]

Head to www.Calculate.org.au for resources, links, further information and to give feedback.

Dealing with Misconceptions in Geometry

This is the first episode in Series 4 for MathsTalk, in Term 3 of 2020 and in this series, we are focusing on Geometry. Host, Leanne McMahon chats with 2018 CHOOSEMATHS Teacher Award winner Sheila Griffin and fellow AMSI Schools Outreach Officer Anna Bock, about common student - and sometimes teacher - misconceptions in Geometry. We discuss how they can be tackled in the maths classroom in ways that engage students and really encourage them to think.

Head to www.Calculate.org.au for resources and links

Special guest Dr Catherine Attard discusses her latest blog post with AMSI Outreach Officers Marcus Garrett and Leanne McMahon. In a spirited conversation, they look at how teachers and parents can discern between good and not-so-great mathematics resources in this time of information overload. They also discuss effective use of technology in Mathematics, the difference between performing and learning in maths and what 'home-schooling' really means.

Podcast notes and resources can be found at www.calculate.org.au. Catherine's Blog can be found at https://engagingmaths.com/

Other Links discussed in the episode:

Attard, C. (2020), Teaching maths in challenging times: Keep calm and remain critical! Blog post on Engaging Maths. Retrieved from https://engagingmaths.com/2020/03/18/teaching-maths-in-challenging-times-keep-calm-and-remain-critical/.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2010, Mathematics Proficiencies. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/mathematics-proficiencies/.

Boaler, J. (1996), Case Studies of Alternative Approaches to Mathematics Teaching: Situated Cognition, Sex and Setting. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Kings College School of Education, University of London, UK. Retrieved from https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/2934023/DX199706.pdf.

Garrett, M. (2016), The Problem with Problem Solving. Blog article on Calculate by AMSI. Retrieved from https://calculate.org.au/2016/04/13/problem-with-problem-solving/.

Website: Joel Speranza – Leveraging Technology for Learning. www.joelsperanza.com.

YouTube Channel: Joel Speranza Math. https://www.youtube.com/c/JoelSperanzaMath/featured

Link to Dr Attard’s Research Project, ‘Investigating the impact of COVID-19 on teachers' technology-related attitudes, beliefs and practices’ (call for survey participants): https://surveyswesternsydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6AmgoLh1N7ZDktn