Mathematics…fun, exciting and challenging?

Maths means something different to everyone. It is a subject that we all have strong feelings about—positive or negative. We all know that of course, it helps us to balance accounts, develop budgets, calculate totals, but at school it seemed like kids either hated or loved maths. If I asked you to describe your school mathematics experience, what three words would you use?

With this in mind, I set out to gather insight into how our ATC Junior School students felt about their mathematical learning. What interesting and enlightening conversations were had! As a passionate math teacher, it was such a privilege to listen to our learner’s voice but also for them to feel heard. Following our conversations, I collated a summary of their responses, the larger text representing repeated words. Upon reflection, their responses are not surprising but reflective of learning that is challenging but enjoyable. We are looking forward to embracing this further throughout semester 2.

As adults, we know that there is no denying that mathematics plays a vital role in our everyday lives. It is critical to develop a strong understanding from an early age but also to foster a positive attitude and love for learning, problem solving and critical thinking. Maths helps us not only to calculate but also to learn how to follow a formula, appreciate music, draw, shoot three-pointers and even skateboard. It provides us with different perspectives, organize chaotic thoughts, more creative, and opportunity to think rationally.

The Australian Curriculum for Mathematics provides teachers with a sequential and progressive framework to ensure students gradually build mathematical knowledge and skills from year to year. We implement this curriculum to develop students' mathematical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and confidence in using mathematics in everyday life, while also instilling a passion and appreciation for maths. Structured through the proficiencies of understanding, fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, students are empowered to respond in a range of familiar and unfamiliar situations by utilising mathematical strategies and make informed decisions to solve problems efficiently.

What are proficiencies? What do they mean for students?

Understanding:

Develops conceptual understanding through the exploration of concepts, relationships, and structures within math to build a solid foundation.
Students are encouraged to make connections between different concepts, identify patterns, and apply their understanding to solve problems.

Fluency:

Develops computational and procedural skills, the ability to carry out mathematical procedures accurately, efficiently, and flexibly.
Students practice operations, algorithms, and strategies to calculate with speed and accuracy.

Problem Solving:

Develops the ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world and more abstract problems.
Students identify problems, select appropriate strategies, making estimations, and justify solutions.

Reasoning:

Develops the ability to think logically, analyse situations, and construct valid arguments.
Students develop ability to justify and communicate their mathematical thinking.

Supporting Mathematics at home

Real-life applications:

In the kitchen: Involve your child in measuring ingredients for recipes, doubling or halving recipes, and calculating cooking times.
Grocery shopping: compare prices, calculate discounts, or estimate the total cost of items.
Budgeting: Create a budget for a planned/ hypothetical scenario, such as planning a family vacation, and involve them in calculating expenses, estimating costs, and managing a budget. Discuss saving and investing. Have them research and compare different types of bank accounts or investment options.
Scale drawings: Ask your child to create a scale drawing of their bedroom or a floor plan of your house, using appropriate measurements and proportions.
Data analysis: Analyse real-world data sets, such as population statistics, sports statistics, or weather data, using spreadsheets or online tools like Google Sheets.
DIY/Home improvement: Engage your child in measuring and calculating dimensions for DIY projects, such as painting a room, building a bookshelf, grass required for the back yard.

Math Games and Manipulatives:

Greedy Pig: can be played with dice or playing cards that challenges players to develop fluency for operations.
Rubik's Cube: solve the Rubik's Cube, which promotes spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and perseverance.
Strategy games: Chess, Stratego, or Risk involve critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic planning.
Blokus: A strategy game that involves placing geometric shapes on a board, promoting spatial reasoning and critical thinking.

Problem-Solving Activities:

· Logic puzzles: logic puzzles, such as Sudoku, KenKen, or logic grid puzzles, enhance critical thinking and deductive reasoning.
· Math Olympiad problems: Explore past Math Olympiad problems for their age group, which often involve challenging and creative problem-solving.

Maths in the Junior School at ATC

At ATC, we empower every student to access and appreciate the power of mathematical reasoning and to learn how to apply mathematical knowledge and understanding creatively and efficiently across a range of circumstances to solve problems. We want our students to become effective, confident, and proficient uses of mathematics and to utilise these skills to think critically about the world around them.

Teachers at Ambrose Treacy College make considered effort to ensure that the needs of every student is understood and catered for, so they may be challenged, supported and thrive everyday within our learning environment. Within the Junior School, our approach to learning recognises that students have diverse learning needs and provides instruction tailored to meet all needs. This involves adjusting content, process, or product to align students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles. Our differentiated teaching provides for individualized and small-group instruction, providing a variety of challenges and opportunity for mathematical success. Extension mathematics classes are providing students with opportunity to explore concepts in greater depth and complexity, while also emphasising problem solving techniques and strategies.

Teachers engage students by developing learning experiences that are fun and hands on. An example of this passionate approach was the year 6 boardgame challenge. This term, year 6 students have been developing their understanding of fractions—adding, subtracting, locating on a number line, calculating simple fractions of a quantity—which students often find challenging, hard and boring due to the large number of rules and operations involved. Knowing this, the year 6 teachers introduced an Educational Entrepreneur Investigation, requiring students to design a new board game using their understanding of fractions. Students embarked on designing a challenging, fair and exciting game to share with their peers.

This experience provided opportunity for students to represent fractions, describe connections between them, perform operations and solve authentic problems. It is an example of learning being fun but also aligned to the curriculum, students demonstrating understanding in different ways and having agency in the way they share their learning.

Remember, fostering a positive attitude towards mathematics and creating a supportive learning environment are key to helping your child to continue to develop strong mathematical skills. Most importantly have fun!

Miranda Sainsbury

Head of Learning - Junior School