mathematics education – ��ճԹ� I Championing Mathematical Sciences for Australia’s Advancement

Professor Merrilyn Goos discusses out-of-field teaching on ABC Radio Darwin

Michael — Thu, 02 May 2024 01:33:12 +0000

Professor Merrilyn Goos interviewed by Rick Hind on ABC Radio Darwin, Mornings on April 3 2024, as one of the authors of “Relieving Out of Field Teaching in Australian Secondary Mathematics”.

ABC interview with Merrilyn Goos

Honorary Professor Merrilyn Goos is a mathematics educator and Adjunct Professor of Education at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She was previously Professor of STEM Education at the University of Limerick and Course Director for the Professional Diploma in Mathematics for Teaching, Ireland’s national up-skilling program for out-of-field teachers of mathematics.

Schools struggle as maths, science teachers in short supply

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 14:14:15 +0000

Herald Sun Education Reporter, Suzan Delibasic, has reported on new data by the Australian Education Union revealing more than two in five Victorian principals say maths and sciences classes are not taught by teachers qualified to teach the subject.

The article features commentary by ��ճԹ� Director, Professor Tim Marchant, who said the lack of supply of maths teachers in Australia was a “significant challenge”.

“All the states and territories and the federal government really need to work together to encourage more graduates into the teaching profession to teach mathematics,” Prof Marchant said.

“The percentage of out-of-field teachers is much higher in Australia than other countries and that is a challenge as well in where we need to support the teaching profession to build up their qualifications to teach mathematics.”

‘Worrying’ STEM teacher shortage with pressure felt in rural and remote schools

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 06:56:35 +0000

��ճԹ� commentary has been included in an ABC Online report on Australian teacher shortages.

Digital Reporter Antonia O’Flaherty, reports:

“Almost half of Australian school principals report teacher shortages, with more than half of those managing schools in remote locations and three-quarters in very remote areas, according to data from the Australian Education Union (AEU).

Key points:

Data from a union survey shows 47 per cent of school principals have experienced teacher shortages in 2020
More than 70 of the schools surveyed employ science and maths teachers not fully qualified in those subjects
Nationally, teachers say reducing the workload would help retain the workforce

It comes after years of Australia’s declining mathematics performance in international benchmark tests such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

��ճԹ� (��ճԹ�) Director Tim Marchant said the declining mathematics performance was a complicated, multi-faceted problem.

Professor Marchant said it was partly a problem of the way society valued mathematics and its career paths as well as students being taught by out-of-field teachers.

“The number of math teachers is not high enough. The supply of teachers is challenging, so there’s a broad set of issues affecting our PISA results,” he said.

Sum of all fears: Why Australia’s maths problem is getting worse

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 00:57:26 +0000

A report by Jordan Baker, Education Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Australia has a maths problem in its schools. The performance of the country’s students has steadily declined since global maths literacy tests began almost 20 years ago. By 2018, Australian 15-year-olds were a year behind where the same age group was in 2003, and three years behind those in the top-performing country, Singapore, when tested on how they apply the maths skills they’ve learnt. Amid the hand-wringing that followed the latest results (in late 2019), education ministers pointed to the revision of the national maths curriculum as their solution.

But curriculum is just one piece of the puzzle. Australia has a chronic shortage of maths teachers; one in four year eight students is taught by someone who was not trained in the subject, compared with one in 10 internationally, and the least experienced teachers tend to end up in the schools where expertise is most needed.”

Jordan also refers to the joint statement issued by maths organisations including AAMT and ��ճԹ�, calling for problem-solving to be central to how maths is taught.

Maths wars: the great divide

Sun, 30 May 2021 02:12:07 +0000

Rebecca Urban, National Education Correspondent at The Australian, has reported on proposed changes to Australia’s maths curriculum.

Leading up to the release of the draft curriculum, and following a leak of some draft documents, the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, the ��ճԹ�, the Australian Academy of Science, and the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia issued a public statement calling for problem-solving to be central to how maths is taught. According to the group, teaching maths content was no longer sufficient.

1 in 4 Australian year 8s have teachers unqualified in maths — this hits disadvantaged schools even harder

Tue, 25 May 2021 00:58:40 +0000

has reported on new analysis revealing almost one in four (23%) Australian year 8 students were being taught maths in 2018 by teachers whose major qualification was in a field other than maths.

The analysis of Australia’s participation in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) — an international assessment — was released today by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

��ճԹ� (��ճԹ�) analysis also warns that 76% of students will be taught by an out-of-field maths teacher at least once, and 35% of students twice, in the first four years of high school.

Eddie Woo is an Aussie STEM Star!

Michael — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 22:16:44 +0000

“Aussie STEM Stars” is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The fifth book in the series is about Eddie Woo, the teacher extraordinaire whose ‘WooTube’ channel has been helping students to find the magic in maths since 2012.

Find out more at .

Jump, split or make to the next 10: Strategies to teach maths have changed since parents were at school

Michael — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 06:19:33 +0000

Research shows parents have a significant influence on their children’s learning, but some lack the confidence to provide at home support. ‘The Conversation’ asks ACER Senior Research Fellow Cath Pearn to explain three addition and subtraction strategies now taught in primary school.

Exploring Australian students’ strengths and weaknesses in maths and science

Michael — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 23:17:02 +0000

ACER’s 2019 TIMSS assessment in ‘Teacher’ online magazine.

NSW looks to make maths compulsory for years 11 and 12

Michael — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 22:47:43 +0000

The country’s biggest education system wants to make maths compulsory, reversing the long slide in maths enrolments and culminating nearly a decade of maths-teaching reform.

Robert Bolton insight in today’s [Nine Media paywall access may be required].

mathematics education – ���ճԹ� I Championing Mathematical Sciences for Australia’s Advancement