OJC Maths Coaches attend Primary Mathematics Association Seminar

Engaged in recent research surrounding mathematics education, the dedicated Learning Coaches were taken on many exhilarating journeys as we explored the application of Numeracy in our OJC learning environment.

The keynote speaker Dr Fiona Ell, a lecturer in primary mathematics education at Auckland University, lead us to consider the celebrated question of “Where is Mathematics Heading?”. Exploring varying facets of the New Zealand Mathematics Curriculum, we were able to reshape, reorganise and reconfirm our teaching practices at OJC.

Collaboration, innovation and creativity, technical competence, mindset, attitude and well-being all came into play. Talking about concepts learned, understanding and portraying the Big Ideas and a focus on the mindset - where effort makes a difference and mistakes lead to learning - were the key messages we took onboard. With demonstrations of both hands-on and theoretical resources relating to Year 1 to Year 10 of the New Zealand Curriculum, we walked away with quality ideas, thoughts and aspirations for Numeracy at OJC.

The beauty of maths really lies in the seemingly endless possibilities.. yet there is an answer in there somewhere. I am not in a hurry to find out, I just want to enjoy exploring! - Ms Huang

The PMA workshop on using technology to enhance Maths learning was especially valuable in our 1:1 iPad setting and has given our teachers many practical applications to immediately use at our school - Nick

The PMA conference provided useful information and resources for teachers to teach students. The most memorable workshop was about how to use G suite tools to effectively teach maths. Since OJC uses G Suite all the time, it was beneficial for me to learn more about it - Miss Lee

One key message we do hope to share with our community is the importance of encouraging learners to attribute success to effort - ability is not fixed, mathematics is ‘learnable’.

A great day was had socialising with like-minded mathematicians, discussing current research, findings and applications of real-world Numeracy and knowing our team of Numeracy Learning Coaches are working hard to ensure quality Numeracy occurs at OJC. Even on a Saturday!

By Numeracy Designer Katie Clay