Explain this
ATM Conference 2012 • Session H3
Douglas Williams
Doug is leading a number of sessions and is making the opening address for this year’s conference.
Here are some things you might like to look at before the conference and before attending any of Doug’s sessions.
Opening Address
Mathematics Education is not an Enigma • Doug Williams
Mathematics education is not an enigma. We know how to do it. And we know how not to do it. What is called ‘traditional mathematics education’ has failed to educate. It may have taught, and students may have learnt, but it has failed to educate. Offering a diet of disconnected content parcels in a less-than- stimulating teaching environment is not educating.
On the other hand beginning with best practice teaching craft and a curriculum centred on learning to work like a mathematician — Working Mathematically — improves content skills, problem-solving skills and literacy skills. That’s win, win, win.
In this address we will explore features of a Working Mathematically classroom, highlight how a Working Mathematically teacher thinks, share examples of student work and indicate research and stories to explore later.
My aim is simply to inspire you by retelling stories of success from your colleagues and hopefully reinforcing a ‘can do’ attitude.
Doug is a story-teller in mathematics education. His role is to work with colleagues to collect and retell stories of success from classrooms. This work involves professional development sessions for teachers; working in classrooms to act out stories; and publishing stories, in the main through web sites. In whatever form, the stories are structured around students at all levels learning to work like a mathematician and the teaching craft which encourages that process. He has been sharing these stories through ATM conference for many years.
Doug’s teaching background is in both primary and secondary schools and he has also worked as a teacher trainer. He has broad experience working with systems to support curriculum shift and has worked widely with teachers whose particular
focus is supporting Indigenous students to achieve success in mathematics. Currently his major work focus is management of Mathematics Centre, which offers a world of alternative to text-based learning. He has had the opportunity to work with teachers and students across Australia and around the world.
Doug recommends a quick look at this video from Mathematics Teaching ‘Ocean of Possibilities’:
And reading this article would be valuable
Session B1 • Working Mathematically with very little
Sometimes we think that we must have heaps of equipment and fancy computers to help students learn to work like a mathematician. As valuable as these resources are, the most important component is a teacher who 'lives by' the Working Mathematically process in the preparation, presentation and evaluation of their lessons. This workshop offers an outline of the sort of investigations you can begin with simple materials such as pencil and paper, dice and counters and even old scrap card.
Doug suggests you watch this video from Mathematics Teaching
Session C1 • What can you do with a Pack of Cards
Quite a lot actually. Your first thought is probably chance related activities, and yes we will include a couple of those. But cards also have numbers on them so they can be thought of as number tiles, which means lots of arithmetic possibilities. And if you turn them over they are just objects so more doors open by arranging them in patterns. The workshop offers a smorgasbord of activities and investigations which use this easily obtainable resource to help develop your Working Mathematically classroom.
Look at Doug’s own website for some background to this
Session D1 • Working Mathematically with Infants
It's different, children learn more and teachers love it. Developed by teachers who are engineering their classrooms to enhance children's number sense, Working Mathematically with Infants splices Threaded Activities from Calculating Changes with Investigations adapted from Mathematics Task Centre and Maths300. Threading is a teaching technique using rich, differentiated activities for small amounts of time. The workshop introduces you to these activities and investigations, and the planning model teachers have developed to implement them. Mathematical conversation and learning in community - whole class and small groups - are key features of the learning environment.
Look at Doug’s own website for some background to this
