AAMT e-news

for the Australian mathematics education community

18 July 2016

From AAMT Council Meeting

The Council of the AAMT met in Adelaide on Saturday 9 July, immediately after the successful conference to celebrate the Association's 50th anniversary.

As always it was a full agenda. Highlights include:

A presentation from Ms Janine McIntosh from AMSI about the Choose Maths project. AAMT Council and state and territory Affiliates look forward to supporting this important work to increase the participation of girls and young women in STEM education and careers;
Council is putting the finishing touches on AAMT's Action Plan in support of the recommendations from the Decadal Plan for the Mathematical Sciences;
At the invitation of Finalcial Literacy Australia, AAMT is coordinating the development of a proposal to support teaching of the financial mathematics components of the senior years Australian Curriculum: Mathematics;
Council endorsed collaboration with the Statistical Society of Australia on an overall approach to statistical education and development of a joint Position Paper on statistical literacyt and schooling;
Council will also approach the Gifted and Talented Association of Australia to develop a joint Position Paperon mathematics for talented students; and
The AAMT Strategic Plan is being reviewed, with view to producing the next version (2017-19).

STEM Cup, part of the Day of STEM initiative

The Day of STEM is an online platform for secondary students to find out about STEM careers through onlne mentoring. The first set of careers are in sports science and data analysis. The platform was launched on 18 July at Collingwood Football Club.

As part of the initiative, Collingwood are hosting the STEM Cup. Students will use their maths and analytical skills to choose the ultimate 2017 Collingwood squad while staying beneath the AFL salary cap. The competition is open now and runs until 20 August, with winners being announced on 27 August.

Entry is free. To register yourself and your school, go to http://dayofstem.com.au/STEM-Cup.html?oId=1588.

Further careers will be built into the Day of STEM platform over the coming months. Stay tuned for details.

ACER Research Conference

Improving STEM learning: What will it take?

7–9 August 2016, Brisbane

ACER's Research Conference 2016 will showcase research that aims to equip, empower and assist our educational system to address challenges in STEM learning at all levels, from classroom practice to governance and policy. AAMT members can get a 20% discount on the price of full conference registration by using the code ‘STEMASSOCIATION’ along with your AAMT membership number when registering.

For more information and to register, go to https://acer.ac/rc2016.

Free trial of student feedback

What makes for a truly effective maths teacher? Free trial of student feedback for maths departments looking to understand their impact! The AAMT has limited places for a nationwide trial that will identify and measure the elements that make for successful maths teaching.

This project is a partnership with Pivot Professional Learning whose system is already being used in over 5000 classrooms across Australia. Pivot uses student voice to help identify and support effective teaching practices for individuals, schools and systems. For more information and to register your interest, go to www.aamt.edu.au/News/Opportunities/Pivot-trial.

Hurry - Expressions of Interest close at the end of July.

ASSETS applications close 31 July

The Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science (ASSETS) is a nine day residential summer school for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander year 10 students who are interested in STEM fields. Participation in the summer school is followed by a leadership and support program as students complete years 11 and 12. There are no costs for students.

For more information and to submit the application form go to www.csiro.au/indigenous-assets/apply or contact assetsprogram@csiro.au for further information.

ASSETS is part of a broader Indigenous STEM Education Project funded by BHP Billiton Foundation and delivered by CSIRO.

National Schools Poster Competition

The National Schools Poster Competition is on again - for both primary and secondary schools. Teams of 2 to 5 students create an informative poster presentation addressing a practical research question on an area of interest to them through the collection, presentation and interpretation of data.

Entries are due 10 November 2016. Register for free at www.ssaipostercomp.info.

[featured resource] Developing Thinking in Algebra

John Mason, Alan Graham, Sue Johnston-Wilder

One in a series of books concerned with developing mathematical thinking, this practical book will enable you to reflect on algebra and its learning from the learner's perspective (both yours and your students'). Written for teachers of students aged 7–16, the book's emphasis is on what it is to understand the process of thinking algebraically.

#ECA004 $75.00 * AAMT members: $60.00 *

www.aamt.edu.au/Webshop/Entire-catalogue/Developing-Thinking-in-Algebra