AAMT e-news

for the Australian mathematics education community

21 July 2015

Enviroweek 2015

With the emphasis on STEM education gaining momentum, teachers and schools may wish to take part in Enviroweek (30 August – 5 September). What mathematical activities and investigations can you do while caring for the environment? A great opportunity for cross-curricular or project-based learning!

For resources, ideas and more, go to www.enviroweek.org.

Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science (ASSETS)

ASSETS is for high-achieving Indigenous Year 10 students who are interested in STEM and who identify with their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.

It involves a nine-day summer school (to be held in Adelaide, Newcastle and Townsville) as well as an ongoing leadership and support program to nurture these students through Years 11 and 12. The summer school includes interactive science inquiry activities as well as engaging cultural experiences. There is no cost to attend, with return airfares, meals and accommodation provided.

For more information and to apply, go to www.csiro.au/indigenous-assets.

Congratulations to Australia's IMO Team!

Australia won two Gold and four Silver medals coming sixth (out of 104 teams) at the 2015 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which concluded this week in Thailand.

Special congratulations go to Alex Gunning who scored Gold and was ranked fourth in the world. After tying for first place with a perfect score last year, he has a total of three Gold medals and a Bronze and now appears on the IMO Hall of Fame leader board.

Seyoon Ragavan was awarded Gold this year for his 19th place, and four other team members scored Silver: Yang Song, Jeremy Yip, Kevin Xian and Ilia Kucherov.

For more information go to www.amt.edu.au/australia-leaps-into-top-10-at-2015-imo.

National Secondary Schools Poster Competition

This project-based learning activity aims to unleash students’ critical thinking, investigation, collaboration, communication, reporting and creative skills, and develop their awareness of how quantitative and scientific skills can help us better understand the world.

The competition is open to teams (in Years 7–8; 9–10; and 11–12) to create an informative poster presentation which addresses a practical research question on a topic of their own choosing based on the collection and interpretation of data.

Registration is free and closes 10 September, with posters due by 27 November. For more information, go to www.ssaipostercomp.info.

[featured resource] Cartoon Corner: Humour-Based Mathematics Activities

A collection of cartoons designed to act as stimulus material for addressing a variety of mathematical topics in the classroom. Each cartoon is provided together with ideas for associated questions and solutions as well as notes from teachers who field-tested the materials with their students. A visually stimulating and different way to start a lesson!

#NCT620 $37.50 * AAMT members: $30.00 *

www.aamt.edu.au/Webshop/Entire-catalogue/Cartoon-Corner