20250730 MAV25 synopsis - Flipbook - Page 49
A06 MAKING LEARNING STICK: PRACTICAL
STRATEGIES FOR RETENTION (PRIMARY)
Subtheme: Pedagogy and curriculum
Patrick Kennedy, Our Lady Star of the Sea
(F to Year 6)
How do we ensure students retain what they’ve learned long
after the lesson ends? In this practical session, we’ll explore
how to help primary students consolidate mathematical
understanding through evidence-informed strategies such as
activation of prior knowledge, interleaving, spaced practice,
and daily review.
Drawing on classroom experience and current cognitive
science, this presentation will unpack what effective review
looks like in a primary setting and how it can be embedded
meaningfully and consistently. We’ll look at how to design
short, purposeful daily reviews that spark retrieval, strengthen
connections, and make learning stick, without overwhelming
teachers or students.
Attendees will walk away with a toolbox of independent and
whole-class review strategies, tips for adapting spacing and
interleaving to suit younger learners, and a fresh lens on what
‘sticky’ maths teaching can look like in their own classrooms.
Key takeaways:
1. Retrieval practice.
2. Whole class review strategies.
Supported by
A07 COUNTERS: YOU CAN COUNT ON
THEM AND MUCH MORE!
Subtheme: Pedagogy and curriculum
Paul Swan, Swan Educational, John West
(Year 3 to Year 6)
The words Concrete Representational Abstract are often
used to describe a pedagogical approach to teaching
mathematics. In this session John and Paul, but not Ringo,
will share some ideas for using counters (different types)
to explicitly teach certain concepts while allowing for
differentiation. Participants will be given a handful of counters
to:
•
use in playing targeted games
•
develop a better understanding of the modelling process
•
stimulate discussion and build the language of
mathematics.
Participants will be provided with booklet of ideas ready to try
in their classroom.
Key takeaways:
1. Learn how different types of counters may be used in the
teaching of mathematics.
2. Leave with a better understanding of CRA and how it may
be used to support differentiation.
3. Learn how to use simple manipulatives to stimulate
thinking.
A08 MYTHS, METAPHORS AND LEGENDS
CONCERNING MATHEMATICS TEACHING
AND LEARNING
Subtheme: Contemporary challenges and successes
Dianne Siemon, RMIT University
(F to Year 10)
Years of research and practice have built up a picture of what
works (and what doesn’t work) in the teaching and learning
of mathematics. This is a very significant, constantly evolving
body of work contributed to by scholars all over the world and
enriched by the experience of highly effective practitioners. It
paints a diverse, complex picture of classroom practices, but
the single most important conclusion that can be drawn from
this huge body of work is that there is no one, ‘best way’ to
teach and learn mathematics. This presentation will consider
some of the myths and legends in this field to make a case for
a balanced mix of approaches to the teaching and learning of
mathematics to ensure all students thrive mathematically.
Key takeaways:
1. Teaching mathematics is complex, dynamic enterprise that
involves multiple practices, flexibility, and careful planning.
2. Learning mathematics involves more than changes to
long-term memory. It involves the acquisition of a range
of cognitive and metacognitive processes to support the
application of what is known and to work collaboratively with
others.
THE MATHEMATICAL
ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA
49
