Conference synopsis_FINAL_20260815 - Flipbook - Page 103
E28 A NEW AGE OF EXPLICIT TEACHING:
PROGRESSION NOT REGRESSION
Sub-category: Mathematical content and concepts
Evan McGarrity, Coomera Anglican College
Y7 - Y10
This session explores how contemporary mathematics
pedagogy has progressed toward a modern model of explicit
teaching, rather than regressed to traditional rote instruction.
Drawing on practical classroom experience and evidenceinformed pedagogy, the presentation examines how explicit
teaching can move beyond procedural fluency to develop
conceptual understanding, problem-solving skills, and
mathematical confidence. Attendees will explore approaches
to lesson design, worked examples, questioning techniques,
retrieval practice, and guided instruction that support diverse
learners in junior secondary mathematics classrooms. The
session also outlines the development and implementation
of a school-wide explicit teaching framework designed to
create consistency across classrooms while maintaining
teacher flexibility and responsiveness. Practical examples and
classroom-ready strategies will be shared to support teachers
in refining their instructional practice and improving student
outcomes.
Key takeaways:
1. Modern explicit teaching strategies that are deeply
practical in the class room (what this looks like in a maths
lesson, not just theory).
2. How current cognitive load theory fits in with worked
examples and pedagogy (why we are doing the strategies
above).
3. How to develop colleagues to be maths masters.
E29 FROM PUZZLES TO PEDAGOGY: THE
MATHS ESCAPE ROOM EXPERIENCE
Sub-category: Digital technologies
Peter Fox
Y5 - Y10
Step inside a mathematics classroom transformed into an
immersive escape experience — where every puzzle solved
brings you closer to freedom. In this hands-on workshop, you
won’t just observe, you will become the learner. Crack codes,
uncover patterns, and tackle rich mathematical challenges
that demand reasoning, collaboration, and creative thinking.
Along the way, you’ll discover how these experiences can be
designed to ignite curiosity and deepen understanding in your
own classroom.
Key takeaways:
1. Explicit instruction can be embedded within rich tasks
2. Activity to pedagogy: cognitive load theory, productive
struggle, spaced retrieval ...
3. Engagement is a tool, not the goal
E30 DRIVING EXPLICIT IMPROVEMENT
IN MATHEMATICS THROUGH SHORT
IMPROVEMENT SPRINTS
Sub-category: Leadership and teachers as learners
Carly Millichap and Alana Bandholz, Brisbane Catholic
Education Office
F - Y8
How can school leaders move mathematics improvement
from professional learning into sustained classroom practice?
This session explores how short, focused improvement sprints
can support leaders and teachers to test, refine, and embed
evidence-informed approaches to mathematics teaching.
Drawing on lessons from large-scale Targeted Improvement
Programs (TIPs) and authentic school examples, participants
will examine a practical model for leading improvement
through engaging with external expertise, developing
and implementing cycles of inquiry, and undertaking
focused reviews. Through these examples, participants will
see how structured improvement cycles can strengthen
implementation, build teacher capability, and support
sustained improvement in mathematics.
Participants will explore how to:
•
identify a precise improvement focus using student
learning evidence
•
select and implement high-impact pedagogical practices
aligned to that focus
•
monitor changes in teacher practice and student learning;
and
•
use short improvement cycles to build momentum and
sustain improvement over time.
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