Conference synopsis_FINAL_20260815 - Flipbook - Page 49
Participants will explore how AI tools can support everyday
teaching tasks, including developing lesson plans, generating
differentiated activities, creating worksheets and assessment
questions, writing worked examples and refining explanations
of mathematical concepts. The workshop will demonstrate
how teachers can efficiently create and adapt high-quality
resources while maintaining professional judgement at the
centre of decision-making. Through demonstrations and
guided activities, teachers will gain the confidence to use
GenAI as a practical teaching assistant. Participants will
leave with a collection of adaptable resources and practical
techniques, along with a clear understanding of how to use AI
safely, efficiently, and effectively in mathematics teaching.
Key takeaways:
1. Confidently use GenAI to support everyday mathematics
lesson preparation and resource development.
2. Create and adapt high-quality teaching materials, including
lesson plans, worksheets, worked examples, and assessment
tasks, quickly and efficiently.
3. Apply GenAI responsibly and effectively, using
professional judgement to enhance planning, differentiation,
and classroom practice.
Remember:
Please download a GenAI software of your choice
A07 SEEING MULTIPLICATION: HOW
STUDENTS THINK AND WHERE THEY GET
STUCK
Sub-category: Assessment
Lei Bao, Australian Council for Educational Research
(ACER)
Y3 - Y8
This presentation shares findings from a study of 253
students in Years 3–6, examining how multiplicative
thinking develops through five stages. Each stage transition
presents distinct barriers — from reliance on one-to-one
correspondence and additive overgeneralisations, to
difficulties with Cartesian products and over-reliance on
procedural methods. The research highlights that “knowing
how to multiply” doesn’t equal understanding multiplication.
Key teaching implications include using diagnostic tools like
the DAMT, exposing misconceptions through visual models,
and targeting instruction to specific transition barriers to build
genuine conceptual understanding alongside procedural
fluency.
Key takeaways:
1. Multiplicative thinking develops through five stages,
each with distinct transition barriers. Students often
overgeneralise additive thinking or rely on procedures
without understanding. Teachers should use diagnostic tools,
visual models like arrays, and targeted instruction to address
specific misconceptions, building conceptual understanding
alongside procedural fluency at every stage.
A08 IMPROVING VCE MEDIAN STUDY
SCORES THROUGH A WHOLE-SCHOOL
NUMERACY PROGRAM
Sub-category: Leadership and teachers as learners
Memduha Oztas, Coburg High School
Y7 - Y12
Improving VCE results cannot start in Year 11. In this seminar,
we will share how our school developed a whole-school
numeracy program that deliberately connects the skills
students need for VCE success with the learning they do
in junior secondary subjects. We began by looking closely
at VCAA past exam papers and VASS data to identify the
numeracy demands that were creating barriers for students
across different learning areas. From there, we mapped
essential skills back into Years 7-10 and worked with
non-maths teachers to build numeracy into their existing
units. This included explicitly teaching key numerical skills,
creating modelled responses, planning regular checks for
understanding and giving students repeated exposure over
time. The session will show how numeracy leaders can use
evidence, collaboration and VTLM 2.0 aligned practice
to build teacher confidence, strengthen whole-school
responsibility for numeracy and make improvement feel
achievable across the school.
Key takeaways:
1. Lead a whole-school numeracy improvement program
using VCAA exams and VASS data to identify numeracy
demands.
2. Map VCE numeracy skills into Years 7-10 learning areas so
students build essential skills earlier and more deliberately.
3. Support non-maths teachers to explicitly teach numerical
skills through modelling, checks for understanding and
repeated exposure.
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