Conference synopsis_FINAL_20260815 - Flipbook - Page 56
SESSION A: Thursday, 11am-12pm (cont.)
I will discuss features of tasks and lessons which build
engagement through dialogue and collaboration, physical
involvement, opportunities for student choice, and building
excitement and curiosity. There will be a range of resources
offered to teachers following the session. And we’ll have some
fun too!
Key takeaways:
1. Participants will leave with renewed ideas for creating
mathematics classrooms where students feel capable,
connected and engaged.
Supported by
Key takeaways:
1. Great ideas to try out in the classroom
2. Strategies for building engagement (for the teacher and
students)
3. A broader understanding of ‘evidence-based teaching’
than is currently being promoted by Victorian educational
authorities
A26 BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND
ENGAGEMENT (SECONDARY)
Sub-category: Engaging and including every learner
Eleanor Drayton, Department of Education
Y7 - Y12
This session explores ways to build confidence and
engagement in secondary mathematics classrooms by
activating students’ hearts, hands and minds. Students can
disengage from mathematics because they doubt their
ability, struggle to access mathematical language or fail to see
themselves as capable learners. We will focus on strategies
that create supportive, challenging and inclusive learning
environments where students are willing to participate, make
mistakes and persevere. Participants will experience a range
of activities designed to build motivation and encourage
active learning.
We will explore how carefully chosen language, routines and
task structures can strengthen students’ confidence while
maintaining high expectations. Throughout the session, there
will be opportunities to engage with the strategies as learners,
reflect on classroom contexts and collaborate with colleagues
to plan how these approaches might be implemented in
upcoming lessons. Participants will leave with renewed ideas
for creating mathematics classrooms where students feel
capable, connected and engaged.
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A27 HOW TO STOP YOUR RESOURCES
WORKING AGAINST YOU
Sub-category: Planning
Michaela Epstein, Maths Teacher Circles
Early Childhood - Y12
How often do you find yourself endlessly scrolling to find the
‘perfect’ maths lesson? Some resources are pitched too low.
Others are too high. Some will take far too long to prepare,
or go for way longer than you have available. Then there are
those that are of such poor quality, they’re not worth anyone’s
time. Yet, this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, there are
easy ways to make even the worst resources worthwhile. In
this practical session, Michaela will share 5 planning strategies
you can use to turn any ordinary maths resource into one
that glitters. Whether you use a textbook, pre-made slides, a
program that you deliver, worksheet banks or even rich tasks
that someone else has created for you, you’ll learn what you
can do to make your resources work far more effectively for
you and your students.
Key takeaways:
You’ll learn about:
1. Why all resources are great (but always incomplete)
2. How to balance professional consistency with individual
decision-making
3. Get 5 practical strategies you can use to make even the
worst resources worthwhile.
