Conference synopsis_FINAL_20260815 - Flipbook - Page 74
SESSION C: Thursday, 2pm-3pm
C01 FAMILY MATHS NIGHTS THAT SPARK
POSITIVE DISPOSITIONS IN MATHEMATICS.
Sub-category: Engaging and including every learner
Sharyn Livy, Monash University
Y3 - Y6
Family engagement in mathematics thrives when schools
create opportunities that connect hearts, hands, and minds.
This workshop supports primary school teachers to design
and facilitate meaningful family maths nights that strengthen
mathematical confidence, curiosity, and community.
Drawing on extensive experience working with children
and their families across Victoria, the session explores
practical, adaptable approaches that invite families to engage
playfully and purposefully with mathematics. Participants
will experience a range of hands-on tasks that model how
to activate mathematical thinking, promote collaborative
problem-solving, and foster positive dispositions toward
mathematics for learners of all ages. We will explore activities
that are accessible yet challenging, culturally responsive, and
aligned with the curriculum. By the end of the workshop,
teachers will leave with ready-to-use ideas for hosting a family
maths evening.
Key takeaways:
C02 ACTIVATING HEARTS, HANDS,
AND MINDS THROUGH SOCIAL
JUSTICE MATHEMATICAL TASKS
Sub-category: Engaging and including every learner
Tracey Muir, Australian Catholic University (Brisbane)
Y5 - Y6
Incorporating social justice with mathematics provides
opportunities for students to connect mathematical learning
with issues that matter in their lives and communities.
In doing so, mathematics can activate students’ hearts
through empathy and concern, minds through critical and
mathematical reasoning, and hands through informed action.
In this interactive workshop, participants will engage with
examples of social justice mathematics tasks drawn from
authentic contexts, real-world data, and children’s literature.
A practical framework for evaluating and designing social
justice mathematics tasks will be introduced. Participants will
explore the key characteristics of effective tasks, including
mathematical richness, authentic and meaningful contexts,
student agency, critical reflection, multiple perspectives, and
opportunities for action. Participants will leave with a taskdesign framework, classroom-ready examples, and practical
strategies for designing meaningful mathematics experiences
that inspire both learning and action.
1. Practical strategies for designing and facilitating family
maths nights and positive dispositions toward mathematics.
Key takeaways:
2. Hands-on tasks teachers can use to engage families.
1. Analyse social justice mathematics tasks using a researchinformed evaluation framework.
3. Approaches to fostering positive dispositions in children
and adults through accessible, enjoyable mathematical
experiences.
2. Experience classroom-ready examples drawn from
authentic data and children’s literature.
4. Culturally responsive activity ideas.
3. Design or adapt tasks that connect meaningful issues with
rich mathematical thinking and student agency.
5. Insights into family engagement that strengthen school–
community connections.
Remember:
Please bring a pair of scissors.
C03 FROM CONTEXT TO CURIOSITY:
PROBLEM-POSING IN MATHEMATICS
Sub-category: Mathematical content and concepts
Kate Eastcott, Phillip Island Village School
Y3 - Y6
Meaningful contexts can spark curiosity, but how do they
lead to deep mathematical understanding? This practical
session explores how contextual problem-posing transforms
familiar situations into rich opportunities for students
to investigate key mathematical concepts. Through
classroom examples and hands-on activities, participants
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