Conference synopsis_FINAL_20260815 - Flipbook - Page 98
SESSION E: Friday, 11am-12pm (cont.)
E14 ENGAGING EVERY STUDENT IN MATHS
THROUGH IN-CLASS MENTORING
Sub-category: Engaging and including every learner
Cory Smith and Nicole Butler, In2science, La Trobe
University
Y5 - Y10
In2science places university STEM students as volunteer
mentors in classrooms, working alongside teachers within
existing lessons rather than requiring separate activities. For
mathematics classrooms specifically, mentors support the
confidence-building, real-world connection, and personalised
encouragement that can be hard to deliver consistently in a
single-teacher classroom.
Having an additional adult presence in the room, someone
enthusiastic about maths, helps keep learning engaging and
relatable for students at every stage of their maths journey.
This session walks through how the In2science model works
in practice: what a typical mentoring session looks like, what
it asks of teachers, and how schools have integrated mentors
into their existing maths classes.
Drawing on more than two decades of program delivery, we’ll
share practical insights on getting the most out of a classroom
mentor, and how to bring the program into your own school.
Key takeaways:
1. How peer mentoring helps every student stay engaged in
maths
2. What to expect from a mentor in your classroom
3. How to bring the program into your school
E15 CAN CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO 5
YEARS ENGAGE IN MATHEMATICAL
THINKING?
Sub-category: Mathematical content and concepts
Laurinda Lomas, Macquarie University
Early Childhood
In this session we will explore what mathematical thinking
looks like before children enter formal schooling and how
we can intentionally respond to it. To do this we will become
familiar with precursor mathematics concepts (Hynes-Berry
et al., 2021) and how these relate to the big ideas of early
mathematics. We will also connect with the expectations
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of the Early Years Learning Framework 2.0 and Australian
Curriculum Mathematics. To provoke understanding of
these concepts we will engage in practical hands-on tasks
and have time to deepen our understanding with real life
examples. This session is highly connected to the work of
early childhood educators, parents and carers, and teachers of
the early years of school.
Key takeaways:
1. Knowledge of precursor mathematical concepts and big
ideas of early mathematics
2. Ways to identify children’s intentional application of this
mathematical thinking
3. An expanded view of what mathematical thinking can look
like in birth-5 years and explicit ways to explore it further
E16 HINTS AND TIPS FOR IMPROVING
WRITING OF ASSESSMENT/TEST QUESTIONS
Sub-category: Assessment
David Tout, Multifangled, ACER and University of
Melbourne
Y5 - Y12
Want to improve how you write numeracy and maths test or
assessment questions, so they are more accessible and better
target the underpinning maths and numeracy knowledge
and skills? Did you know that there is both a science and an
art to writing assessment questions? Based on decades of
experience writing formal assessment questions for local,
state, national and international numeracy assessments,
including PISA, through Australian Council for Education
Research (ACER) and elsewhere, Dave will share with
you some of his insights on how to improve how you write
questions. This will include different types and styles of
question, such as Multiple Choice (MC) and Complex
Multiple Choice (CMC) and constructed response items.
Which are easiest to write, and which are hardest to mark?
Key takeaways:
1. Understanding some of the best practice approaches to
writing assessment and test questions.
2. How to make assessment and test questions more
accessible to a range of learners.
3. Understanding different types and styles of test questions.
