Introduction

This professional learning project aims to enhance problem-solving capacity in middle school mathematics classrooms. As part of this project, students and teachers will have a chance to solve unfamiliar problems, using well-rehearsed and mastered skills, independent of content progression.

This project starts with the on-site delivery of a professional learning workshop for your middle school mathematics team, followed by an experienced practitioner working closely with your two participant teachers to deliver problem-solving sessions to classes within your school. These will include the exemplification of new ideas and the chance for your teachers to apply these ideas with support and feedback. All sessions will be offered on-site, with timing tailored to schools’ needs, at no financial cost.

For over 10 years, MathsCraft has been promoting problem-solving in Australian secondary schools. As the outreach of an Australian Research Council project, MathsCraft has run student problem-solving workshops nation-wide, has provided extensive professional learning for hundreds of teachers, and has developed a collection of problem-solving resources and a clearly articulated way of thinking about problem solving behaviour. This project seeks to share these resources and promote problem-solving with more teachers and students and believes that this is best done in their own classrooms.

Rationale – why problem-solving?

Problem-solving, the cognitive of process of constructing unfamiliar sequences of thought with familiar ideas to solve problems, is often considered a ‘21st Century skill’ and its value is increasingly emphasised in educational settings. Problem-solving is for many the justification of Mathematics’ central position in school curricula. As such, a teacher’s capacity as a problem-solver and as an enabler of the development of students’ problem-solving capability is an important measure of the effectiveness of a mathematics classroom.

Objectives

  • To equip middle school teachers of mathematics with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to enhance the teaching and learning of problem-solving in their class.
  • To provide teachers of mathematics with access to robust problem-solving tasks that can be used throughout the middle years to develop students’ Critical and Creative Thinking (General capability – Australian Curriculum) in mathematics.
  • To promote pedagogical practices that enhance problem-solving as well as the acquisition of new mathematical knowledge.

Methodology – what sort of professional learning is being offered?

The methodology of this project is aligned with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Professional Learning Cycle and comprises three main cyclic elements.

  • Professional Learning session – participation in a workshop where new ideas (MathsCraft problems) are explored, and a conversation is had about the use of these new ideas in a classroom setting.
  • Exemplification session (x2) – an experienced practitioner uses some of the new ideas (e.g. a MathsCraft problem) and associated pedagogies in the ‘regular’ classroom setting with the support of the participant teachers.
  • Application session (x2) – the participant teachers use some of the new ideas (e.g. a MathsCraft problem) and associated pedagogies in the ‘regular’ classroom setting with the support of an experienced practitioner.

These elements will be connected via conversations designed to facilitate feedback and growth. The Exemplification and Application elements will be repeated, using a second MathsCraft problem, to provide an opportunity to embed new ideas and practices.

At the conclusion of these five sessions, participant teachers will be provided with free, ongoing access to MathsCraft problem-solving resources, mentoring and support in the use of these resources, and AITSL referenced certification of professional learning.

Who will participate in the project?

Schools will participate in the project at either Year 7 or Year 8. They will nominate two participant teachers who are teaching at this year level in 2024. It is envisaged that participant teachers will be able to work together or independently in the application sessions and will provide peer support to one another throughout the project. The school’s other middle school mathematics teachers will be invited to participate in the initial Professional Learning workshop. Additional participant teachers from the school will be accommodated where possible.

Participants who may benefit from this project include established teachers looking to enhance the teaching of problem-solving in their classes as well as early career teachers, new-to-secondary teachers, and out-of-field teachers.

Timing and location

  • It is intended that an engagement with the project would occur over the course of a school term. All sessions would occur on-site, with timing chosen, as much as possible, to suit school needs and timetable.
  • The Professional Learning workshop is anticipated to take place in ‘faculty time’.
  • The exemplification and application sessions will take place in four normally scheduled lessons of the Year 7 or Year 8 classes of the two participant teachers.

Project personnel

In 2024, the project will be delivered and facilitated by Alastair Lupton. Alastair is an experienced secondary mathematics teacher currently employed at Adelaide Botanic High School. He is a registered teacher with the associated clearances necessary to work in school settings. He has been involved with MathsCraft since its inception and was trained as a MathsCraft Session Leader in 2016.

Cost

There is no financial cost to schools participating in this project. The cost of facilitation and materials are covered as part of the outreach of a federal tertiary mathematics collaboration project.

Depending on the planning of the exemplification and application sessions, it may be desirable to release participant teachers to engage in these sessions. The cost of lesson release, if any, will need to be borne by the participating school.

How to register your interest

School interest can be registered via this form. Initial 2024 places in the project will be allocated on 27 October 2023. Registrations received after this date will be allocated places in order of receipt. Schools yet to finalise their 2024 timetable and staffing are encouraged to register tentative interest as soon as possible.

Contact

Mr Alastair Lupton
Project Leader
MathsCraft EPCIS
STEM Teacher
Adelaide Botanic High School
Email: alastair.lupton994@schools.sa.edu.au