Share the Everyday Maths Hub with your school community

Evidenced-based research shows that when teachers and schools foster respectful relationships and engage with parents and carers in mathematics and numeracy, students' attitudes, engagement and success are enhanced.

During Term 2, Minister Mitchell launched a new phase of the #MathsTrainsBrains campaign alongside three new mathematics ambassadors - BMX champion, Kai Sakakibara; musician, Mahalia Barnes; and Channel 9’s The Block foreman, Dan Reilly. The campaign material includes videos featuring the ambassadors, digital advertising, features in Careers with STEM magazine and partnerships with SBS and NOVA radio. Additionally, content was shared on social media (including a Snapchat AR lens focused on careers) and content creators shared how they use mathematics in their everyday lives. All campaign material encouraged viewers to click through and visit the Everyday Maths Hub.

As part of preparations for the campaign, we’ve been reviewing and updating the content and user experience on the Everyday Maths Hub. There is new content created by the department and with partnerships with agencies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). New resources include financial literacy for teens, careers and mathematics and why it is so crucial to any lifelong learning journey.

New translated content has been made available on the Everyday Maths Hub in Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Hindi, Vietnamese plus many more! The new resources are a key way of supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to increase their engagement with mathematics and numeracy. The resources include a mix of games, videos and creative activities parents and carers can do with their children at home.

Where appropriate, schools may like to share these resources with their school communities.

Find out how you can help your school community engage with mathematics and numeracy using the Everyday Maths Hub.

Tour puts spotlight on the Mathematics Growth Team

The inspiring work of the Mathematics Growth Team (MGT) has been shared far and wide after Mathematics Growth Team (leader) Eddie Woo spent time during Term 2, 2022 visiting a number of MGT schools. As part of his visits, Eddie held workshops with mathematics teachers and showed students how maths can be relevant and engaging. During his visit to Woolgoolga High School, Eddie was interviewed by the ABC’s 730 program. They also spoke to MGT Trainer, Rachel Winter and mathematics teacher Chris Young about the impact the MGT is having at the school including the growth of their extension 2 mathematics class from 2 students in 2021 to 19 students in 2022.

During a visit to Toormina High School, Eddie reflected on the role of the MGT when he spoke to the local newspaper, News of the Area. “I’ve never met a teacher who didn’t want to improve how they could teach, to engage students more – they all do – but they need access to expertise, time, resources and research, so that is what my initiative is all about. I’m really pleased we can partner with Toormina High School and other high schools to share this.”

Keep the Online Learning Tools Marketplace in your plans

When the time comes to start thinking about online learning tool purchases for 2023, make sure you check out the Online Learning Tools Marketplace (OLTM) where you can purchase online learning tools for mathematics and other key learning areas.

All products on the OLTM come with the reassurance that they have been quality-assessed by the department’s primary and secondary curriculum teams and also checked to ensure they comply with cyber security and privacy standards.

A product catalogue with information on each of the products, including pricing is available online, with orders completed using EdBuy.

Visit the OLTM today or if you need more information, contact the Marketplace team by email on marketplace@det.nsw.edu.au

New on-demand professional learning available

There is a new addition to the ‘Becoming mathematicians’ suite on MyPL. Focused on flexible additive thinking, the new professional learning video and accompanying resource examines the components, or "molecules", of additive thinking. While the video is 20 minutes long, you might like to watch together with a colleague so you can discuss key points and play with some mathematical ideas.

The Becoming mathematicians suite is a series of short mathematics professional learning videos and resources that explore important mathematical concepts from K-8. Available on-demand so you can plan your professional learning when it suits your schedule. The suite also includes:

• Becoming mathematicians: How numbers and fractions work - examines some components of number sense, from kindergarten to high school.

• Becoming mathematicians: Quantifying collections - examines two components of quantifying collections; subitising and counting with understanding.

• Becoming mathematicians: Exploring patterns - examines some components of exploring patterns, from kindergarten to high school.

Join our Yammer community

Join the NSW Mathematics Strategy Yammer group (staff only) to share insights with your colleagues.