Tournament of Minds (TOM)

We had so much fun solving problems, working collaboratively and wearing our creativity hats. The students who were successful in their efforts to be a TOM player this year, will bring home a permission slip today. I would like to congratulate all the students who put in an application and trialled for the teams. I also encourage all these students to trial again in the future. We are so fortunate to be blessed with such aspiring individuals at our school.

Professional Development Day

The focus of our day was exploring best practice when teaching and assessing mathematics. Our staff had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the research of Jo Boaler and the practical applications of ‘growth mindset’ and ‘neuroplasticity’ specific to mathematical learning. They each stepped into the role of ‘student’ and completed activities that had a low floor and a high ceiling – accessible to all learners. 

Staff used rubrics to scaffold their learning and discussed the importance of social and emotional capabilities across all learning tasks. There was rich and purposeful dialogue about how we teach mathematics in our classrooms. Most importantly, we have seen our teachers apply this new learning in their classrooms this week. 

I am so excited about the enthusiasm of our staff and their willingness to engage in professional learning. If you would like to know more about current mathematical research, the text we are collectively reading is The Elephant in the Classroom: Helping Children Learn and Love Maths. There are also videos to view on https://www.youcubed.org/.

Karri von Mengerson
Curriculm Co-ordinator