2012 Maths & Science Middle School Conference

9:00 AM

1 Hour

Over the last 30 years Peter has been applying mathematics to a wide range of problems related (mostly) to efficient transport, including: * the development of systems for providing efficient driving advice to suburban and long-haul train drivers * train scheduling * optimal driving strategies for solar racing cars *wiring design for curved photovoltaic panels *design of solar and electric cars *modelling of the impact of electric cars on the electricity grid * smart charging of electric vehicles

Presenter: Dr Peter Pudney, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Barbara Hardy Institute, UniSA

10:40 AM

1 Hour

Have you ever gone into room to get something, then find yourself standing there wondering "What did I come in here to get?" What is that helps trigger your memory? Visual representation of mathematics concepts can help students understand and later recall. This workshop will look at a number of examples where visual representation and physical activities are used to help students learn and understand mathematics.

Presenter: Peter Fox

10:40 AM

1 Hour

LOVE MATHS is a series of events and activities that could be held in your school for Maths Month or any other celebration. The events were designed to raise the profile of Mathematics and motivate students through a variety of interesting and challenging activities. The events give the opportunity for all student and staff to engage in problem solving while building cross-curricular links. This session showcases some of the events and introduces our LOVE MATHS package which is available for sale.

Presenter: Mark Robson and Pauline Carter

10:40 AM

1 Hour

This workshop will provide a report of the implementation of the Earth and Space sub-strand the Australian Science Curriculum in the middle years in 12 schools. Our project has been funded under the NAB Schools First program and our participants include teachers in government, independent, metropolitan and rural schools. Workshop participants will be invited to freely join our network and to participate in our collaborative efforts during 2013. Participants will be provided with a DVD of resources, including examples of units, lesson plans, and student inquiry based learning. Links will be made with the three strands of the Australian Curriculum and the Achievement Standards, Cross-Curriculum Priorities, Overarching Ideas and General Capabilities. Strategies and methodologies will be recommended to develop community partnerships and authentic local contexts for teaching and learning. Collaborative teacher professional development across and between sites, systems and jurisdictions will be actively fostered and facilitated. Examples of effective teaching and learning will demonstrate the value of fully funded TESEP workshops and other recommended PD that can assist teachers to implement the Australian Curriculum: Science and to prepare for the emerging senior secondary Earth and Environmental Science course.

Presenter: Len Altman

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers

10:40 AM

1 Hour

Efofex's FX MathPack contains four of the most powerful and useful mathematical tools available for teachers and students [FX Draw, FX Equation, FX Graph and FX Stats]. This session will demonstrate how this software can be used by students in completing folio tasks across the curriculum in the Middle and Senior Years. It is also a valuable tool for teachers in teaching demonstrations and preparing tasks and tests. (2month free subscription for all participants)

Presenter: Ralph Broughton

10:40 AM

1 Hour

What is the essence of science and where do you find it in the Australian Curriculum? How do we design the learning of science for students? How can we create a recipe with the ingredients we know and understand but include some new ones to make science more engaging for middle school students?

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers

10:40 AM

1 Hour

Is Year 7 Physics causing ‘friction’? Does it feel ‘forced’? We’re here to help! The ASMS Science Primary Inquiry team would love to share activities for engaging your students in Year 7 Physical Science and progressing their skills in inquiry. We’ll utilise everyday materials to demonstrate forces and motion as well as handy ideas for games, magic tricks and online activities for all learners. All participants will be invited to continue the conversation by joining our ASMS Primary Science Network.

Presenter: Kay Gillett & Ian Maynard

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers, Primary school teachers

10:40 AM

1 Hour

A hands on workshop on how inquiry based learning might look in a middle school classroom. Participants will be involved in collecting data that could answer the question “how long would it take to complete a marathon?”

Presenter: Kym Willis

11:45 AM

1 Hour

A practical workshop on using cooperative learning strategies to maximise student engagement in Maths and Science. While group work is required by the Australian Curriculum and SACE in both Maths and Science, it often fails in the classroom when students see it as an opportunity to mess around. Research and experience have shown that when group work is set up effectively student motivation and achievement improve.

Presenter: Lara Golding

11:45 AM

1 Hour

Learning is more effective when it is active rather than passive. Data logging should not be restricted to the science classroom. Participants in this workshop WILL USE data logging tools to take measurements that can be used to help understand and connect mathematics and science. Anyone that has used a 'ticker timer' will know how frustrating they can be, a motion sensor is quicker and easier to use and consistently more accurate. The focus quickly changes from reading, to interpreting and evaluating the data rather than learning how to use the equipment.

Presenter: Peter Fox

11:45 AM

1 Hour

Over the last nine years, the overall education performance of Australian students measured by PISA has slipped; whereas the mean performance of students in Korea on PISA has improved. Professor Field Rickards informs us that “...the substantial improvement in Korea’s mean performance on PISA ... was achieved by substantial improvement among high performers.” “So, the challenge for teachers is to cater for students throughout the range of development and not to teach to the mid-range of whole class groups.” “...teachers need to be able to draw on evidence (of student readiness to learn) and a broad base of (pedagogical content knowledge) to inform how they can manipulate the teaching and learning environment and scaffold learning for every student ...” (Educational Review 09 August 12.) My workshop (am), and repeated (pm), will show how I use my interactive Australian Science PDF curriculum modules to try to meet the learning needs of students, of diverse academic ability, in my science classes. My Australian constructivist Science (Level 7 – 10) curriculum modules can be downloaded, for free, from the ASTA Moodle URL: http://moodle.asta.edu.au/.

Presenter: Mike McGarry

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers

11:45 AM

1 Hour

Sometimes technology is just what students need to help them see the bigger picture! This workshop will share some activities that will help students gain a better understanding of fractions, place value and decimals. Participants will use the TI15 calculator, and take away some trial software and many activities to use in their classrooms.

Presenter: Carol Moule

11:45 AM

1 Hour

In this speed-dating style workshop, our Professional Learning Team from Kangaroo Island Community Education will share some effective teaching strategies they have implemented to improve student engagement and learning outcomes in middle school maths and science. These strategies range from using technology in the classroom to building collaborative learning environments and are designed to develop the general capabilities of 21st Century Learners. Content is aligned with both the Australian Curriculum and the South Australian Teaching for Effective Learning Framework.

Presenter: Eulia Ley

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers, Primary school teachers, Senior school (yr. 10-12) teachers

11:45 AM

1 Hour

Using ibooks author, edit your own electronic textbooks. Use the free to share resources we've developed for Australian Curriculum year 8 Science and edit them for your school: add your own pracs, remove questions and add your own, add videos you've produced or Youtube links. iBooks author outputs either professional looking pdf documents or interactive books for iPad. Michael Borgas and Jonathan Dallwitz (Faith Lutheran College)

Presenter: Michael Borgas & Jonathon Dallwitz

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers, Primary school teachers

11:45 AM

1 Hour

Engage students with (corny) science and maths videos and songs. This session will show you how to easliy save youtube videos and use them in the classroom whether youtube is blocked at your school or not. The presenter will give examples of youtube videos he has used to cover AC content from year5 to year8 with students of low literacy level. Participants are recommended to bring a USB device to get a copy of the presenter's videos and songs. The workshop will also cover important issues in using youtube at school and the presenter will also share his experiences of how NOT to use youtube in the classroom.

Presenter: Mark Divito

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers, Primary school teachers

1:35 PM

1 Hour

The F1 in Schools competition is the world's largest Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) competition and involves over 9 million students in 31 countries and 17,000 Schools. The Cold Fusion Team from Brighton Secondary School won the international F1 in Schools competition in Abu Dhuabi. This team will be presenting their award winning presentation and will speak to the audience about their experience in this competition.

Presenter: Students from Brighton Secondary School

1:35 PM

1 Hour

What does it look like for students to get an A for maths in the Australian Curriculum and how do we gather good evidence? How do we help students to improve? In this workshop we will discuss both assessment and grading using the achievement standards, giving teachers a chance to grade actual student sample work.

Presenter: Tierney Kennedy

1:35 PM

1 Hour

Who would have thought that making cards, cooking cookies, beading jewellery and sewing a pencil case used so much maths? This session demonstrates materials from the MASA resource, Crafty Business which also includes career orientated numeracy units. Make a Xmas card and check how many chocolate chips are in a cookie.

Presenter: Pauline Carter

1:35 PM

1 Hour

The mathematics and science concepts used in Mineral & Petroleum exploration methods will be explained and then applied with a series of practical classroom activities and investigations.Teachers will be able to take these for use in their classroom as written up files on CD.

Presenter: John Mignone

Target Audience: Senior school (yr. 10-12) teachers

1:35 PM

1 Hour

Topical approaches to science experiments are an excellent way of engaging young learners. Many science experiments and demonstrations lend themselves perfectly to illustrating science concepts with a contemporary edge. For instance; How about bath bombs? Not only do they act as very good examples of acid-base reactions but also represent an excellent opportunity to produce a science-based Mothers Day gift. Such approaches to the science curriculum assist to develop stronger science focuses in the home and community, connecting with the overarching ideals of Science Inquiry Skills and Science as a Human Endeavour. In this workshop we will focus on applying science curriculum to topical events with a particular focus upon experiments and demonstrations for Halloween and Christmas, incorporating links to the National Curriculum and discussion of cross curricular applications.

Presenter: Sam Moyle

Target Audience: Lab officers, Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers, Primary school teachers

1:35 PM

2 Hours

Designing Learning for a year 6 and 7 composite class through an interdisciplinary unit integrating science, maths and history. We will model the use of Learning Design to bring together the Australian Curriculum and the Teaching for Effective Learning framework (TfEL).

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers

1:35 PM

1 Hour

This will be a hands-on session that involves exploring sensor technology relating to the enhancement of human senses and the application of such technology in society. Specific examples of enhancement technology; infra-red and ultrasonic sensors, will be investigated. myDAQ equipment and software will be used to collect and interpret data from each of the sensors. The lesson shown will be applicable to years 7-9 Science, Maths and Design and Technology students and direct links will be made to the skills and understandings outlined in the content of the Australian Curriculum for these year levels.

Presenter: Kate Dilger

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers

2:40 PM

1 Hour

Over the last nine years, the overall education performance of Australian students measured by PISA has slipped; whereas the mean performance of students in Korea on PISA has improved. Professor Field Rickards informs us that “...the substantial improvement in Korea’s mean performance on PISA ... was achieved by substantial improvement among high performers.” “So, the challenge for teachers is to cater for students throughout the range of development and not to teach to the mid-range of whole class groups.” “...teachers need to be able to draw on evidence (of student readiness to learn) and a broad base of (pedagogical content knowledge) to inform how they can manipulate the teaching and learning environment and scaffold learning for every student ...” (Educational Review 09 August 12.) My workshop (am), and repeated (pm), will show how I use my interactive Australian Science PDF curriculum modules to try to meet the learning needs of students, of diverse academic ability, in my science classes. My Australian constructivist Science (Level 7 – 10) curriculum modules can be downloaded, for free, from the ASTA Moodle URL: http://moodle.asta.edu.au/.

Presenter: Mike McGarry

2:40 PM

1 Hour

This workshop provides opportunities to explore linear and growing patterns by: • Making patterns with concrete materials, collecting data,representing graphically and then turning these into algebraic generalisations. • Making connections with what is actually happening and formulas found. • Making links to famous problems such as the handshake problem and the stair case problem as examples of growing patterns.

Presenter: Maureen Hegarty

2:40 PM

1 Hour

This hands on workshop will use data loggers as a way to generate real data for the Statistics and Probability and the Number and Algebra content strands in the Australian Curriculum at year 7, 8 and 9. The Problem Solving and Reasoning proficiency strand will be addressed through the activities used in the workshop.

Presenter: Bruce White

2:40 PM

1 Hour

A hands-on session to find out more about Scientists in Schools and CREST, two national programs run by CSIRO Education. Learn how SiS teachers and scientists and can use CREST in their partnerships to support open-ended student investigations.

Presenter: Rebecca Anderson & Theo Kermanidis

Target Audience: Middle school (yr. 6-9) teachers, Primary school teachers, Senior school (yr. 10-12) teachers

2:40 PM

1 Hour

Transition smoothly to the Australian Curriculum with Pearson Mathematics. In this workshop, teachers will participate in classroom activities that are engaging, rigorous and relevant.

Presenter: Tanya Smith

2:40 PM

1 Hour

This workshop will look at how teachers can build children's and young people's capacity in relation to their consumer and financial literacy, recognising that being MoneySmart is a core life skill that pays off. All participants will receive a folder designed to support primary schools who want to incorporate financial literacy in their curriculum as they implement the Australian Curriculum and includes units of work that can be used in primary school classrooms. The secondary folder with units of work will be available for the start of 2013.

Presenter: David Andrew