Mathematics

What should Australian schools and teachers focus on in order to improve students’ general understanding of mathematics and science? In her final Teacher column of the year, Dr Sue Thomson explores newly released TIMSS 2019 data to highlight some of the strengths and weaknesses of Australian students at the national level.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) measures how well Year 4 and Year 8 students from around the world are performing in science and mathematics. In this infographic we look at Australian student achievement over time.

Australian students have performed significantly better in the latest cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study in Year 8 mathematics and Year 4 and Year 8 science – but not in Year 4 mathematics – than they did in 2015. Here, we take a closer look at the results.

At the start of the millennium, students around the world participated in PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) for the first time. Twenty years on, what can the wealth of data collected so far tell us about education in Australia?

Changing school practices means everyone working together – leaders, teachers, support staff, students, parents and the wider community – toward the goal of improving outcomes for students. In today’s podcast, we share some recent Teacher highlights on the topic of school improvement.

‘Evidence shows that both young people and adults need to have both sets of skills and knowledge – numeracy and mathematics are different, but mutually beneficial and critical. Hence the critical need to connect the two, and not ignore either.’

The way that a student engages with mathematics influences the quality of their mathematical learning. One of the most significant factors that can shape this engagement in the classroom is mathematics anxiety – feelings of worry and nervousness when performing mathematical tasks.

It’s well understood that highly effective school leaders promote the use of evidence-based teaching practices throughout their school. A new resource aims to support principals, learning leaders and teachers in thinking about their priorities and student needs in mathematics, and what the research says.

Nick Brooking, Head of Mathematics at Peace Lutheran College, has been investigating strategies to reduce exam anxiety among his students – the first cohort to face Queensland’s new external examinations. In today’s reader submission he shares what’s happened so far and some of the feedback from students.

During the period of remote learning in New South Wales, Mathematics teacher Holly Millican from South Grafton High School used several activities to keep her students engaged and accountable, and in today’s video, she shares them with Teacher readers.